Table 1Transition record

proofreadertolexicographer

A proofreader already meets 40% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From proofreader

40%

Overlap1

To lexicographer

8 Skills carried over

5 Required, not held

57 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 57

This move: 57 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the lexicographer 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A lexicographer 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 use dictionaries information skills
already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
already held spelling arts and humanities
already held consult information sources information skills
already held grammar arts and humanities
already held apply grammar and spelling rules communication, collaboration and creativity

All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the lexicographer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 8 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 arts and humanities 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held linguistics required
required, not held practical lexicography required

optional, not held typology optional
optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held create definitions required

optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
optional, not held translate foreign language optional
optional, not held translate language concepts optional

03 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held search databases required

optional, not held use word processing software optional

04 education 1 required

required, not held scientific research methodology required

05 information skills 4 supplementary

optional, not held create semantic trees optional
optional, not held do historical research optional
optional, not held identify new words optional
optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional

06 management skills 3 supplementary

optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held supervise staff optional
optional, not held supervise work optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a lexicographer 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 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
already held consult information sources skill
already held copyright legislation knowledge
already held follow work schedule skill
already held grammar knowledge
already held spelling knowledge
already held consult with editor skill
already held use dictionaries skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held project management principles optional

08 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary

optional, not held search engines optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
optional, not held typology optional
optional, not held create semantic trees optional
optional, not held do historical research optional
optional, not held identify new words optional
optional, not held search engines optional
optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held project management principles optional
optional, not held supervise staff optional
optional, not held supervise work optional
optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
optional, not held translate foreign language optional
optional, not held translate language concepts optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional

14 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
not needed by the target role follow newspaper house style skill
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 proofread text skill
not needed by the target role read books skill
not needed by the target role reproduce documents skill
not needed by the target role review unpublished articles skill
not needed by the target role rewrite articles skill
not needed by the target role rewrite manuscripts skill
not needed by the target role suggest revision of manuscripts skill
not needed by the target role track changes in text editing skill
not needed by the target role typography knowledge

7 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 linguistics required
required, not held practical lexicography required
required, not held scientific research methodology required
optional, not held typology optional
optional, not held search engines optional
optional, not held project management principles optional
optional, not held theoretical lexicography 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.