BUCKS NEW UNIVERSITY

MODULE NAME: PREPARING FOR SUCCESS:

KNOWLEDGE AND CREATIVITY – LEVEL 3

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: REPORT ON IDEAL JOB

NO. OF WORDS: 2000

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 Executive summary

In this report I will discuss about my ideal job – book editor, its personal importance
and impact in my life, its large description, and finally the professional skills required.
Editing is part of the writing process in which an editor improve the text by correcting
errors and making words and sentences clearer, more precise, and as effective as possible
(Nordquist, 2019). A book editor’s job is to refines, direct the focus of the story along a
course. He has to cut out whatever is not fit, what is nonessential, drawing attention to the
real purpose of the text (Hill, 2013).

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Table of Content

Executive summary 2
Introduction 4
My ideal job 4
A job description for my ideal job 6
A person specification 7
Conclusion 8
References 9
Appendix A 10
Appendix B 10

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 Introduction
In this report, I will discuss my ideal job – book editor. It will present the reasons I
chose this particular occupation, what is its meaning, and what I have to learn to be a
professional editor. Furthermore, the report will provide information regarding websites
where I can apply for this job after I finished my education.

My ideal job
There are two types of people. Those who love action, being in the middle of an
adventure, living on the edge of danger, organizing and sending orders, and those who
prefer to work in a safe environment, taking orders, and leave home only when necessary. I
am in between those people, willing to be safe but never take orders, enjoying a quest but
not in unknown territory. I live in the real world, but escape in my imaginary one every time I
have the opportunity.
I would love to become an editor because I like words. Because of this passion, I
want to be involved in different projects all over the world, making people read more, with
fun and pleasure. I learned to read and write when I was five, and never stopped since then.
By the age of seven, I started putting down short poems and stories for kids, moving
forward to articles in the local newspaper after graduating high school, and finishing with
short stories in Romanian online publications in recent years.
People around me and those who have read my stories online encouraged me to
keep doing this and I did. Much later, after years of studying the English language, I started
reading books and articles to improve my skills. Being able to read an international
language enlarged my horizons and made me realize there was a way to get closer to a
larger community sharing the same hobby. Working as an editor would be the perfect job
perfect because it intertwines my passions for both writing and reading.
According to Nordquist (2019), “editing is a stage of the writing process in which a
writer or editor strives to improve a draft by correcting errors and making words and
sentences clearer, more precise, and as effective as possible. The process of editing
involves adding, deleting, and rearranging words to cut the clutter and streamline overall
structure.”
An editor’s job is more than just writing. First, he has to master the writing technics
and be able to make up phrases that respect the rules everyone follows. Furthermore,
attention to details is required because of small writing mistakes or missing words. At last, a
good overview is essential, making sure all possible readers will understand the main ideas

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presented in the document, let it be a professional article – technic, legal, medical – or just
content writing in social media.
Not everything in a written document is presumed to be wrong. Many writers pay
attention to their work, they are editing and proofreading their manuscripts before sending it
to an editor. But using the editing process, we can refine the text and bringing it to
perfection. There are rules regarding this process even though they have changed over the
years, according to people’s demands, hobbies, and free time. People who chose to work in
this domain need to understand these rules, follow, and apply them whenever necessary.
Book editors work for publishing companies and in strong connection with design
artists, compositors, production and marketing departments, and specialists in certain fields.
The editor’s job is to take those words and put them in perfect sentences. There can be
words from fictional or non-fictional books, newspapers, billboards, online commercials. For
the phrase to have a maxim impact on the reader, words have to be chosen carefully. The
final message has to be clear, simple, elegant, and eloquent (stateuniversity, 2020).
Long descriptions might have pleased the readers of the 19th century but nowadays
the public prefers more movement and less talking. The action took over showing, using
precise details, strong verbs as buy, like, share, take, think, and do, and pictures where they
could be used.
To be a good editor you not only have to be proficient in grammar, spelling, and
composition but also to have an instinct for recognizing patterns, organizing ideas, and
creating categories. The person has to call into question theories and facts, be interested in
learning new things every day (editors, 2020).
The master editor needs to complete these defining requests:
- visualize the end product while focusing on and remembering details
- think logically and exercise good judgment
- reorganize a document to achieve clarity and momentum
- recognize what's missing in a passage
- use a wide range of reference materials
- work within deadlines
- keep an eye on the budget
- work well with the many other people who are a part of the publication process
“Editors come from a variety of backgrounds, but they are all skilled at developing
effective communications tools by identifying the most appropriate structure, format and
content for each audience and purpose. Ultimately, editors are people who think, and they

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do so on behalf of both the writer and the reader”, shows the same webpage dedicated to
editors (editors, 2020).
Working with a pen in one hand and imagination in the other hand has always been
spiritual fulfilling for me. Making a career in my comfort zone, it could be a blessing. Beyond
personal satisfaction, there is plenty of working hours and commitment.
For a better understanding, I will take a real example and analyze it. The job demand
was posted on Indeed.co.uk and it is called Full-time English editor.

