Entertainment journalist to editor-in-chief
An entertainment journalist already meets 66% of what the editor-in-chief role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
40/ 100
1 How much of what an editor-in-chief is expected to do is already part of an entertainment journalist’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 editor-in-chief role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An editor-in-chief role treats 12 of its required skills as things an entertainment journalist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to changing situations
- adapt to type of media
- build contacts to maintain news flow
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
What stands in the way is 8 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 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An editor-in-chief role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an entertainment journalist background worth leading with.
- already held follow newspaper house style assisting and caring
- already held digital journalism social sciences, journalism and information
- already held build contacts to maintain news flow communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists assisting and caring
- already held create online news content communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held participate in editorial meetings communication, collaboration and creativity
All 32 carried skills, including the 12 the editor-in-chief role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 4 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 create editorial board required
- still to learn ensure consistency of published articles required
- still to learn work closely with news teams required
- still to learn implement strategic planning required
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn check stories required
- optional, not held study relevant writing optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held photography optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an editor-in-chief role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 check stories practise this
- 02 create editorial board practise this
- 03 ensure consistency of published articles 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 32 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to changing situations skill
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held build contacts to maintain news flow skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held digital journalism knowledge
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- already held follow the news skill
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held press law knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held create online news content skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held document interviews skill
- already held edit digital moving images skill
- already held edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held follow newspaper house style skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held interview people skill
- already held interview techniques knowledge
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held perform video editing skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held use specific writing techniques skill
- already held write to a deadline skill
- already held writing techniques knowledge
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held study relevant writing optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held photography optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
27 held skills the editor-in-chief role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role ask questions at events skill
- not needed by the target role attend book fairs skill
- not needed by the target role attend performances skill
- not needed by the target role audio editing software knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role cultural projects knowledge
- not needed by the target role edit recorded sound skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate writings in response to feedback skill
- not needed by the target role follow directions of on-site director skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with celebrities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with cultural partners skill
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage personal finances skill
- not needed by the target role manage writing administration skill
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role present during live broadcasts skill
- not needed by the target role promote one's writings skill
- not needed by the target role pronunciation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide written content skill
- not needed by the target role read books skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite articles skill
- not needed by the target role rhetoric knowledge
- not needed by the target role stay up to date with social media skill
- not needed by the target role study topics skill
- not needed by the target role write captions skill
- not needed by the target role write headlines skill
2 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 graphic design optional
- optional, not held photography optional
Other moves recorded from entertainment journalist
Common questions about this move
Can an entertainment journalist become an editor-in-chief?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An entertainment journalist already covers 66% of what an editor-in-chief is expected to do: 32 skills carry over, 12 of which the editor-in-chief role treats as required.
What skills does an entertainment journalist need to become an editor-in-chief?
8 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is check stories.
How hard is the move from entertainment journalist to editor-in-chief?
Its learning distance is 40 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.