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Magazine editor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Jeff Rice Ph.D.,
Thomas Reynolds
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical magazine editor skills. We ranked the top skills for magazine editors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.6% of magazine editor resumes contained lifestyle as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a magazine editor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 magazine editor skills for your resume and career

1. Lifestyle

Lifestyle, in sociology, is a term introduced by an Austrian psychologist, Adler, in 1929, and it is one used to describe the sociological elements (such as behavior, interests, opinions, and culture) found present within or exhibited either by an individual or by a specific group or entire cultures of people.

Here's how magazine editors use lifestyle:
  • Managed production of Out & About and Lifestyles sections, including page layout using InDesign.
  • Created and maintained editorial budgets for Out & About and Lifestyles sections.

2. Website Content

Here's how magazine editors use website content:
  • Coordinated shows and managed website content Wrote and edited articles about local musicians and artists Delegated responsibilities to writers and reviewers
  • Edited and re-wrote English translations of Japanese language texts, including books, research articles and website content.

3. Photography

Here's how magazine editors use photography:
  • Delivered lessons in basic black and white photography to beginning-level photography students.
  • Work as project editor, stylist, and art director designing rooms for photography.

4. Magazines

Here's how magazine editors use magazines:
  • Processed community event submissions, curated content and determined monthly features for two local magazines.
  • Coordinated the distribution of magazines to different enterprises after printing.

5. Editorial Calendar

Here's how magazine editors use editorial calendar:
  • Maintained editorial calendar and edited all content for technical/grammatical accuracy.
  • Conceive and implement quarterly and annual editorial calendar.

6. Editor-In-Chief

Editor-in-Chief refers to the lead leader to an editorial team working on a given project, with final responsibility for its policies and operations. An editor is mandated to plan, coordinate, and revise organizational materials for publications on websites, newspapers, periodicals, magazines, or books. An editor usually offers an honest review on how to improve the product. To be an editor, you need to undertake a freelancing editing course while reaching out for minor editing roles to build confidence and experience.

Here's how magazine editors use editor-in-chief:
  • Reviewed submitted manuscripts, brainstormed & implemented promotional strategies, tracked community involvement, and planned literary events with the editor-in-chief.
  • Aided the Editor-in-Chief in selecting solicited content for publication, reviewing layout design and assisting in overall magazine production.

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7. 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 magazine editors use proofread:
  • Proofread and tested functionality for American Fitness online; provided bug reports; retested.
  • Proofread all 500 pages of listings to ensure accuracy and quality.

8. Editorial Content

Here's how magazine editors use editorial content:
  • Developed the voice of the publication and the editorial content of the quarterly consumer magazine.
  • Develop editorial vision and oversee all editorial content for each issue.

9. Trade Shows

Here's how magazine editors use trade shows:
  • Represented the publications and associated brands at trade shows, where I attended and reported on press conferences.
  • Served as the magazine's ambassador to the industry by attending trade shows and visiting retailers and suppliers.

10. Edit Copy

Edit copy is the process of checking copy for mistakes, spelling errors, style, punctuation and repetition and inconsistencies that may affect the quality of the copy used. In checking and identifing areas of error, you can make corrections to copy to make it of higher quality and appeal to the target audience.

Here's how magazine editors use edit copy:
  • Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability while verifying facts, dates and statistics.
  • Prepare and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.

11. Feature Stories

Here's how magazine editors use feature stories:
  • Updated website and social media; wrote news and feature stories and a weekly column.
  • Interviewed and wrote feature stories, editorial column and departments for magazine.

12. Adobe Indesign

Here's how magazine editors use adobe indesign:
  • Paginated entire magazine utilizing Adobe InDesign and Photoshop.
  • Coordinated publication Raised campus awareness of the magazine Designed and formatted magazine in Adobe InDesign

13. Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of making visual content to communicate messages. Designers apply different page layout methods and visual hierarchy by using letters and pictures to meet the need of end-users. Most companies use graphic design to sell their product or services and to convey complicated information by using infographics.

Here's how magazine editors use graphic design:
  • Worked closely with internal graphic designers and directed freelance writers and illustrators.
  • Supervised two junior editors and graphic designer.

14. Adobe Photoshop

Here's how magazine editors use adobe photoshop:
  • Designed an 8- page t-shirt catalog using Adobe Photoshop.
  • Programmed in HTML, CSS, and utilized tools including Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

15. 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 magazine editors use photo shoots:
  • Recruited freelance writers and production staff, worked with Honda PR/marketing department and advertisers, organized photo shoots and vehicle testing.
  • Produced quarterly fashion issue, coordinating photographer, models and location, as well as directing photo shoot.
top-skills

What skills help Magazine Editors find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on magazine 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 magazine 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 magazine 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.

What technical skills for a magazine editor stand out to employers?

Gayle RogersGayle Rogers LinkedIn profile

Professor and Chair, University of Pittsburgh

Many employers tell me that they seek graduates who can bridge the stereotypical-yet very real-divide in the technical world between the more rote elements of coding and the more creative elements of narrative that departments like my own (English) have traditionally taught. Creative coding and the ability to mesh what computer scientists and poets do-employers have consistently told me that there is great promise in that, now and going forward.

What soft skills should all magazine editors possess?

Jason Whittaker Ph.D.Jason Whittaker Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Head of School of English & Journalism, Lincoln University

Among the key skills for graduates, some of these remain the same as before, particularly in terms of being able to communicate clearly, analyse information, and engage creatively with problem solving. The past year, however, has really brought to the fore the importance of resilience in our students, especially as they will need to be even more flexible as their careers develop in the future. We spend a considerable amount of time working on building confidence among our students, so that rather than being overwhelmed by rapid change they see this as a challenge and opportunity.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about magazine editor

List of magazine editor skills to add to your resume

Magazine editor skills

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

  • Lifestyle
  • Website Content
  • Photography
  • Magazines
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Editor-In-Chief
  • Proofread
  • Editorial Content
  • Trade Shows
  • Edit Copy
  • Feature Stories
  • Adobe Indesign
  • Graphic Design
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Photo Shoots
  • Facebook
  • Copywriting
  • SEO
  • Press Releases
  • Fiction
  • Content Ideas
  • Twitter
  • Edit Articles
  • Staff Writers
  • Conduct Interviews
  • Publication Production
  • Writing Articles
  • Content Marketing
  • PowerPoint
  • Editorial Policy
  • Editorials
  • Editorial Direction
  • Content Development
  • News Stories
  • Insider
  • Short Stories
  • Content Management System
  • Typesetting

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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