Newspaper editor to columnist
A newspaper editor already meets 68% of what the columnist role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
38.4/ 100
1 How much of what a columnist is expected to do is already part of a newspaper 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 columnist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A columnist role treats 15 of its required skills as things a newspaper editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- build contacts to maintain news flow
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- digital journalism
What stands in the way is 5 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A columnist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a newspaper editor background worth leading with.
- already held ensure consistency of published 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 captions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held write headlines communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held build contacts to maintain news flow communication, collaboration and creativity
All 28 carried skills, including the 15 the columnist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 7 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 evaluate writings in response to feedback required
- still to learn present arguments persuasively required
- optional, not held promote one's writings optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- still to learn stay up to date with social media required
- still to learn study topics required
- optional, not held manage writing administration optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- still to learn rhetoric required
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a columnist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 evaluate writings in response to feedback practise this
- 02 stay up to date with social media practise this
- 03 study topics 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 28 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules 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 grammar knowledge
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held use specific writing techniques skill
- already held write to a deadline skill
- already held writing techniques knowledge
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held create online news content skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held ensure consistency of published articles skill
- already held follow newspaper house style skill
- already held interview people skill
- already held interview techniques knowledge
- already held press law knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held write captions skill
- already held write headlines skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held manage personal finances optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held manage personal finances optional
- optional, not held manage writing administration optional
- optional, not held promote one's writings optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
15 held skills the columnist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role ask questions at events skill
- not needed by the target role check stories skill
- not needed by the target role create editorial board 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 graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role respect cultural preferences skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
7 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 rhetoric required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
Common questions about this move
Can a newspaper editor become a columnist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A newspaper editor already covers 68% of what a columnist is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 15 of which the columnist role treats as required.
What skills does a newspaper editor need to become a columnist?
5 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is evaluate writings in response to feedback.
How hard is the move from newspaper editor to columnist?
Its learning distance is 38.4 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.