Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

proofreadertocopy editor

A proofreader already meets 68% of what the copy editor role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.

From proofreader
68%
Overlap1
To copy editor
17 Skills carried over
3 Required, not held
32.2 Difficulty2
adjacent 0–30
moderate 30–55
substantial 55–75
career change 75–100
this move, 32.2

This move: 32.2 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the copy editor role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the proofreader profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 17 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 proofreader background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held suggest revision of manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held track changes in text editing communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held review unpublished articles information skills
  • already held typography arts and humanities
  • already held rewrite manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held use dictionaries information skills

All 17 carried skills, including the 10 the copy editor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 11 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held follow a brief required
  • optional, not held adapt to artists' creative demands optional
  • optional, not held write headlines optional
02 arts and humanities 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held writing techniques required
  • optional, not held literature optional
03 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held digital journalism required
  • optional, not held editorial standards optional
04 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held desktop publishing optional
  • optional, not held office software optional
05 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists optional
06 information skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held read manuscripts optional
Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 17 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
  • already held consult with editor skill
  • already held copyright legislation knowledge
  • already held follow work schedule skill
  • already held grammar knowledge
  • already held spelling knowledge
  • already held suggest revision of manuscripts skill
  • already held track changes in text editing skill
  • already held typography knowledge
  • already held use dictionaries skill
  • already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
  • already held consult information sources skill
  • already held follow newspaper house style skill
  • already held proofread text skill
  • already held review unpublished articles skill
  • already held rewrite articles skill
  • already held rewrite manuscripts skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held adapt to artists' creative demands optional
  • optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists optional
  • optional, not held read manuscripts optional
  • optional, not held write headlines optional
  • optional, not held desktop publishing optional
  • optional, not held editorial standards optional
  • optional, not held literature optional
  • optional, not held office software optional
5 held skills the copy editor role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role lay out digital written content skill
  • not needed by the target role master language rules skill
  • not needed by the target role proofing methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role read books skill
  • not needed by the target role reproduce documents skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held digital journalism required
  • required, not held writing techniques required
  • optional, not held desktop publishing optional
  • optional, not held editorial standards optional
  • optional, not held literature optional
  • optional, not held office software optional
Index

Other moves recorded from proofreader

Full index of moves from proofreader

Note

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.