Special-interest groups' official to public affairs consultant
A special-interest groups' official already meets 38% of what the public affairs consultant role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.3/ 100
1 How much of what a public affairs consultant is expected to do is already part of a special-interest groups' official’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 public affairs consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A public affairs consultant role treats 6 of its required skills as things a special-interest groups' official already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on legislative acts
- apply diplomatic principles
- government policy implementation
- influence legislators
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- manage government policy implementation
What stands in the way is 6 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 public affairs consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a special-interest groups' official background worth leading with.
- already held influence legislators communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply diplomatic principles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held present arguments persuasively communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held build international relations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform public relations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on legislative acts communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the public affairs consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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 on conflict management required
- still to learn manage relationships with stakeholders required
- still to learn perform political negotiation required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- still to learn diplomatic principles required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held rhetoric optional
- still to learn legislation procedure required
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held assess risk factors optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a public affairs consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on conflict management practise this
- 02 diplomatic principles study this
- 03 legislation procedure 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise on legislative acts skill
- already held apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held influence legislators skill
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held build international relations skill
- already held perform public relations skill
- already held present arguments persuasively skill
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held assess risk factors optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held rhetoric optional
68 held skills the public affairs consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise legislators skill
- not needed by the target role advise on consumer rights skill
- not needed by the target role advise on drafting policies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse issues skill
- not needed by the target role analyse membership skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role business law knowledge
- not needed by the target role check payrolls skill
- not needed by the target role circulate information skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with media skill
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role defend human rights skill
- not needed by the target role develop communications strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop economic policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop employment policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop manufacturing policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop membership strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop trade policies skill
- not needed by the target role election law knowledge
- not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate humanitarian programme proposals skill
- not needed by the target role good governance knowledge
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle complaints skill
- not needed by the target role humanitarian aid actors knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify hazards in the workplace skill
- not needed by the target role identify policy breach skill
- not needed by the target role identify research topics skill
- not needed by the target role interact with the board of directors skill
- not needed by the target role international human rights law knowledge
- not needed by the target role interview people skill
- not needed by the target role keep updated on the political landscape skill
- not needed by the target role labour law knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with sports organisations skill
28 further entries not listed here
9 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 diplomatic principles required
- still to learn legislation procedure required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held rhetoric optional
Other moves recorded from special-interest groups' official
Common questions about this move
Can a special-interest groups' official become a public affairs consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A special-interest groups' official already covers 38% of what a public affairs consultant is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the public affairs consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a special-interest groups' official need to become a public affairs consultant?
6 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise on conflict management.
How hard is the move from special-interest groups' official to public affairs consultant?
Its learning distance is 57.3 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.