A job description for my ideal job (see appendix A)

Since the job name is English editor, first expectation from the employer is an
excellent understanding and solid knowledge of this language at an academic level. If
students are those writing the articles, the editor needs to take care of the words they used.
He might be tempted to change familiar words with rather incomprehensible ones, making
text look more academic but hard to read and assimilate. There will always be short
deadlines, meaning the editor has to master his job and work quickly.
When it comes to corporate material the editor has to know a basic marketing
strategy or work with another person in that field to provide clear content and attract
students. A blunt announcement only in black and white can be easily overlooked even if its
message is important. In contrast, a colourful flyer with pictures included will capture
anyone attention.
This particular job is a full-time and desk-based, though you can find similar jobs
part-time and home working.
Everyone is familiar with Microsoft Office and Word in particular. Knowing LaTeX soft
could be an advantage if someone wants to apply for this position. It is a free typesetting
system designed for technical and scientific documentation made to ease the life of any
writer (latex-project, 2020).
The last thing mentioned is the probation period, including training. This is the period
when the applicant learns the rules of the company and tries to give his/her best.
Take a look into the future and there you will see people writing and people proof-
reading. It makes no difference if words will not be printed on paper and all of us will be
using electronic devices for communication. Someone has to verify that information before
being offered to the public. This is a job that will never end.
According to Zimmerman (2016), people will use A.I. through different software to
help them edit faster huge demands. When it comes to scientific work (technical, historical,
socio-political, medical) things tend to complicate due to a large amount of data and specific

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vocabulary. The publisher mentioned the Document analysis tools suite in PageKicker soft
as such an instrument.
Working in a newspaper’s business for three years as a journalist, reviser and
designer, I have a clear view of what an editor’s job means. Working with computers comes
naturally and it doesn’t take long to learn a different software.
Nevertheless, beyond a passion for work and willing for learning, the future employer
has to fulfil certain demands. The sum of all agency’s requirements should accompany the
job offer and are called person specification. The document is developed by staff members
collaborating with the HR department. Here are sketched out the knowledge and skills the
future employer needs to possess to be an ideal candidate. These demands are divided into
essential and desirable (White, 2019).
As previously done, I will continue with the same job posted on Indeed.co.uk and
discuss it at large.

A person specification (see appendix B)

These nine job requirements are mandatory and anyone willing to apply for this
position needs to carefully read each of them. Makes no difference if your English skills are
admirable, you have to prove you have at least a bachelor degree to obtain the post.
Advanced knowledge of the English language comes in time spent for high education.
This company specifies you need to have previous experience in editing and writing,
meaning they are not willing to spend more time with you in teaching you the basics.
Experience in the field includes previous work with computers and writing software,
Microsoft Word being the most known program.
The following demands refer to personal attributes rather than school/work
experience. You need to know yourself and be honest. If you are a disorganized type who
can not work under pressure of target limits, this job is not for you. Same thing if you do not
feel comfortable working in teams and lose focus easily.
Scholarly research means your potential job is more solicitant as you might think.
Spending time in the library or on the internet looking for the right data can be exhausting.
More draining than this is working with other people’s researched materials.
When analyzing each request you can realise the job is not as easy as appears at a
first glimpse. People who never had intellectual demanding jobs might see you as a
dangler, zapping your computer all day long. The reality is different. You are responsible for
delivering information to others, and it has to be real, impartial, and understandable.

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 After checking all nine points above, you might get an idea about your competitors.
Next four points can make the difference between you and the rest of the candidates.
The following are a benefit (see appendix B):
- Previous experience editing, writing, or publishing scholarly content.
- Knowledge of LaTeX.
- Experience working in a research environment.
- A PhD or equivalent qualification.
In conclusion to this point, the more experienced you are, the better chances to win
the job.
Websites like LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, Target Jobs, Reed, and so many others are
here on the internet to ease our job research. In my opinion, every type of resource has its
advantages and disadvantages, though I prefer online platforms rather than jobs fairs out in
the open. Three of them are explained in details, with advantages and disadvantages in the
slides below – LinkedIn, Escape the City, and Indeed.

Conclusion
This report was created to present details of an ideal job and what it implies.
Reflecting on my previous experience and everything I have learned from online webinars,
courses, and books, I understood what are my strength and weaken points. English
language not being my native one, made things a bit more complicated but not impossible.
In the first place, I prepared myself to fail a few times before handling the skills.
Furthermore, I was training myself over the years for the hard, long way ahead until
reaching perfection. Finally, I am getting ready for the overwhelming feeling when my job
will be appreciated by employers and clients alike.
To conclude, analyzing the type of person I am, and this job’s demands, all I have to
do is work and improvement. Looking into the future and presuming I will have a bachelor’s
degree, the next step would be rewriting my resume and apply for my dream job.

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References:

Careers.stateuniversity (2020) Book Editor Job Description, Career as a Book Editor,

Salary, Employment [Online]. Available from:
https://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/119/Editor-Book.html [Accessed 8th April 2020].

Editors (2020) So You Want to Be an Editor: Information about a career in editing [Online].
Available from: https://www.editors.ca/join/so-you-want-be-editor-information-about-career-
editing [Accessed 20th April 2020].

Hill, B. (2013) Duties of an Editor & How Editors Help Writers [Online]. Available from:
https://theeditorsblog.net/2011/02/01/duties-of-an-editor-how-editors-help-writers/
[Accessed 29th April 2020].

Latex-project (2020) LaTeX – A document preparation system [Online]. Available from:

https://www.latex-project.org [Accessed 15th April 2020].

Nordquist, R. (2019) How Do You Edit an Essay? [Online]. Available from:

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-editing-1690631 [Accessed 20th April 2020].

White, D. (2019) Match Your Skills to the Person Specification [Online]. Available from:
https://career-advice.jobs.ac.uk/jobseeking-and-interview-tips/jobseeking-and-interview-
resources/match-your-skills-to-the-person-specification/ [Accessed 15th April 2020].

Zimmerman, F. (2016) What is the future of development editors in publishing? [Online].

Available from: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-future-of-development-editors-in-
publishing [Accessed 15th April 2020].

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Appendix A

Appendix B

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