Table 1Transition record

member of parliamenttopublic affairs consultant

A member of parliament already meets 42% of what the public affairs consultant role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From member of parliament

42%

Overlap1

To public affairs consultant

13 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

54.5 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 54.5

This move: 54.5 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the public affairs consultant role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the member of parliament profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A public affairs consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a member of parliament background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held monitor political conflicts information skills
already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
already held perform political negotiation communication, collaboration and creativity
already held political science social sciences, journalism and information
already held government representation social sciences, journalism and information
already held build international relations communication, collaboration and creativity

All 13 carried skills, including the 5 the public affairs consultant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 18 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held influence legislators required
required, not held advise on conflict management required
required, not held apply diplomatic principles required
required, not held maintain relationships with government agencies required
required, not held manage relationships with stakeholders required
required, not held protect client interests required

optional, not held advise on public image optional
optional, not held advise on public relations optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional

02 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held diplomatic principles required

optional, not held European political studies optional
optional, not held media and information literacy optional

03 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held legal research optional
optional, not held legal terminology optional

04 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held conduct public surveys optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a public affairs consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 13 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held advise on legislative acts skill
already held government policy implementation knowledge
already held legislation procedure knowledge
already held manage government policy implementation skill
already held perform political negotiation skill
already held assess risk factors skill
already held build international relations skill
already held establish collaborative relations skill
already held government representation knowledge
already held monitor political conflicts skill
already held perform public relations skill
already held political science knowledge
already held rhetoric knowledge

11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held European political studies optional
optional, not held media and information literacy optional
optional, not held advise on public image optional
optional, not held advise on public relations optional
optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held legal research optional
optional, not held legal terminology optional
optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional

17 held skills the public affairs consultant role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role EU law knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse legislation skill
not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
not needed by the target role constitutional law knowledge
not needed by the target role engage in debates skill
not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
not needed by the target role good governance knowledge
not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
not needed by the target role make legislative decisions skill
not needed by the target role perform government ceremonies skill
not needed by the target role political campaigning knowledge
not needed by the target role political parties knowledge
not needed by the target role prepare legislation proposition skill
not needed by the target role present legislation proposition skill
not needed by the target role promote political campaign skill
not needed by the target role public law knowledge

5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held diplomatic principles required
optional, not held European political studies optional
optional, not held media and information literacy optional
optional, not held legal research optional
optional, not held legal terminology optional

Index

Other moves recorded from member of parliament

Full index of moves from member of parliament

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.