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Assistant Editor job description template

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Median pay

$43,826per year, about $21 an hour

Range$19,500 to $62,500 a year

Hourly$10 to $30 an hour

EducationAssistant Editors typically have a Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, public relations, or a similar field.

Also calledEditor, Copy Editor, Editorial Assistant

DepartmentMarketing and Communications

The role

What is an Assistant Editor?

Assistant Editors mainly work in the publishing industry under the supervision of the Editors in Chief.

They are responsible for planning and implementing daily, weekly, and monthly written content and assisting in publishing and editing operations in the company.

Assistant Editors also check the written content for grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and syntax errors and make sure the style, sense, and tone match the company’s image and idea.

They collaborate with other employees and assign tasks to staff members and freelance writers and follow trends and popular topics.

What to screen for

The top Assistant Editor skills.

Five things separate a strong hire from a résumé that reads well. Use these as your scorecard criteria.

SkillWhy it matters

Editing and ProofreadingThese two skills are the core of successful Assistant Editors. They are necessary when Assistant Editors check the written content for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Furthermore, Assistant Editors must edit and check written pieces in terms of style, accuracy, consistency, and readability and ensure they meet other professional standards before publishing.

Attention To DetailAttention to detail allows Assistant Editors to perform their duties precisely. This skill helps them notice and correct different mistakes and errors in the written content and ensure it is accurate and consistent. In addition, this skill also helps them select and implement suitable material, such as illustrations and images.

CommunicationAssistant Editors need strong communication skills to interact and collaborate with their supervisors, other editors, authors, clients, and staff members. Through effective communication, they are able to convey information and ideas, provide suggestions and explanations, and delegate tasks to staff members.

OrganizationAssistant Editors usually have a lot on their plate during the day. They may be responsible for several tasks at once, so great organizational skills are a must. They must keep track of written pieces, schedules, and deadlines. Also, Assistant Editors can be responsible for managing budgets and spreadsheets.

CreativityCreativity is the ability that helps Assistant Editors think outside of the box and come up with new, fresh, and innovative ideas. Creativity allows them to collaborate with other creative individuals on the same level and produce articles and other written pieces that will keep the audience engaged and interested.

Free template

The job description, ready to post.

Copy it as written, or edit it until it sounds like your company. Both work.

Assistant EditorMarketing and Communications · Free to use and edit

We are looking for an organized and motivated individual to join our company as an Assistant Editor. Your main responsibilities include collaborating with other editors, developing daily, weekly, and monthly content, and editing and proofreading written content before publishing. You will ensure the written content is free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors and that it aligns with the company’s tone and image.

As our Assistant Editor, you will manage and monitor schedules and deadlines and ensure all projects are completed on time. Furthermore, you will suggest improvements and make adjustments to written content and research and implement the latest trends, ideas, and popular topics.

If you have outstanding communication, editing, creativity, organization, and attention to detail skills, we can’t wait to meet you!

Duties and responsibilities

Collaborate with other editors to develop daily, weekly, and monthly content
Review and edit content for grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and syntax errors
Review content for accuracy, sense, style, and readability
Select supporting material, such as images, graphs, and illustrations, to complement the content
Assign articles and projects to staff members and freelance writers
Monitor schedules and deadlines to ensure projects are completed on time
Collaborate with authors, editors, publishers, and other employees to ensure projects are completed successfully
Suggest improvements and adjustments to the written pieces
Conduct research to follow current trends, ideas, and popular topics
Utilize social media and SEO to draw attention to articles
Write and proofread articles and other written pieces that cover relevant topics of the company

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communication, or public relations
Prior working experience as an Assistant Editor or other similar position
Experience with publishing processes, techniques, and tools
Extensive knowledge of social media platforms and SEO
Excellent editing and proofreading skills
Great command of the English language
Strong attention to detail
Excellent written and oral communication
Creativity and organization

Add your pay range, benefits, and location before you post. Postings with a stated range get significantly more finished applications than the ones that leave it out.

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Education

What education this role needs.

Assistant Editors typically have a Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, public relations, or a similar field.

Some employers look for applicants with a Master’s degree in some of these fields.

Candidates for this position would usually need previous working experience in the publishing industry in related positions.

However, they would receive on-the-job training from more experienced editors to learn about the job specifics, preferred writing style, and other details.

After the applications land

Sample interview questions for an Assistant Editor.

Once you have gathered the applications, work through these in order. Twelve questions across four areas, enough to tell your shortlist apart.

Personal

Could you briefly introduce yourself?
What is your greatest motivation in everyday life?
What is a moment from the past that you would like to relive again?

Human Resources

How long have you been working as an Assistant Editor?
Why did you apply for a job in our company in particular?
Are there any career-related goals that you strive to achieve in the future?

Management

Do you always double-check your work and do you think it is important to do so?
Do you have experience working with freelance writers?
How do you feel about working overtime to meet deadlines?

Technical Skills and Knowledge

What editing tools are you most experienced with?
What do you think indicates popular topics and the latest trends in the publishing industry?
How do you accurately check a fact from several different sources?

Score answers with AvaHR scorecards

Pay

How much to pay when hiring.

Annual pay by percentile. Where you land depends on the size of the cycle they will own, and the 25th percentile is usually where a first analyst hire sits.

10th percentile$19,500

25th percentile$33,500

Median$43,826

75th percentile$53,000

90th percentile$62,500

Hourly equivalents run from $10 at the 10th percentile to $30 at the 90th.

Related job titles

Candidates may apply under a different name.

Post the title your industry uses and keep the rest of the description. These three roles overlap enough that the same posting usually reaches all of them.

Same work, different title

Three titles, one description.

Search behavior varies by industry, so the same job is advertised under several names. If you are unsure which one your candidates search for, run two titles and see which fills.

Browse every title

Editor

An integral part of every publishing company is a successful Editor.

$56,493 median

Copy Editor

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

$55,813 median

Editorial Assistant

Editorial Assistants are essential employees in the publishing industry.

$38,869 median

Questions

Frequently asked questions.

What are the duties of an Assistant Editor?

Assistant Editors are responsible for developing daily, weekly, and monthly content for publishing, reviewing, editing, and proofreading the written material, checking the content for accuracy, consistency, and readability, and suggesting improvements and adjustments to content.

They also manage schedules and deadlines and select supporting material, such as images and illustrations.

Who do Assistant Editors work with?

Assistant Editors collaborate with other editors, authors, freelance writers, supervisors, clients, publishers, and other professionals.

How much do Assistant Editors earn per year?

Assistant Editors earn between $19,500 and $62,500.

What qualities make a successful Assistant Editor?

Successful Assistant Editors must have exceptional written and oral communication, organization, and editing skills, as well as strong attention to detail and creativity.

Other job description templates.

Same format, same free, same median pay data. Browse the full library if the role you are hiring for is not here.

Editorial Assistant

Editorial Assistants are essential employees in the publishing industry.

$38,869 median

Editor in Chief

An editor-in-chief is the most senior member of a publication's editorial staff.

$109,863 median

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