RecordMove

Desktop publisher to proofreader

A desktop publisher already meets 44% of what the proofreader role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

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

From desktop publisher

Partial match

To proofreader

9 You already bring

7 Still to learn

22 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

53.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a proofreader is expected to do is already part of a desktop publisher’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 proofreader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A proofreader role treats 6 of its required skills as things a desktop publisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

apply grammar and spelling rules
copyright legislation
follow work schedule
grammar
proofread text
spelling

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 proofreader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a desktop publisher background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held typography arts and humanities
already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
already held apply desktop publishing techniques working with computers
already held spelling arts and humanities
already held proofread text communication, collaboration and creativity
already held grammar arts and humanities

All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the proofreader role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 13 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 4 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn rewrite manuscripts required
still to learn suggest revision of manuscripts required
still to learn master language rules required
still to learn track changes in text editing required

optional, not held rewrite articles optional
optional, not held read books optional

02 information skills 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn use dictionaries required

optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
optional, not held consult information sources optional
optional, not held lay out digital written content optional

03 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn follow newspaper house style required

04 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

still to learn reproduce documents required

05 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held proofing methods optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a proofreader 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 apply grammar and spelling rules skill
already held copyright legislation knowledge
already held follow work schedule skill
already held grammar knowledge
already held proofread text skill
already held spelling knowledge
already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
already held consult with editor skill
already held typography knowledge

6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held proofing methods optional
optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
optional, not held rewrite articles optional
optional, not held consult information sources optional
optional, not held lay out digital written content optional
optional, not held read books optional

35 held skills the proofreader role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
not needed by the target role align content with form skill
not needed by the target role assist customers skill
not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
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 digital content creation skill
not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
not needed by the target role perform backups skill
not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
not needed by the target role post-processing of photographs knowledge
not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role problem-solving with digital tools skill
not needed by the target role reprography knowledge
not needed by the target role scan photos skill
not needed by the target role search databases skill
not needed by the target role translate requirements into visual design skill
not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
not needed by the target role work closely with news teams skill

1 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

optional, not held proofing methods optional

Index

Other moves recorded from desktop publisher

Full index of moves from desktop publisher

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a desktop publisher become a proofreader?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A desktop publisher already covers 44% of what a proofreader is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the proofreader role treats as required.

What skills does a desktop publisher need to become a proofreader?

7 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is follow newspaper house style.

How hard is the move from desktop publisher to proofreader?

Its learning distance is 53.1 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.