Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

administrative assistanttosecretary

A administrative assistant already meets 71% of what the secretary role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.

From administrative assistant
71%
Overlap1
To secretary
26 Skills carried over
4 Required, not held
34.4 Difficulty2
adjacent 0–30
moderate 30–55
substantial 55–75
career change 75–100
this move, 34.4

This move: 34.4 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the secretary role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the administrative assistant profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A secretary role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a administrative assistant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held monitor staff absences information skills
  • already held organise travel arrangements for staff communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held use personal organization software working with computers
  • already held organise facilities for office personnel management skills
  • already held manage personnel agenda management skills
  • already held draft corporate emails communication, collaboration and creativity

All 26 carried skills, including the 18 the secretary role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 17 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 6 supplementary
  • required, not held communicate schedules to the people concerned required
  • required, not held communicate by telephone required
  • optional, not held place orders for printed paper goods optional
  • optional, not held demonstrate professional attitude to clients optional
  • optional, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements optional
  • optional, not held liaise with typists optional
  • optional, not held manage needs for stationery items optional
  • optional, not held write meeting reports optional
02 management skills 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held administer appointments required
  • optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
  • optional, not held manage accounts optional
  • optional, not held manage budgets optional
03 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held use word processing software required
  • optional, not held manage online content optional
04 business, administration and law 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held labour law optional
  • optional, not held education administration optional
  • optional, not held education law optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a secretary 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 26 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held company policies knowledge
  • already held disseminate internal communications skill
  • already held disseminate messages to people skill
  • already held draft corporate emails skill
  • already held file documents skill
  • already held fill out forms skill
  • already held handle mail skill
  • already held keep task records skill
  • already held maintain internal communication systems skill
  • already held manage digital documents skill
  • already held manage personnel agenda skill
  • already held monitor staff absences skill
  • already held organise business documents skill
  • already held organise facilities for office personnel skill
  • already held perform office routine activities skill
  • already held process commissioned instructions skill
  • already held use microsoft office skill
  • already held use spreadsheets software skill
  • already held accounting techniques knowledge
  • already held deliver correspondence skill
  • already held handle petty cash skill
  • already held issue sales invoices skill
  • already held organise travel arrangements for staff skill
  • already held prepare presentation material skill
  • already held use office systems skill
  • already held use personal organization software skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held labour law optional
  • optional, not held manage online content optional
  • optional, not held place orders for printed paper goods optional
  • optional, not held demonstrate professional attitude to clients optional
  • optional, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements optional
  • optional, not held education administration optional
  • optional, not held education law optional
  • optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
  • optional, not held liaise with typists optional
  • optional, not held manage accounts optional
  • optional, not held manage budgets optional
  • optional, not held manage needs for stationery items optional
  • optional, not held write meeting reports optional
15 held skills the secretary role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role business communication knowledge
  • not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
  • not needed by the target role create import-export commercial documentation skill
  • not needed by the target role disseminate general corporate information skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure proper document management skill
  • not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
  • not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain inventory of office supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain statutory books skill
  • not needed by the target role perform business research skill
  • not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role provide customer follow-up services skill
  • not needed by the target role respect data protection principles skill
  • not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
  • not needed by the target role transcription methods knowledge
3 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 acquire Tier
  • optional, not held labour law optional
  • optional, not held education administration optional
  • optional, not held education law optional
Index
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.