Magazine editor to editor-in-chief
A magazine editor already meets 76% of what the editor-in-chief role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
30.3/ 100
1 How much of what an editor-in-chief is expected to do is already part of a magazine editor’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 16 of its required skills as things a magazine editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to changing situations
- adapt to type of media
- check stories
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- create editorial board
What stands in the way is 4 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 33 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 a magazine editor background worth leading with.
- already held create editorial board communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held ensure consistency of published articles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held check stories information skills
- 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 33 carried skills, including the 16 the editor-in-chief role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 6 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 build contacts to maintain news flow required
- still to learn work closely with news teams required
- still to learn implement strategic planning required
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- still to learn digital journalism required
- optional, not held study relevant writing optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held photography optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- optional, not held perform video editing 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 build contacts to maintain news flow practise this
- 02 digital journalism study this
- 03 work closely with news teams 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 33 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to changing situations skill
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held check stories skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held create editorial board skill
- 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 follow the news skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held meet deadlines 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 desktop publishing knowledge
- already held edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held interview people skill
- already held interview techniques knowledge
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held use specific writing techniques skill
- already held write to a deadline skill
- already held writing techniques knowledge
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- optional, not held perform video editing optional
- optional, not held study relevant writing optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held photography optional
4 held skills the editor-in-chief role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software 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.
- still to learn digital journalism required
- optional, not held photography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a magazine editor become an editor-in-chief?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A magazine editor already covers 76% of what an editor-in-chief is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 16 of which the editor-in-chief role treats as required.
What skills does a magazine editor need to become an editor-in-chief?
4 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is build contacts to maintain news flow.
How hard is the move from magazine editor to editor-in-chief?
Its learning distance is 30.3 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.