Political affairs officer to public affairs consultant
A political affairs officer already meets 38% of what the public affairs consultant role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.7/ 100
1 How much of what a public affairs consultant is expected to do is already part of a political affairs officer’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 public affairs consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A public affairs consultant role treats 6 of its required skills as things a political affairs officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on conflict management
- advise on legislative acts
- diplomatic principles
- government policy implementation
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- perform political negotiation
What stands in the way is 6 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 9 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 political affairs officer background worth leading with.
- already held European political studies social sciences, journalism and information
- already held monitor political conflicts information skills
- already held diplomatic principles social sciences, journalism and information
- already held perform political negotiation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on conflict management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held assess risk factors information skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the public affairs consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 5 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 influence legislators required
- still to learn apply diplomatic principles required
- still to learn manage relationships with stakeholders required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative 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 perform public relations optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
- still to learn legislation procedure required
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- still to learn manage government policy implementation required
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held rhetoric optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
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.
- 01 influence legislators practise this
- 02 apply diplomatic principles practise this
- 03 legislation procedure study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise on conflict management skill
- already held advise on legislative acts skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held perform political negotiation skill
- already held European political studies knowledge
- already held assess risk factors skill
- already held monitor political conflicts skill
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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 build international relations optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held government representation 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 perform public relations optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
- optional, not held rhetoric optional
22 held skills the public affairs consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European integration knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on foreign affairs policies skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role analyse foreign affairs policies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse potential threats against national security skill
- not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role assess danger in risk areas skill
- not needed by the target role develop international cooperation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role foreign affairs knowledge
- not needed by the target role foreign affairs policy development knowledge
- 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 international law knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain operational communications skill
- not needed by the target role observe new developments in foreign countries skill
- not needed by the target role political economy knowledge
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- 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 show intercultural awareness skill
- not needed by the target role write situation reports skill
7 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 legislation procedure required
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held rhetoric optional
Other moves recorded from political affairs officer
Common questions about this move
Can a political affairs officer become a public affairs consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A political affairs officer already covers 38% of what a public affairs consultant is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the public affairs consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a political affairs officer need to become a public affairs consultant?
6 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is influence legislators.
How hard is the move from political affairs officer to public affairs consultant?
Its learning distance is 57.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.