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Copy editor/proofreader skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Catherine Wilbur,
Dr. Christina Fisanick
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical copy editor/proofreader skills. We ranked the top skills for copy editor/proofreaders based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 32.8% of copy editor/proofreader resumes contained proofreading as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a copy editor/proofreader needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 copy editor/proofreader skills for your resume and career

1. Proofreading

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use proofreading:
  • Copy editing and proofreading of translated and native-English materials for international translation firm.
  • Assisted Content Proofreading Department during periods of excessive workload.

2. Web Content

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use web content:
  • Worked with web content, legal documents, and academic articles (used Chicago and APA)
  • Perform and confirm fact-finding processes on submitted information, web content, and industry reports.

3. Press Releases

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use press releases:
  • Proofread and edit copy for the AFLC's press releases, newsletters, business communication, etc.
  • Proofread and copy edited documents such as articles, web pages, press releases.

4. SEO

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use seo:
  • Collaborate with merchandise buyers, copy team and SEO team to develop engaging, yet search engine-optimized web copy.
  • Implemented SEO and social media best practices.

5. Fiction

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use fiction:
  • Proofread and copy edited several top-selling fiction and nonfiction books ensuring copy standards were adhered to before final publication.
  • Copy edited and proofread a total of sixteen pieces of fiction across two issues of the journal.

6. House Style

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use house style:
  • Created and regularly updated in-house style guide featuring ever- changing health care industry terms, acronyms and organizations.
  • Helped develop in-house style by synthesizing existing style guides (MLA, Chicago, NY Times).

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7. Website Copy

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use website copy:
  • Read and proofed website copy for punctuation, spelling, grammatical and typographical errors.
  • Copy-edited articles and website copy for Robyn Patrick-Mayer s company, Keys For Change.

8. Journal Articles

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use journal articles:
  • Proofread journal articles for the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Melville, NY.
  • Copy edited physics journal articles for publication, adhering to the American Physical Society (APS) style requirements.

9. Grammatical Errors

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use grammatical errors:
  • Scanned, typed or otherwise processed various documents, (written, electronic), inspected for spelling or grammatical errors.
  • Find and correct all spelling, sentence structure, formatting and grammatical errors in manuscripts.

10. HTML

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use html:
  • Quality-checked final HTML and print versions of documents, ensuring error-free client files.
  • Updated site database and CMS; edited HTML code.

11. Promotional Materials

Promotional material is any document or article - written, printed, graphic, electronic, audio, or video presentation, distributed or made available in whole or in part on behalf of a product, cause, idea, person, or business for promotion, advertisement, announcement or direction. Promotional materials are used to make a business stand out from its competitors and to engage the target audience.

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use promotional materials:
  • Collaborated on design and editing of company brochures and promotional materials.
  • Edited educational company catalogs and marketing promotional materials before print.

12. News Stories

News Story is a term that is quite self-explanatory as it refers to all the information that is recorded either in writing or as an interview and aims to inform the public about any particular matter, event, idea or mishap. A news story can be very short as well lengthy depending on the type and quantity of content and consist of relevant facts and figures.

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use news stories:
  • Assisted in editing news stories according to AP Style for the Advance-Titan, the student newspaper at UW-Oshkosh.
  • Proofread and published breaking financial and business news stories to the world's largest business website.

13. PowerPoint

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use powerpoint:
  • Freelance Proofreader and Copy Editor supporting the creative department on pharmaceutical sales and training materials and PowerPoint decks
  • Work with Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat.

14. Adobe Indesign

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use adobe indesign:
  • Use Adobe InCopyCS5 and Adobe InDesign CS5.
  • Read literary entries submitted for publication, making recommendations for publication to primary editors, experience designing page layout using Adobe InDesign

15. Adobe Acrobat

Acrobat Reader, a software program created by Adobe Systems, and they are used to view files in PDF. The main purpose of Adobe Acrobat is to view, create, and edit PDF documents. It can also import nearly all document as well as image formats, and save them in a PDF format.

Here's how copy editor/proofreaders use adobe acrobat:
  • Used Adobe Acrobat to perform corrections and edits on Web pages via email and proofread hard copies of site materials.
  • Work on paper using traditional copy editing symbols and electronically using the Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
top-skills

What skills help Copy Editor/Proofreaders find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What copy editor/proofreader skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Catherine Wilbur

English Professor, Website

Even with the advancement of AI, among the most essential competencies are the ability to think critically and solve problems, to effectively both orally and in writing, to assess and analyze information, and to exercise curiosity and imagination. One recent study showed that college graduates spend, on average, 44% of their time writing, including letters, memos, short reports, instructional materials, and professional articles and essays. Additionally, even as people use generative AI to draft documents, they still need to be edited and proofread by a person to ensure that they are accurate and contain no biased information.

What type of skills will young copy editor/proofreaders need?

Dr. Christina FisanickDr. Christina Fisanick LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of English, California University of Pennsylvania

College graduates in 2021 and beyond, need all of the skills that English programs have to offer: critical thinking, effective communication, creativity, and flexibility. New hires need to be able to adapt to workplace changes quickly and with aplomb, which requires critical thinking and problem solving and the ability to communicate those solutions to a diverse audience clearly and effectively. Those skills are refined and practiced regularly in English programs.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about copy editor/proofreader

List of copy editor/proofreader skills to add to your resume

Copy editor/proofreader skills

The most important skills for a copy editor/proofreader resume and required skills for a copy editor/proofreader to have include:

  • Proofreading
  • Web Content
  • Press Releases
  • SEO
  • Fiction
  • House Style
  • Website Copy
  • Journal Articles
  • Grammatical Errors
  • HTML
  • Promotional Materials
  • News Stories
  • PowerPoint
  • Adobe Indesign
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • FDA
  • Print ADS
  • Hard Copy
  • Real Estate
  • Educational Materials
  • MLA
  • Web Pages
  • PDF
  • APA
  • Blog Posts
  • Digital Content
  • Track Changes
  • K-12
  • Copywriting
  • Biographies
  • Feature Stories
  • Style Sheets
  • News Articles
  • Sentence Structure
  • Non-Fiction
  • Print Materials
  • Editorials
  • Medical Journals
  • Research Reports
  • Typesetting
  • Product Description
  • Proper Grammar
  • Business Communication
  • Technical Manuals
  • LLC
  • Short Stories

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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