Window cleaner to building cleaner
A window cleaner already meets 35% of what the building cleaner role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.7/ 100
1 How much of what a building cleaner is expected to do is already part of a window cleaner’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 building cleaner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A building cleaner role treats 11 of its required skills as things a window cleaner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- clean building facade
- clean glass surfaces
- clean particular areas manually
- cleaning industry health and safety measures
- follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry
- handle chemical cleaning agents
What stands in the way is 13 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A building cleaner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a window cleaner background worth leading with.
- already held supervise the work of cleaning staff management skills
- already held clean building facade handling and moving
- already held clean particular areas manually handling and moving
- already held manage routine waste handling and moving
- already held follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry assisting and caring
- already held maintain personal hygiene standards when cleaning handling and moving
All 14 carried skills, including the 11 the building cleaner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 39 missing skills fall into 8 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 arrange furniture required
- still to learn operate janitorial tools required
- still to learn remove dust required
- still to learn restock toilet facilities' supplies required
- still to learn clean building floors required
- still to learn clean surfaces required
- still to learn operate floor cleaning equipment required
- still to learn perform cleaning duties required
- still to learn sort waste required
- optional, not held clean toilet facilities optional
- optional, not held dispose food waste optional
- optional, not held perform ground maintenance activities optional
- optional, not held perform weed control operations optional
- optional, not held provide lawn care optional
- optional, not held remove snow optional
- optional, not held spray pesticides optional
- optional, not held use snow-removal equipment optional
- optional, not held clean furniture optional
- optional, not held clean rooms optional
- optional, not held clean wood surface optional
- optional, not held disinfect surfaces optional
- optional, not held dispose medical waste optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- still to learn inform on toilet facilities malfunctions required
- optional, not held communicate with waste collectors optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- still to learn maintain facility security systems required
- optional, not held perform pest control optional
- still to learn report major building repairs required
- optional, not held monitor building security optional
- still to learn perform minor repairs to buildings' systems required
- optional, not held lawn care optional
- optional, not held snow removal safety hazards optional
- optional, not held fire safety regulations optional
- optional, not held hygiene in a health care setting optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a building cleaner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 arrange furniture practise this
- 02 operate janitorial tools practise this
- 03 perform minor repairs to buildings' systems 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held clean building facade skill
- already held clean glass surfaces skill
- already held clean particular areas manually skill
- already held cleaning industry health and safety measures knowledge
- already held follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry skill
- already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- already held maintain cleaning equipment skill
- already held maintain inventory of cleaning supplies skill
- already held maintain personal hygiene standards when cleaning skill
- already held manage routine waste skill
- already held perform cleaning activities in an environmentally friendly way skill
- already held carry out pressure washing activities skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held supervise the work of cleaning staff skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held hardware, plumbing and heating equipment products optional
- optional, not held locking mechanisms optional
- optional, not held wood preservation optional
- optional, not held sterilization techniques optional
26 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clean toilet facilities optional
- optional, not held dispose food waste optional
- optional, not held hardware, plumbing and heating equipment products optional
- optional, not held lawn care optional
- optional, not held locking mechanisms optional
- optional, not held monitor building security optional
- optional, not held perform ground maintenance activities optional
- optional, not held perform pest control optional
- optional, not held perform weed control operations optional
- optional, not held provide lawn care optional
- optional, not held remove snow optional
- optional, not held snow removal safety hazards optional
- optional, not held spray pesticides optional
- optional, not held use snow-removal equipment optional
- optional, not held wood preservation optional
- optional, not held clean furniture optional
- optional, not held clean rooms optional
- optional, not held clean wood surface optional
- optional, not held communicate with waste collectors optional
- optional, not held disinfect surfaces optional
- optional, not held dispose medical waste optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held fire safety regulations optional
- optional, not held hygiene in a health care setting optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- optional, not held sterilization techniques optional
21 held skills the building cleaner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply proofing membranes skill
- not needed by the target role clean public furniture skill
- not needed by the target role complete report sheets of activity skill
- not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
- not needed by the target role dispose of non-hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
- not needed by the target role follow reporting procedures skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage a small-to-medium business skill
- not needed by the target role operate aerial work platforms skill
- not needed by the target role perform glazing reconditioning skill
- not needed by the target role perform outdoor cleaning activities skill
- not needed by the target role personal protective equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare cleaning materials for window cleaning skill
- not needed by the target role protect window frames skill
- not needed by the target role read technical datasheet skill
- not needed by the target role report on window damage skill
- not needed by the target role risk assessment for window cleaning knowledge
- not needed by the target role select hazard control skill
- not needed by the target role use a water-fed pole system 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.
- optional, not held hardware, plumbing and heating equipment products optional
- optional, not held lawn care optional
- optional, not held locking mechanisms optional
- optional, not held snow removal safety hazards optional
- optional, not held wood preservation optional
- optional, not held fire safety regulations optional
- optional, not held hygiene in a health care setting optional
- optional, not held sterilization techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a window cleaner become a building cleaner?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A window cleaner already covers 35% of what a building cleaner is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 11 of which the building cleaner role treats as required.
What skills does a window cleaner need to become a building cleaner?
13 required skills are missing, plus 26 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is arrange furniture.
How hard is the move from window cleaner to building cleaner?
Its learning distance is 71.7 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.