Public relations manager to political campaign officer
A public relations manager already meets 52% of what the political campaign officer role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
42.7/ 100
1 How much of what a political campaign officer is expected to do is already part of a public relations manager’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 political campaign officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A political campaign officer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a public relations manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advertising techniques
- advise on public image
- advise on public relations
- develop media strategy
- political campaigning
What stands in the way is 3 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A political campaign officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a public relations manager background worth leading with.
- already held monitor political campaigns information skills
- already held advise on public image communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held political campaigning social sciences, journalism and information
- already held prepare presentation material communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop media strategy management skills
- already held coordinate advertising campaigns management skills
All 11 carried skills, including the 5 the political campaign officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 4 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 advise politicians on electoral procedures required
- still to learn liaise with colleagues required
- optional, not held communicate with media optional
- optional, not held influence voting behaviour optional
- optional, not held promote political campaign optional
- optional, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
- optional, not held solicit event publicity optional
- still to learn analyse election procedures required
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held create campaign schedule optional
- optional, not held manage fundraising activities optional
- optional, not held election law optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a political campaign officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise politicians on electoral procedures practise this
- 02 analyse election procedures practise this
- 03 liaise with colleagues 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held advertising techniques knowledge
- already held advise on public image skill
- already held advise on public relations skill
- already held develop media strategy skill
- already held political campaigning knowledge
- already held coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held monitor political campaigns skill
- already held perform public relations skill
- already held political science knowledge
- already held prepare presentation material skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held communicate with media optional
- optional, not held influence voting behaviour optional
- optional, not held promote political campaign optional
- optional, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held create campaign schedule optional
- optional, not held election law optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
- optional, not held manage fundraising activities optional
- optional, not held solicit event publicity optional
102 held skills the political campaign officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European Structural and Investment Funds regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
- not needed by the target role advocate a cause skill
- not needed by the target role analyse external factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse internal factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role apply diplomatic principles skill
- not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- not needed by the target role apply social media marketing skill
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role approve advertising campaign skill
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role build community relations skill
- not needed by the target role build international relations skill
- not needed by the target role business communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out forum moderation skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile content skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop communications strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop promotional tools skill
- not needed by the target role develop public relations strategies skill
- not needed by the target role diplomatic principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role disseminate internal communications skill
- not needed by the target role document project progress skill
- not needed by the target role draft press releases skill
- not needed by the target role draw conclusions from market research results skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role establish communication with foreign cultures skill
62 further entries not listed here
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held election law optional
Other moves recorded from public relations manager
- creative director 53% covered · moderate
- advertising specialist 50% covered · moderate
- election agent 48% covered · moderate
- advertising media buyer 43% covered · moderate
- advertising copywriter 41% covered · substantial
- governor 41% covered · substantial
- international relations officer 40% covered · substantial
- public administration manager 39% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a public relations manager become a political campaign officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A public relations manager already covers 52% of what a political campaign officer is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 5 of which the political campaign officer role treats as required.
What skills does a public relations manager need to become a political campaign officer?
3 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise politicians on electoral procedures.
How hard is the move from public relations manager to political campaign officer?
Its learning distance is 42.7 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.