What skills should a Editor put on a resume?

O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Editor list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Creative Cloud software, and Adobe Dreamweaver. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Editor work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including News Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor, Sports Editor, and Acquisitions Editor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Editor need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 80% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Editor role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Editor resume example

A resume for a Editor needs to show the work itself: plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. Day to day that means work like this: read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax; verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

News Editor
Newspaper Copy Editor
Sports Editor
Acquisitions Editor
Business Editor
Features Editor
Legal Editor
Science Editor
Web Editor
Acute Editor
Advertising Editor
Art Editor
Assignment Editor
Book Editor
Censor
Communications Editor
Content Editor
Continuity Editor

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.
Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.
Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories.
Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements.
Review and approve proofs submitted by composing room prior to publication production.
Assign topics, events and stories to individual writers or reporters for coverage.

21 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Captivate
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe FrameMaker
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InCopy
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
After the Deadline
Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple iWork Keynote
Apple macOS

56 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Desktop computers
Digital still cameras
Digital video cameras
Laptop computers
Multi-line telephone systems
Personal computers
Precision rulers
Teleconferencing equipment
Universal serial bus USB flash drives
Video editing equipment
Videoconferencing equipment

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Adobe Photoshop
HTML

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Reading Comprehension
02Writing
03Active Listening
04Critical Thinking
05Speaking
06Time Management
07Quality Control Analysis
08Active Learning
09Complex Problem Solving
10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

English Language
Communications and Media
Administration and Management
Administrative
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
Computers and Electronics

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

80%Bachelor's Degree
17%Master's Degree
1%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Editor do?: Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. Day to day that includes work like read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax and Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
What skills should a Editor put on a resume?: O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Editor list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Creative Cloud software, and Adobe Dreamweaver. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Editor work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including News Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor, Sports Editor, and Acquisitions Editor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Editor need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 80% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Editor role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.