Fact checker to editorial assistant
A fact checker already meets 23% of what the editorial assistant role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.5/ 100
1 How much of what an editorial assistant is expected to do is already part of a fact checker’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 editorial assistant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An editorial assistant role treats 3 of its required skills as things a fact checker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult information sources
- press law
- use word processing software
What stands in the way is 12 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An editorial assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fact checker background worth leading with.
- already held search engines social sciences, journalism and information
- already held search databases working with computers
- already held press law business, administration and law
- already held writing techniques arts and humanities
- already held use word processing software working with computers
- already held consult information sources information skills
All 7 carried skills, including the 3 the editorial assistant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 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 check correctness of information required
- still to learn manage information sources required
- still to learn structure information required
- optional, not held evaluate interview reports optional
- still to learn database management systems required
- still to learn desktop publishing required
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held authoring software optional
- still to learn digital journalism required
- still to learn editorial standards required
- still to learn adapt to type of media required
- optional, not held edit scripts optional
- optional, not held participate in editorial meetings optional
- optional, not held select scripts optional
- optional, not held use specific writing techniques optional
- still to learn follow newspaper house style required
- optional, not held answer incoming calls optional
- still to learn use spreadsheets software required
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an editorial assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to type of media practise this
- 02 check correctness of information practise this
- 03 database management systems study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held press law knowledge
- already held use word processing software skill
- already held interview people skill
- already held search databases skill
- already held search engines knowledge
- already held writing techniques knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn linguistics required
- still to learn media law required
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held edit scripts optional
- optional, not held participate in editorial meetings optional
- optional, not held select scripts optional
- optional, not held use specific writing techniques optional
- optional, not held answer incoming calls optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held authoring software optional
- optional, not held evaluate interview reports optional
11 held skills the editorial assistant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role media and information literacy knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform background research on writing subject skill
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role read manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role review unpublished articles skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn database management systems required
- still to learn digital journalism required
- still to learn desktop publishing required
- still to learn editorial standards required
- still to learn linguistics required
- still to learn media law required
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held authoring software optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fact checker become an editorial assistant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fact checker already covers 23% of what an editorial assistant is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 3 of which the editorial assistant role treats as required.
What skills does a fact checker need to become an editorial assistant?
12 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is adapt to type of media.
How hard is the move from fact checker to editorial assistant?
Its learning distance is 72.5 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.