Shipbroker to commodity trader
A shipbroker already meets 42% of what the commodity trader role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.5/ 100
1 How much of what a commodity trader is expected to do is already part of a shipbroker’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 commodity trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A commodity trader role treats 5 of its required skills as things a shipbroker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- commercial law
- economics
- handle financial transactions
- international trade
- negotiate with stakeholders
What stands in the way is 8 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commodity trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a shipbroker background worth leading with.
- already held negotiate price communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held international trade business, administration and law
- already held negotiate with stakeholders communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held commercial law business, administration and law
- already held maintain records of financial transactions information skills
- already held trace financial transactions information skills
All 12 carried skills, including the 5 the commodity trader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 6 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 analyse economic trends required
- still to learn analyse financial risk required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn perform financial risk management in international trade required
- optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
- still to learn financial jurisdiction required
- still to learn financial markets required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held financial products optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- still to learn negotiate sale of commodities required
- still to learn trading software required
- optional, not held actuarial science optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a commodity trader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 negotiate sale of commodities practise this
- 02 trading software study this
- 03 analyse economic trends 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held economics knowledge
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held international trade knowledge
- already held negotiate with stakeholders skill
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held international commercial transactions rules knowledge
- already held maintain records of financial transactions skill
- already held negotiate buying conditions skill
- already held negotiate price skill
- already held negotiate sales contracts skill
- already held trace financial transactions skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held actuarial science optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held financial products optional
- optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
18 held skills the commodity trader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on merchandise features skill
- not needed by the target role commodities in maritime transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult shipping rates skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate products' features skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role direct logistical functions skill
- not needed by the target role distinguish various types of ships skill
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with transportation services skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role maritime law knowledge
- not needed by the target role obtain financial information skill
- not needed by the target role oversee shipment routing skill
- not needed by the target role protect client interests skill
- not needed by the target role provide financial product information skill
- not needed by the target role ship related legislative requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role shipping industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role trade ships skill
8 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 trading software required
- still to learn financial jurisdiction required
- still to learn financial markets required
- optional, not held actuarial science optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held financial products optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a shipbroker become a commodity trader?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A shipbroker already covers 42% of what a commodity trader is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 5 of which the commodity trader role treats as required.
What skills does a shipbroker need to become a commodity trader?
8 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is negotiate sale of commodities.
How hard is the move from shipbroker to commodity trader?
Its learning distance is 54.5 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.