Journalist to magazine editor
A journalist already meets 80% of what the magazine editor role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
22.1/ 100
1 How much of what a magazine 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 magazine editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A magazine editor role treats 11 of its required skills as things a journalist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to type of media
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- editorial standards
- ensure consistency of published articles
What stands in the way is 3 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 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A magazine 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 ensure consistency of published articles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held write captions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held write headlines communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists assisting and caring
- already held participate in editorial meetings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held edit negatives working with computers
All 30 carried skills, including the 11 the magazine editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 7 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 apply organisational techniques required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn create editorial board required
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held check stories optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a magazine editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create editorial board practise this
- 02 apply organisational techniques practise this
- 03 manage staff 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 30 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held ensure consistency of published articles skill
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- already held meet deadlines skill
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held press law knowledge
- already held writing techniques knowledge
- already held adapt to changing situations skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held follow the news skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held interview people skill
- already held interview techniques knowledge
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held use specific writing techniques skill
- already held use word processing software skill
- already held write captions skill
- already held write headlines skill
- already held write to a deadline skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check stories optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
89 held skills the magazine editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- 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 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 digital journalism knowledge
- 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 recorded sound skill
- not needed by the target role election law knowledge
- 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 newspaper house style skill
- not needed by the target role food hygiene rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role food materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role food science knowledge
- not needed by the target role history of dance style knowledge
- not needed by the target role law enforcement knowledge
- 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
49 further entries not listed here
1 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
Other moves recorded from journalist
Common questions about this move
Can a journalist become a magazine editor?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A journalist already covers 80% of what a magazine editor is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 11 of which the magazine editor role treats as required.
What skills does a journalist need to become a magazine editor?
3 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is create editorial board.
How hard is the move from journalist to magazine editor?
Its learning distance is 22.1 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.