Editors: Career & Application Guide

What do editors do?

Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.

This describes a U.S. occupation, not a live vacancy. Individual employers may use different titles and requirements.

O*NET reports these titles for this occupation. Compare the responsibilities in each posting before treating titles as equivalent.

Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
Write text, such as headlines, stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
Allocate print space for story text, photos, and illustrations according to space parameters and copy significance, using knowledge of layout principles.
Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories.
Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.
Assign topics, events and stories to individual writers or reporters for coverage.

Check the employer’s requirements, location, schedule and any licenses against your situation.
Choose two or three tasks above that match the posting and your actual experience.
Build a resume evidence worksheet using the skills and software relevant to that employer.
Practice explaining your contribution, decisions and results before an interview.

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