Table 1Transition record

private detectivetointelligence officer

A private detective already meets 33% of what the intelligence officer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From private detective

33%

Overlap1

To intelligence officer

9 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

61.3 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

33%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

61.3/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the intelligence officer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the private detective 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 intelligence officer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a private detective already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

conduct research interview
develop investigation strategy
document evidence
surveillance methods

What stands in the way is 7 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. A intelligence officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a private detective background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held develop investigation strategy information skills
already held examine crime scenes information skills
already held hear witness accounts communication, collaboration and creativity
already held document evidence information skills
already held handle case evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
already held present evidence communication, collaboration and creativity

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

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 8 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 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held maintain professional records required
required, not held undertake inspections required

optional, not held perform covert investigations optional

02 assisting and caring 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held ensure information security required

optional, not held ensure adherence to the constitution optional
optional, not held apply information security policies optional
optional, not held check official documents optional
optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
optional, not held identify security threats optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour required

optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
optional, not held promote human rights optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional
optional, not held write situation reports optional

04 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held operational research required

optional, not held constitutional law optional

05 services 1 required

required, not held investigation research methods required

06 working with computers 1 required

required, not held conduct threat intelligence required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a intelligence 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 conduct research interview skill
already held develop investigation strategy skill
already held document evidence skill
already held surveillance methods knowledge
already held examine crime scenes skill
already held handle case evidence skill
already held hear witness accounts skill
already held law enforcement knowledge
already held present evidence skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held ensure compliance with policies optional

08 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary

optional, not held international security studies optional

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held ensure adherence to the constitution optional
optional, not held international security studies optional
optional, not held apply information security policies optional
optional, not held perform covert investigations optional
optional, not held check official documents optional
optional, not held constitutional law optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with policies optional
optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
optional, not held identify security threats optional
optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
optional, not held promote human rights optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional
optional, not held write situation reports optional

23 held skills the intelligence officer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role acquire licences for the use of weapons skill
not needed by the target role analyse legal evidence skill
not needed by the target role assist police investigations skill
not needed by the target role check methods knowledge
not needed by the target role check request legitimacy skill
not needed by the target role check subjects skill
not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
not needed by the target role court procedures knowledge
not needed by the target role criminal law knowledge
not needed by the target role criminology knowledge
not needed by the target role develop criminology theories skill
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
not needed by the target role ensure law application skill
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role identify suspicious behaviour skill
not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role liaise with security authorities skill
not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
not needed by the target role practice vigilance skill
not needed by the target role provide information skill
not needed by the target role screen clients skill
not needed by the target role take pictures skill
not needed by the target role trace people skill

4 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 investigation research methods required
required, not held operational research required
optional, not held international security studies optional
optional, not held constitutional law optional

Index

Other moves recorded from private detective

Full index of moves from private detective

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.