RecordMove

Tourism policy director to international relations officer

A tourism policy director already meets 30% of what the international relations officer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From tourism policy director

Distant match

To international relations officer

9 You already bring

8 Still to learn

33 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an international relations officer is expected to do is already part of a tourism policy director’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 international relations officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An international relations officer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a tourism policy director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

build international relations
develop international cooperation strategies
perform public relations
show intercultural awareness

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An international relations officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tourism policy director background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held foreign affairs policy development social sciences, journalism and information
already held develop international cooperation strategies management skills
already held foreign affairs business, administration and law
already held build international relations communication, collaboration and creativity
already held perform public relations communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manage government policy implementation management skills

All 9 carried skills, including the 4 the international relations officer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 24 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 9 supplementary

still to learn attend meetings required
still to learn build trust required
still to learn develop professional network required
still to learn establish collaborative relations required
still to learn represent the organisation required

optional, not held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions optional
optional, not held apply conflict management optional
optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

02 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn government representation required

optional, not held European integration optional
optional, not held African studies optional
optional, not held diplomatic principles optional

03 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn international business required

optional, not held international law optional

04 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn keep updated on the political landscape required

optional, not held assess risk factors optional

05 management skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
optional, not held set organisational policies optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an international relations officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held build international relations skill
already held develop international cooperation strategies skill
already held perform public relations skill
already held show intercultural awareness skill
already held foreign affairs knowledge
already held foreign affairs policy development knowledge
already held government policy implementation knowledge
already held manage government policy implementation skill
already held speak different languages skill

16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held European integration optional
optional, not held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions optional
optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
optional, not held African studies optional
optional, not held apply conflict management optional
optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
optional, not held assess risk factors optional
optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
optional, not held diplomatic principles optional
optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held international law optional
optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
optional, not held set organisational policies optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

21 held skills the international relations officer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on foreign affairs policies skill
not needed by the target role analyse foreign affairs policies skill
not needed by the target role assess an area as a tourism destination skill
not needed by the target role build a strategic marketing plan for destination management skill
not needed by the target role coordinate public-private partnerships in tourism skill
not needed by the target role deliver presentations on tourism skill
not needed by the target role develop tourism policies skill
not needed by the target role environmental impact of tourism knowledge
not needed by the target role geographical areas relevant to tourism knowledge
not needed by the target role manage distribution of destination promotional materials skill
not needed by the target role manage production of destination promotional materials skill
not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
not needed by the target role measure sustainability of tourism activities skill
not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas skill
not needed by the target role present reports skill
not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
not needed by the target role tourism market knowledge
not needed by the target role tourist resources of a destination for further development knowledge

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn government representation required
still to learn international business required
optional, not held European integration optional
optional, not held African studies optional
optional, not held diplomatic principles optional
optional, not held international law optional

Index

Other moves recorded from tourism policy director

Full index of moves from tourism policy director

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a tourism policy director become an international relations officer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tourism policy director already covers 30% of what an international relations officer is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 4 of which the international relations officer role treats as required.

What skills does a tourism policy director need to become an international relations officer?

8 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is attend meetings.

How hard is the move from tourism policy director to international relations officer?

Its learning distance is 65 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.