Table 1Transition record

political affairs officertoforeign affairs officer

A political affairs officer already meets 48% of what the foreign affairs officer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.

From political affairs officer

48%

Overlap1

To foreign affairs officer

16 Skills carried over

6 Required, not held

51.3 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 51.3

This move: 51.3 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the foreign affairs officer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the political affairs officer 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A foreign affairs officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a political affairs officer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held foreign affairs policy development social sciences, journalism and information
already held develop international cooperation strategies management skills
already held analyse foreign affairs policies information skills
already held advise on foreign affairs policies communication, collaboration and creativity
already held foreign affairs business, administration and law
already held observe new developments in foreign countries information skills

All 16 carried skills, including the 7 the foreign affairs officer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 6 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 2 required, 9 supplementary

required, not held advise on public relations required
required, not held create solutions to problems required

optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
optional, not held build international relations optional
optional, not held develop professional network optional
optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held perform public relations optional
optional, not held speak different languages optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

02 business, administration and law 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held international business required
required, not held labour legislation required

optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional

03 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held manage administrative systems required

optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional

04 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required

required, not held cultural geography required

05 social sciences, journalism and information 2 supplementary

optional, not held public administration optional
optional, not held government representation optional

06 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held report analysis results optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a foreign affairs officer 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 16 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held advise on foreign affairs policies skill
already held analyse foreign affairs policies skill
already held assess risk factors skill
already held foreign affairs knowledge
already held foreign affairs policy development knowledge
already held government policy implementation knowledge
already held international law knowledge
already held advise on legislative acts skill
already held apply conflict management skill
already held develop international cooperation strategies skill
already held diplomatic principles knowledge
already held ensure cross-department cooperation skill
already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
already held observe new developments in foreign countries skill
already held present reports skill
already held show intercultural awareness skill

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
optional, not held public administration optional
optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
optional, not held build international relations optional
optional, not held develop professional network optional
optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held government representation optional
optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
optional, not held perform public relations optional
optional, not held report analysis results optional
optional, not held speak different languages optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

15 held skills the foreign affairs officer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role European integration knowledge
not needed by the target role European political studies knowledge
not needed by the target role advise on conflict management skill
not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
not needed by the target role analyse potential threats against national security skill
not needed by the target role assess danger in risk areas skill
not needed by the target role good governance knowledge
not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
not needed by the target role maintain operational communications skill
not needed by the target role monitor political conflicts skill
not needed by the target role perform political negotiation skill
not needed by the target role political economy knowledge
not needed by the target role represent union members skill
not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
not needed by the target role write situation reports skill

6 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 cultural geography required
required, not held international business required
required, not held labour legislation required
optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
optional, not held public administration optional
optional, not held government representation optional

Index

Other moves recorded from political affairs officer

Full index of moves from political affairs officer

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.