Patent engineer to intellectual property consultant
A patent engineer already meets 46% of what the intellectual property consultant role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
50.7/ 100
1 How much of what an intellectual property consultant is expected to do is already part of a patent engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the intellectual property consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An intellectual property consultant role treats 6 of its required skills as things a patent engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on patents
- ensure law application
- intellectual property law
- legal terminology
- market research
- provide legal advice
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An intellectual property consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a patent engineer background worth leading with.
- already held create patent draft communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide advice on trademarks communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held trademarks business, administration and law
- already held apply for patents information skills
- already held advise on patents communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held patents business, administration and law
All 14 carried skills, including the 6 the intellectual property consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage intellectual property rights required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- still to learn use consulting techniques required
- optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
- optional, not held develop licensing agreements optional
- optional, not held interpret law optional
- optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
- still to learn contract law required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn security engineering required
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an intellectual property consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage intellectual property rights practise this
- 02 contract law study this
- 03 monitor legislation developments practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held advise on patents skill
- already held ensure law application skill
- already held intellectual property law knowledge
- already held legal terminology knowledge
- already held market research knowledge
- already held provide legal advice skill
- already held apply for patents skill
- already held create patent draft skill
- already held legal research knowledge
- already held patents knowledge
- already held present arguments persuasively skill
- already held present legal arguments skill
- already held provide advice on trademarks skill
- already held trademarks knowledge
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held develop licensing agreements optional
- optional, not held interpret law optional
- optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
20 held skills the intellectual property consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role market analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide technical expertise skill
- not needed by the target role represent the company skill
- not needed by the target role scientific literature knowledge
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn security engineering required
- optional, not held commercial law optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a patent engineer become an intellectual property consultant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A patent engineer already covers 46% of what an intellectual property consultant is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 6 of which the intellectual property consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a patent engineer need to become an intellectual property consultant?
7 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is manage intellectual property rights.
How hard is the move from patent engineer to intellectual property consultant?
Its learning distance is 50.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.