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

instructional designertotechnical communicator

A instructional designer already meets 40% of what the technical communicator role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From instructional designer
40%
Overlap1
To technical communicator
16 Skills carried over
13 Required, not held
65.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

40%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.6/ 100

1 Share of the technical communicator role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the instructional designer 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.

Why

Why this move works

A technical communicator role treats 11 of its required skills as things a instructional designer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • apply ICT terminology
  • apply tools for content development
  • cognitive psychology
  • compile content
  • conduct content quality assurance
  • content development processes

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A technical communicator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a instructional designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held apply ICT terminology communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held apply tools for content development working with computers
  • already held publishing strategy arts and humanities
  • already held compile content information skills
  • already held conduct content quality assurance working with computers
  • already held manage content metadata information skills

All 16 carried skills, including the 11 the technical communicator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 9 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 information skills 3 required
  • required, not held interpret technical texts required
  • required, not held gather technical information required
  • required, not held manage information sources required
02 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required, 7 supplementary
  • required, not held ICT software specifications required
  • required, not held knowledge base required
  • optional, not held CSS optional
  • optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
  • optional, not held JSSS optional
  • optional, not held LESS optional
  • optional, not held Sass optional
  • optional, not held application usability optional
  • optional, not held style sheet languages optional
03 working with computers 2 required, 6 supplementary
  • required, not held develop ICT safety information required
  • required, not held integrate content into output media required
  • optional, not held integrate and re-elaborate digital content optional
  • optional, not held manage digital documents optional
  • optional, not held use content management system software optional
  • optional, not held use presentation software optional
  • optional, not held use word processing software optional
  • optional, not held utilise content types optional
04 arts and humanities 2 required
  • required, not held visual presentation techniques required
  • required, not held multimedia systems required
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements required
  • optional, not held design graphics optional
  • optional, not held identify technological needs optional
  • optional, not held manage localisation optional
06 management skills 1 required
  • required, not held provide technical documentation required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a technical communicator 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 16 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply ICT terminology skill
  • already held apply tools for content development skill
  • already held cognitive psychology knowledge
  • already held compile content skill
  • already held conduct content quality assurance skill
  • already held content development processes knowledge
  • already held identify ICT user needs skill
  • already held manage content metadata skill
  • already held provide written content skill
  • already held publishing strategy knowledge
  • already held structure information skill
  • already held create script for artistic production skill
  • already held manage content development projects skill
  • already held provide multimedia content skill
  • already held translate requirements into visual design skill
  • already held use markup languages skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 services 1 required
  • required, not held product usage risks analysis required
08 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required
  • required, not held documentation types required
09 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held provide online help optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held provide online help optional
  • optional, not held CSS optional
  • optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
  • optional, not held JSSS optional
  • optional, not held LESS optional
  • optional, not held Sass optional
  • optional, not held application usability optional
  • optional, not held design graphics optional
  • optional, not held identify technological needs optional
  • optional, not held integrate and re-elaborate digital content optional
  • optional, not held manage digital documents optional
  • optional, not held manage localisation optional
  • optional, not held style sheet languages optional
  • optional, not held use content management system software optional
  • optional, not held use presentation software optional
  • optional, not held use word processing software optional
  • optional, not held utilise content types optional
43 held skills the technical communicator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role AJAX knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Absorb (learning management systems) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Brightspace (learning management systems) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Canvas (learning management systems) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Edmodo knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Engrade knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Grovo knowledge
  • not needed by the target role JavaScript knowledge
  • not needed by the target role LAMS knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Litmos knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Moodle knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Sakai knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Schoology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Taleo knowledge
  • not needed by the target role WizIQ knowledge
  • not needed by the target role apply teaching strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
  • not needed by the target role authoring software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
  • not needed by the target role create SCORM packages skill
  • not needed by the target role design web-based courses skill
  • not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
  • not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
  • not needed by the target role develop digital educational materials skill
  • not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
  • not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
  • not needed by the target role instructional design models knowledge
  • not needed by the target role instructional strategies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
  • not needed by the target role keep up-to-date with training subjects skill
  • not needed by the target role learning management systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
  • not needed by the target role perform project management skill
  • not needed by the target role proofread text skill
  • not needed by the target role standards for web-based e-learning knowledge
  • not needed by the target role task algorithmisation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role teach writing skill
  • not needed by the target role translate requirement concepts into content skill

3 further entries not listed here

13 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
  • required, not held ICT software specifications required
  • required, not held documentation types required
  • required, not held visual presentation techniques required
  • required, not held knowledge base required
  • required, not held multimedia systems required
  • required, not held product usage risks analysis required
  • optional, not held CSS optional
  • optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
  • optional, not held JSSS optional
  • optional, not held LESS optional
  • optional, not held Sass optional
  • optional, not held application usability optional
  • optional, not held style sheet languages optional
Index

Other moves recorded from instructional designer

Full index of moves from instructional designer

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.