How To Become A Copy Editor Chief: What It Is and Career Path

What is a copy editor chief and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bradley Shreve

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a copy editor chief. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.09 an hour? That's $56,356 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -5,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a copy editor chief?

Bradley Shreve

Editor, Tribal College Journal

Be flexible. An undergraduate degree in history offers a solid liberal arts background, but not a skill set that is finely tuned for most jobs. Think outside the box, and understand that the job you land probably won't be in the history profession.

ScoreCopy Editor ChiefUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,356

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.27%

Asian 7.11%

Black or African American 3.52%

Hispanic or Latino 7.95%

Unknown 4.56%

White 76.58%

Gender

female 59.16%

male 40.84%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a copy editor chief

Explore copy editor chief education requirements

Most common copy editor chief degrees

Bachelor's

86.9 %

Master's

7.4 %

Associate

2.2 %

Start to develop specific copy editor chief skills

Skills	Percentages
Proofreading	15.13%
SEO	14.29%
News Articles	13.88%
HTML	9.80%
Editor-In-Chief	6.81%

Complete relevant copy editor chief training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New copy editor chiefs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a copy editor chief based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real copy editor chief resumes.

Research copy editor chief duties and responsibilities

Collaborate with managing editor and editor-in-chief to develop and post news coverage and multimedia projects.
Conduct interviews and research for weekly editorials.
Represent the magazines at industry trade shows, including occasional public speaking engagements.
Simplify and standardize editorial procedures to eliminate the time and expense of reproofing.

Prepare your copy editor chief resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your copy editor chief resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a copy editor chief resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable copy editor chief resume templates

Build a professional copy editor chief resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your copy editor chief resume.