Table 1Transition record

lexicographertoproofreader

A lexicographer already meets 41% of what the proofreader role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From lexicographer

41%

Overlap1

To proofreader

8 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

54.8 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 54.8

This move: 54.8 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the proofreader role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the lexicographer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A proofreader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a lexicographer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held use dictionaries information skills
already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
already held spelling arts and humanities
already held consult information sources information skills
already held grammar arts and humanities
already held apply grammar and spelling rules communication, collaboration and creativity

All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the proofreader role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 14 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held rewrite manuscripts required
required, not held suggest revision of manuscripts required
required, not held master language rules required
required, not held proofread text required
required, not held track changes in text editing required

optional, not held rewrite articles optional
optional, not held read books optional

02 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held follow newspaper house style required

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

required, not held reproduce documents required

04 information skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
optional, not held lay out digital written content optional

05 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held typography optional

06 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held proofing methods optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a proofreader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
already held copyright legislation knowledge
already held follow work schedule skill
already held grammar knowledge
already held spelling knowledge
already held use dictionaries skill
already held consult information sources skill
already held consult with editor skill

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional

7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held proofing methods optional
optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
optional, not held rewrite articles optional
optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
optional, not held lay out digital written content optional
optional, not held read books optional
optional, not held typography optional

20 held skills the proofreader role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role create definitions skill
not needed by the target role create semantic trees skill
not needed by the target role develop technical glossaries skill
not needed by the target role do historical research skill
not needed by the target role edit dictionary entries skill
not needed by the target role identify new words skill
not needed by the target role linguistics knowledge
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role practical lexicography knowledge
not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
not needed by the target role search databases skill
not needed by the target role search engines knowledge
not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
not needed by the target role supervise work skill
not needed by the target role theoretical lexicography knowledge
not needed by the target role translate foreign language skill
not needed by the target role translate language concepts skill
not needed by the target role typology knowledge
not needed by the target role use word processing software skill

2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held proofing methods optional
optional, not held typography optional

Index

Other moves recorded from lexicographer

Full index of moves from lexicographer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.