Sales engineer to roadside vehicle technician
A sales engineer already meets 29% of what the roadside vehicle technician role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.5/ 100
1 How much of what a roadside vehicle technician is expected to do is already part of a sales 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 roadside vehicle technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A roadside vehicle technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things a sales engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- car controls
- carry out repair of vehicles
- drive vehicles
- maintain vehicle records
- types of vehicles
What stands in the way is 10 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 roadside vehicle technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a sales engineer background worth leading with.
- already held perform road testing of vehicles information skills
- already held carry out repair of vehicles working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held maintain vehicle records information skills
- already held ensure compliance with warranty contracts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held car controls services
- already held types of vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the roadside vehicle technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 8 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 identify vehicles service requirements required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn respond to customers' inquiries required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held adapt to new technology used in cars optional
- optional, not held advise customers on usage of vehicles optional
- optional, not held ensure client orientation optional
- still to learn carry out repairs and maintenance of vehicle bodies required
- still to learn perform technical tasks with great care required
- optional, not held operate towtruck optional
- optional, not held carry out repair of motorcycles optional
- optional, not held perform defensive driving optional
- optional, not held perform minor vehicle repairs optional
- optional, not held repair vehicle electrical systems optional
- still to learn perform manual work autonomously required
- optional, not held fix minor vehicle scratches optional
- still to learn maintain motorcycle records required
- optional, not held read maps optional
- still to learn organise vehicle breakdown support required
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held mechanics optional
- optional, not held types of vehicle engines optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a roadside vehicle technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out repairs and maintenance of vehicle bodies practise this
- 02 identify vehicles service requirements practise this
- 03 maintain motorcycle records 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held car controls knowledge
- already held carry out repair of vehicles skill
- already held drive vehicles skill
- already held maintain vehicle records skill
- already held types of vehicles knowledge
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with warranty contracts skill
- already held perform road testing of vehicles skill
- already held provide customer information related to repairs skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held maintain vehicle appearance optional
- optional, not held use automotive diagnostic equipment optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held operate towtruck optional
- optional, not held adapt to new technology used in cars optional
- optional, not held advise customers on usage of vehicles optional
- optional, not held carry out repair of motorcycles optional
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held maintain vehicle appearance optional
- optional, not held perform defensive driving optional
- optional, not held perform minor vehicle repairs optional
- optional, not held repair vehicle electrical systems optional
- optional, not held use automotive diagnostic equipment optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held ensure client orientation optional
- optional, not held fix minor vehicle scratches optional
- optional, not held mechanics optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held types of vehicle engines optional
33 held skills the roadside vehicle technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role achieve sales targets skill
- not needed by the target role advise customers on motor vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role apply territory planning skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role calculate costs of repair operations skill
- not needed by the target role capital goods industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role check finished vehicles for quality control skill
- not needed by the target role consumer protection knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate automotive repair and maintenance service skill
- not needed by the target role e-procurement knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role interpret electrical diagrams skill
- not needed by the target role inventory management rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue sales quotations for repairs or maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role keep up-to-date on manufacturer's policies skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain parts inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage vehicle services' financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role maximise sales revenues skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role organise storage facilities skill
- not needed by the target role parts pricing knowledge
- not needed by the target role prospect new customers skill
- not needed by the target role provide customer follow-up services skill
- not needed by the target role purchase automotive equipment skill
- not needed by the target role purchase vehicle parts skill
- not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role teamwork principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role think proactively skill
- not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
3 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 electronics optional
- optional, not held mechanics optional
- optional, not held types of vehicle engines optional
Common questions about this move
Can a sales engineer become a roadside vehicle technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A sales engineer already covers 29% of what a roadside vehicle technician is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the roadside vehicle technician role treats as required.
What skills does a sales engineer need to become a roadside vehicle technician?
10 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is carry out repairs and maintenance of vehicle bodies.
How hard is the move from sales engineer to roadside vehicle technician?
Its learning distance is 70.5 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.