Table 1Transition record

writertolexicographer

A writer already meets 37% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From writer

37%

Overlap1

To lexicographer

7 Skills carried over

5 Required, not held

58.7 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 58.7

This move: 58.7 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the lexicographer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the writer 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 7 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 writer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
already held linguistics arts and humanities
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 7 carried skills, including the 6 the lexicographer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 21 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 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

02 management skills 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held follow work schedule required

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

03 arts and humanities 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held practical lexicography required

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

04 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held search databases required

optional, not held use word processing software optional

05 education 1 required

required, not held scientific research methodology required

06 information skills 5 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
optional, not held use dictionaries 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 7 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 grammar knowledge
already held linguistics knowledge
already held spelling knowledge
already held consult with editor 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

16 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 dictionaries optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional

25 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role attend book fairs skill
not needed by the target role critically reflect on artistic production processes skill
not needed by the target role critique other writers skill
not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
not needed by the target role evaluate writings in response to feedback skill
not needed by the target role liaise with book publishers skill
not needed by the target role literature knowledge
not needed by the target role manage writing administration skill
not needed by the target role negotiate artistic productions skill
not needed by the target role negotiate publishing rights skill
not needed by the target role perform background research on writing subject skill
not needed by the target role promote one's writings skill
not needed by the target role proofread text skill
not needed by the target role publishing industry knowledge
not needed by the target role publishing market knowledge
not needed by the target role respect publication formats skill
not needed by the target role select subject matter skill
not needed by the target role teach writing skill
not needed by the target role types of literature genres knowledge
not needed by the target role use specific writing techniques skill
not needed by the target role write dialogues skill
not needed by the target role write storylines skill
not needed by the target role write to a deadline skill
not needed by the target role writing techniques knowledge

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 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 writer

Full index of moves from writer

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.