Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

product managertocategory manager

A product manager already meets 28% of what the category manager role asks for. The move turns on 33 required skills not yet in the profile.

From product manager
28%
Overlap1
To category manager
14 Skills carried over
33 Required, not held
79.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

28%

Learning distance A rebuild

79.6/ 100

1 Share of the category manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the product manager 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.

Why

Why this move works

A category manager role treats 14 of its required skills as things a product manager already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • analyse consumer buying trends
  • apply strategic thinking
  • consumer goods industry
  • cost management
  • develop product design
  • integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy

What stands in the way is 33 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A category manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a product manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy management skills
  • already held pricing strategies business, administration and law
  • already held market pricing business, administration and law
  • already held manage profitability management skills
  • already held consumer goods industry business, administration and law
  • already held analyse consumer buying trends information skills

All 14 carried skills, including the 14 the category manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 44 missing skills fall into 7 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 management skills 13 required
  • required, not held manage inventory required
  • required, not held perform product planning required
  • required, not held coordinate marketing plan actions required
  • required, not held create annual marketing budget required
  • required, not held define measurable marketing objectives required
  • required, not held identify potential markets for companies required
  • required, not held identify suppliers required
  • required, not held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
  • required, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time required
  • required, not held perform project management required
  • required, not held plan marketing campaigns required
  • required, not held plan marketing strategy required
  • required, not held select optimal distribution channel required
02 business, administration and law 7 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held company policies required
  • required, not held corporate social responsibility required
  • required, not held channel marketing required
  • required, not held conflict management required
  • required, not held content marketing strategy required
  • required, not held market participants required
  • required, not held marketing mix required
  • optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
  • optional, not held employment law optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held maintain relationship with suppliers required
  • required, not held negotiate sales contracts required
  • required, not held align efforts towards business development required
  • required, not held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies required
  • required, not held ensure client orientation required
  • required, not held impart business plans to collaborators required
  • optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
  • optional, not held develop professional network optional
  • optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
  • optional, not held use different communication channels optional
04 information skills 6 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held analyse customer service surveys required
  • required, not held analyse external factors of companies required
  • required, not held analyse internal factors of companies required
  • required, not held analyse work-related written reports required
  • required, not held evaluate marketing content required
  • required, not held perform risk analysis required
  • optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
  • optional, not held inspect data optional
05 arts and humanities 1 required
  • required, not held store design layout required
06 generic programmes and qualifications 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held communication principles optional
  • optional, not held teamwork principles optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a category manager 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 14 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
  • already held apply strategic thinking skill
  • already held consumer goods industry knowledge
  • already held cost management knowledge
  • already held develop product design skill
  • already held integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy skill
  • already held manage budgets skill
  • already held manage profitability skill
  • already held market pricing knowledge
  • already held market research knowledge
  • already held perform market research skill
  • already held pricing strategies knowledge
  • already held study sales levels of products skill
  • already held track key performance indicators skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held abide by business ethical code of conducts optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held abide by business ethical code of conducts optional
  • optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
  • optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
  • optional, not held communication principles optional
  • optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
  • optional, not held develop professional network optional
  • optional, not held employment law optional
  • optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
  • optional, not held inspect data optional
  • optional, not held teamwork principles optional
  • optional, not held use different communication channels optional
48 held skills the category manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse data about clients skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
  • not needed by the target role carry out sales analysis skill
  • not needed by the target role circular economy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role combine business technology with user experience skill
  • not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
  • not needed by the target role create prototype of user experience solutions skill
  • not needed by the target role define technology strategy skill
  • not needed by the target role design customer experiences skill
  • not needed by the target role design management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role develop business plans skill
  • not needed by the target role develop communications strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role develop new products skill
  • not needed by the target role develop promotional tools skill
  • not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role draw conclusions from market research results skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure products meet regulatory requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
  • not needed by the target role follow production schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role identify market niches skill
  • not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
  • not needed by the target role manage feedback skill
  • not needed by the target role manage product testing skill
  • not needed by the target role manage production systems skill
  • not needed by the target role manage the customer experience skill
  • not needed by the target role manage the handling of promotional materials skill
  • not needed by the target role maximise sales revenues skill
  • not needed by the target role organise participation in local or international events skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
  • not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
  • not needed by the target role persuade clients with alternatives skill
  • not needed by the target role plan product management skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare market research reports skill
  • not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
  • not needed by the target role product data management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role product life-cycle knowledge

8 further entries not listed here

12 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 company policies required
  • required, not held corporate social responsibility required
  • required, not held store design layout required
  • required, not held channel marketing required
  • required, not held conflict management required
  • required, not held content marketing strategy required
  • required, not held market participants required
  • required, not held marketing mix required
  • optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
  • optional, not held communication principles optional
  • optional, not held employment law optional
  • optional, not held teamwork principles optional
Index

Other moves recorded from product manager

Full index of moves from product manager

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.