Secretary general to mayor
A secretary general already meets 54% of what the mayor role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
45.1/ 100
1 How much of what a mayor is expected to do is already part of a secretary general’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 mayor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mayor role treats 7 of its required skills as things a secretary general already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- build community relations
- good governance
- government policy implementation
- liaise with local authorities
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- manage administrative systems
What stands in the way is 4 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mayor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a secretary general background worth leading with.
- already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
- already held good governance social sciences, journalism and information
- already held public finance business, administration and law
- already held build community relations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage administrative systems management skills
- already held advise on legislative acts communication, collaboration and creativity
All 15 carried skills, including the 7 the mayor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 public administration required
- still to learn government representation required
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- still to learn maintain relations with local representatives required
- optional, not held engage in debates optional
- optional, not held present legislation proposition optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held analyse community needs optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held perform political negotiation optional
- still to learn perform government ceremonies required
- optional, not held constitutional law optional
- optional, not held public law optional
- optional, not held motivate supporters optional
- optional, not held prepare legislation proposition optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mayor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain relations with local representatives practise this
- 02 perform government ceremonies practise this
- 03 public administration 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 15 skills that carry over
- already held build community relations skill
- already held good governance knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held advise on legislative acts skill
- already held apply conflict management skill
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held legislation procedure knowledge
- already held manage staff skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held project management principles knowledge
- already held public finance knowledge
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held engage in debates optional
- optional, not held motivate supporters optional
- optional, not held prepare legislation proposition optional
- optional, not held present legislation proposition optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held analyse community needs optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held constitutional law optional
- optional, not held perform political negotiation optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held public law optional
13 held skills the mayor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply diplomatic principles skill
- not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role build international relations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
- not needed by the target role develop international cooperation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role prepare presentation material skill
- not needed by the target role represent national interests skill
- not needed by the target role represent the organisation 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.
- still to learn public administration required
- still to learn government representation required
- optional, not held constitutional law optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held public law optional
Common questions about this move
Can a secretary general become a mayor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A secretary general already covers 54% of what a mayor is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 7 of which the mayor role treats as required.
What skills does a secretary general need to become a mayor?
4 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by social sciences, journalism and information. The single most important is maintain relations with local representatives.
How hard is the move from secretary general to mayor?
Its learning distance is 45.1 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.