Tax policy analyst to secretary general
A tax policy analyst already meets 30% of what the secretary general role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.9/ 100
1 How much of what a secretary general is expected to do is already part of a tax policy analyst’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 secretary general role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A secretary general role treats 4 of its required skills as things a tax policy analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- audit techniques
- bookkeeping regulations
- budgetary principles
- perform project management
What stands in the way is 9 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A secretary general role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tax policy analyst background worth leading with.
- already held bookkeeping regulations business, administration and law
- already held public finance business, administration and law
- already held audit techniques business, administration and law
- already held manage administrative systems management skills
- already held manage government policy implementation management skills
- already held budgetary principles business, administration and law
All 8 carried skills, including the 4 the secretary general role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions required
- still to learn represent national interests required
- still to learn apply conflict management required
- still to learn maintain relationships with government agencies required
- still to learn represent the organisation required
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic management optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held develop international cooperation strategies optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held legislation procedure optional
- still to learn conduct financial audits required
- still to learn good governance required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a secretary general role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions practise this
- 02 good governance study this
- 03 represent national interests 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held audit techniques knowledge
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held perform project management skill
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held public finance knowledge
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop international cooperation strategies optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic management optional
- optional, not held legislation procedure optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
29 held skills the secretary general role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on public finance skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax policy skill
- not needed by the target role business analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role cadastral taxation knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop taxation policies skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role forecast account metrics skill
- not needed by the target role fraud detection knowledge
- not needed by the target role international business knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor company policy skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role organisational policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role politics knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare financial auditing reports skill
- not needed by the target role public law knowledge
- not needed by the target role research taxation procedures skill
- not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise advocacy work skill
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports 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.
- still to learn good governance required
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held legislation procedure optional
Common questions about this move
Can a tax policy analyst become a secretary general?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tax policy analyst already covers 30% of what a secretary general is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 4 of which the secretary general role treats as required.
What skills does a tax policy analyst need to become a secretary general?
9 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is coordinate government activities in foreign institutions.
How hard is the move from tax policy analyst to secretary general?
Its learning distance is 64.9 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.