Journalist to copy editor
A journalist already meets 56% of what the copy editor role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
42.5/ 100
1 How much of what a copy editor is expected to do is already part of a 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 copy editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A copy editor role treats 6 of its required skills as things a journalist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- copyright legislation
- digital journalism
- grammar
- spelling
- writing techniques
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 · What you already bring
Of the 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A copy editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a journalist background worth leading with.
- already held review unpublished articles information skills
- already held rewrite manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held rewrite articles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow newspaper house style assisting and caring
- already held digital journalism social sciences, journalism and information
- already held write headlines communication, collaboration and creativity
All 18 carried skills, including the 6 the copy editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 10 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.
- still to learn suggest revision of manuscripts required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- still to learn follow a brief required
- still to learn track changes in text editing required
- optional, not held adapt to artists' creative demands optional
- still to learn use dictionaries required
- optional, not held read manuscripts optional
- still to learn typography required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- optional, not held office software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a copy editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 suggest revision of manuscripts practise this
- 02 consult with editor practise this
- 03 follow a brief 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held digital journalism knowledge
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held writing techniques knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- already held follow newspaper house style skill
- already held literature knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held review unpublished articles skill
- already held rewrite articles skill
- already held rewrite manuscripts skill
- already held write headlines skill
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt to artists' creative demands optional
- optional, not held read manuscripts optional
- optional, not held office software optional
101 held skills the copy editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
- not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- not needed by the target role art history 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 attend trade fairs skill
- not needed by the target role audio editing software knowledge
- not needed by the target role build contacts to maintain news flow skill
- not needed by the target role check correctness of information skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role court procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role create online news content skill
- not needed by the target role criminal law knowledge
- not needed by the target role critically reflect on artistic production processes skill
- not needed by the target role cultural projects knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop film skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role direct photographic workers skill
- not needed by the target role do historical research skill
- not needed by the target role document interviews skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role edit digital moving images 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 edit recorded sound skill
- not needed by the target role election law knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure consistency of published articles skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate writings in response to feedback skill
- not needed by the target role film studies knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow directions of on-site director skill
- not needed by the target role follow the news skill
- not needed by the target role food hygiene rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role food materials knowledge
61 further entries not listed here
2 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 typography required
- optional, not held office software optional
Other moves recorded from journalist
Common questions about this move
Can a journalist become a copy editor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A journalist already covers 56% of what a copy editor is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 6 of which the copy editor role treats as required.
What skills does a journalist need to become a copy editor?
7 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is suggest revision of manuscripts.
How hard is the move from journalist to copy editor?
Its learning distance is 42.5 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.