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Department editor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted experts
Jeff Rice Ph.D.,
Thomas Reynolds
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical department editor skills. We ranked the top skills for department editors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 20.7% of department editor resumes contained editorial policy as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a department editor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 department editor skills for your resume and career

1. Editorial Policy

Here's how department editors use editorial policy:
  • Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements.
  • Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements.

2. Web Content

Here's how department editors use web content:
  • Manage Department Create web content Write for print content Meet deadlines efficiently
  • Created and implemented effective deadline-oriented schedules for print and web content development.

3. Proofread

Proofreading simply carefully checking your text for possible errors like typographical errors or mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling before it can be published or shared. This is generally known as the very last stage of any writing process when you need to fix minor spelling and punctuation mistakes, typos, formatting issues,


and inconsistencies.

Here's how department editors use proofread:
  • Provided information and files for the Instructional Technology Department and proofread manuscript for lesson plan downloads for many states.
  • Edited, fact-checked and proofread most music copy for Portland, OR-based web publication.

4. Blog Posts

Blog post refers to information that you write on a blog. It can include content in the form of text, photos, infographics, or videos.

Here's how department editors use blog posts:
  • Pitched at least four stories or blog posts per week.
  • Interviewed and wrote blog posts about musicians and entertainment for Wordpress-based VoxTalk.

5. Adobe Photoshop

Here's how department editors use adobe photoshop:
  • Worked with Adobe Photoshop and inDesign for the layout of print issues.
  • Skilled in Windows, Excel, Adobe PhotoShop, Microsoft PowerPoint, HTML and QuarkXpress.

6. Feature Stories

Here's how department editors use feature stories:
  • Edited the eight well feature stories.
  • Conducted celebrity interviews, attended celebrity publicity functions, wrote feature stories and the majority of the magazine's editorial content

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7. Press Releases

Here's how department editors use press releases:
  • Designed a number of advertisements using Adobe software and created press releases for our affiliated schools.
  • Edited and helped create ideas for their magazines, press releases, and advertisements.

8. Indesign

Here's how department editors use indesign:
  • Worked in InDesign and Photoshop.
  • Produced issues of the newspaper using Adobe InDesign software.

9. SEO

Here's how department editors use seo:
  • Maintained 24-hour news site and blog * Edited, wrote news, features, marketing and SEO copy, customer e-mails
  • Utilize content management systems and SEO metadata to provide quality finished VOD products to both domestic and international customers.

10. Content Ideas

Here's how department editors use content ideas:
  • Developed story, interview and content ideas considering target audience appeal.
  • Developed new revenue-generating content ideas and writes promos to support their marketing efforts.

11. House Style

Here's how department editors use house style:
  • Ensured that all materials adhered to house style and University communications guidelines.
  • Developed in-house style guide and streamlined production procedures.

12. Style Guides

A Style Guide, otherwise known as a manual of style, as the name suggests, is a single document or a collection of such documents which offer a standard for the creation and formatting of other documents. These can either be designed for general use or for a specific company, for advertisements, or for individuals, organizations, or academic institutions. The style guide often speaks of a number of things, such as appropriate font choices and size, for colour palettes, and formatting of pages.

Here's how department editors use style guides:
  • Assisted the managing editor with the training of new hires, assuring compliance with department editorial standards and product style guides.
  • Defined editorial guidelines and style guides to maintain consistent voice for various brands.

13. CMS

A Content Management System or CMS is computer software that works as a framework where content can be assembled and managed by using a database. CMS is an important asset in web development. This platform enables users to create, edit, collaborate on, publish and store digital content. It helps users to manage their content and modify it from a single system.

Here's how department editors use cms:
  • Learned how to work within the CMS to match current QuarkXpress layouts of printed materials.
  • Uploaded content to the magazine's website using a content management system (CMS).

14. Photo Shoots

A photoshoot is a series of photographs that a photographer takes of someone, usually of a model or a famous person, to be used in a newspaper or a magazine. The goal of a photoshoot is to achieve a predetermined visual objective. Later, these images can be used for editing or post-production..

Here's how department editors use photo shoots:
  • Organized multiple photo shoots utilizing products provided by local retailers.
  • Conceived and produces original online-exclusive photo shoots for RealSimple.com.

15. PowerPoint

Here's how department editors use powerpoint:
  • Compaq-Managed compilation and testing of course documentation developed in Word and PowerPoint and delivered in Acrobat PDF format for Web distribution.
  • Composed sales- and customer-facing technical documentation, PowerPoint presentations, and training guides to enhance user experience and knowledge.
top-skills

What skills help Department Editors find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on department editor resumes?

Jeff Rice Ph.D.

Professor, Chair, The University of Kentucky

Research skills. Written and digital communication skills. Knowledge of digital tools - whether Adobe products, podcasting software, and such - but also how to use the tools to reach audiences, create sticky content, develop brands, send information, persuade, and inform. It's one thing to know how to create a movie or poster or infographic or report or Instagram post; it's another thing to have the rhetorical and writing skills to properly use that tool to create information for a specific audience.

What department editor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Thomas ReynoldsThomas Reynolds LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Minnesota

Technical writing and communication can span many fields. However, there are specific fields that are especially open to technical communication, such as information technology and computer software (technical documentation, for example), as well as medical and health fields. Many of our graduates work for companies that involve computer technology, such as software companies and content management for web consulting firms. In addition, many of our graduates work in biomedical companies that require technical and global documentation of medical devices.

I can't say that I know of a sure bet, but places that deal with medical technology, healthcare, and related fields are probably going to need people well-trained to communicate specialized knowledge to a variety of audiences and in a variety of ways. Telemedicine seems to have gained a more permanent stronghold in the healthcare system, and I imagine that the various communication channels involved in this new way of practicing medicine will open opportunities for well-trained graduates, such as ours who are willing to be pioneers in this area.

What type of skills will young department editors 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.

List of department editor skills to add to your resume

Department editor skills

The most important skills for a department editor resume and required skills for a department editor to have include:

  • Editorial Policy
  • Web Content
  • Proofread
  • Blog Posts
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Feature Stories
  • Press Releases
  • Indesign
  • SEO
  • Content Ideas
  • House Style
  • Style Guides
  • CMS
  • Photo Shoots
  • PowerPoint

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.

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