Copy Editor Job Description Template

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What is a Copy Editor?

Copy Editors, or Proofreaders, are responsible for ensuring the quality of written content.

They typically work in publishing and marketing industries, magazines, newspapers, and advertising companies.

Their job is to modify, review, and proofread articles, stories, blog posts, and other materials and documents published or posted online.

They focus on grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and clarity of written materials to make sure they are readable and correspond with the brand or company image and the target audience.

The Top Copy Editor Skills

Skill	Why it's important
Writing	Aside from proofreading written content, Copy Editors sometimes create content. That is why outstanding writing is quintessential for them. Writing skills help them comprehend the material and make it more reliable and professional. Additionally, Copy Editors use writing skills to communicate with clients and other employees through email and other documents.
Attention To Detail	Meticulous attention to detail is a foundation for a successful Copy Editor’s work. They must notice any mistake or error in the document they proofread and correct it. Those errors include grammatical, spelling, vocabulary, syntax, and contextual inconsistencies. They must double-check their work before content gets published or posted.
Communication and Collaboration	Exceptional communication and collaboration skills are essential for competent Copy Editors. These skills help them cooperate with writers and other editors regarding the written content and explain changes they made or ask questions about materials. They also need to define the purpose of the content and provide relevant information.
Editing	Editing refers to the Copy Editor’s ability to proofread and review various types of materials, including articles, social media posts, advertisements, blogs, and technical documentation. This skill enables the improvement of the flow of the material and suggests changes regarding the sentence structure, paragraphs, and sections to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Organization	Successful Copy Editors must be well-organized because they typically have to work on different documents simultaneously. Organization helps them keep track of their work and resources, as well as strict deadlines. This skill also helps them make sure they don’t lose any vital information or sources during the editing process.

Copy Editor Job Description Template (Free)

We are hiring a detail-oriented Copy Editor to join our company and help us create engaging and professional written content. As a Copy Editor, you will be responsible for reviewing and proofreading articles, promotional materials, and other written content to ensure factual accuracy, quality, and consistency. Furthermore, you will identify and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, and check content for plagiarism and resource accuracy.

Your main goal as a Copy Editor will be to create engaging, creative, and informative content that will reach our targeted audience. The content that you will be responsible for should align with the company’s ideas, language style, and tone. In addition, it should be engaging, creative, and informative.

In general, our ideal candidate for this position should have exceptional attention to detail, as well as terrific writing, communication, collaboration, organization, and editing skills.

Copy Editor Duties & Responsibilities:

Review, modify, and proofread written content to ensure factual accuracy, quality, and consistency
Fix any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors
Review and modify paragraphs and sections to improve the flow of the written content
Ensure the language style, syntax, tone, and word choice is appropriate and understandable to the intended audience
Check content for plagiarism and resource accuracy
Communicate with writers to collect additional information about the topics and ideas
Communicate and collaborate with clients, writers, editors, creative directors, and other employees
Conduct in-depth research to gain a better understanding of the content
Reach the targeted audience with engaging, informative, and creative content and materials
Arrange content layouts and ensure content is published or posted within a deadline
Meet new writers and editors and train them on the company’s content creation process

Copy Editor Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, or communications
Prior working experience as a Copy Editor
Outstanding grammar, punctuation, and spelling knowledge
Extensive computer processing skills
Exceptional communication, writing, and collaboration skills
Organization and project management skills
Strong attention to detail
Ability to maintain accuracy and consistency
Research skills

Sample Interview Questions for a Copy Editor

Once you gather up all the received applications, you can use these sample interview questions for Copy Editor with Candidate Scorecard. Also, the questions below could help you find the best candidate for a job.

Personal

Could you tell us more about yourself?
What are your three favorite books?
When did you become interested in writing and editing?

Human Resources

Could you briefly tell us about your previous working experience?
How would you describe a position of a Copy Editor?
Why do you believe you are the best candidate for this position?

Management

What does your typical daily routine as a Copy Editor look like?
How do you respond to negative feedback or constructive criticism when it comes to your work?
How do you manage to handle several deadlines at the same time?

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Do you have any experience with SEO?
Which editing programs are you most familiar with?
What would you do if you noticed an issue in a piece of writing you already approved?

What are the Educational Requirements for a Copy Editor?

Copy Editors typically earn a Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Journalism, or a similar field.

Some employers would prefer to hire a Copy Editor with a Master’s degree in these disciplines.

These degrees offer an excellent foundation for candidates in terms of grammar and general language rules, as well as clear writing and communication.

Even though it is not essential, certification in copy editing or other writing courses can distinguish candidates and provide additional and valuable knowledge about this field.

How Much to Pay a Copy Editor when Hiring

Copy Editors earn between $27,500 and $93,000 per year.

Their median annual salary is $55,813.

Hourly rates go from $14 to $45.

The median hourly rate for Copy Editors is $27.

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$14	$19	$27	$31	$45
Annual Wage	$27,500	$40,000	$55,813	$63,500	$93,000

Frequently Asked Questions about Copy Editor

Where do Copy Editors work?

Copy Editors can work in a variety of settings, such as:

Newspapers and magazines
Marketing and advertising companies
Public relations firms
Book publishing houses, etc.

What do Copy Editors do?

Copy Editors are responsible for ensuring the quality, accuracy, and consistency of written content for marketing and other purposes.

They identify and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, review and modify sections and paragraphs, check resource and fact accuracy, and ensure the materials are published or posted within given deadlines.

Who do Copy Editors work with?

Copy Editors typically work with copywriters, other copy editors, creative editors, and other professionals involved in the content creation process.

What skills who a Copy Editor have?

To ensure successful performance, Copy Editors should have exceptional communication, collaboration, organization, research, editing, and writing skills.

Also, they should have an amazing attention to detail and the ability to maintain accuracy, quality, and consistency in their work.

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Job Description Template

What is a Copy Editor?

Related Job Titles for Copy Editor

The Top Copy Editor Skills

Copy Editor Job Description Template (Free)

Copy Editor Duties & Responsibilities:

Copy Editor Requirements:

Sample Interview Questions for a Copy Editor

Personal

Human Resources

Management

Technical Skills and Knowledge

What are the Educational Requirements for a Copy Editor?

How Much to Pay a Copy Editor when Hiring

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Frequently Asked Questions about Copy Editor

Where do Copy Editors work?

What do Copy Editors do?

Who do Copy Editors work with?

What skills who a Copy Editor have?

Similar Job Descriptions as Copy Editor

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