Here at Re:word Communications, we’re under the impression that we have some of the most effective copy editors in the industry. Whether it’s a white paper, a term paper, a website or a training manual, our editors have established quite the reputation for taking unpolished groups of words and sentences and getting them ready for the world to see.
So, with that in mind, we thought we’d create a post about the various personality traits our editors have, and those we think are important for all highly effective copy editors.
Gotta Love It!
Yes, passion for the job is a must when it comes to copy editing. This isn’t something you can be good at by just showing up each day and going through the motions. If you don’t have the passion and won’t immerse yourself in the work, it will show. Maybe it won’t show right away, but it will show eventually.
Attention to Detail
And with that passion must also come attention to detail. In many situations, removing or changing one word might tighten up the sentence, but it could also change the intended meaning.
You can’t make assumptions and you can’t apply every rule to every case. Common sense is a must, and if you have a preference for scanning or glossing things over, you should probably look elsewhere, because copy editing isn’t for you.
The Double Es
Education and experience aren’t exactly “personality traits” but they are valuable assets when taking on the role. Sometimes, experience just comes with, well experience…but you should educate yourself in the basic elements of writing and editing, including grammar, punctuation, style, spelling, headline writing and computer skills.
The Double Cs
The Double Cs of creativity and curiosity are more personality traits and quite important to perform the job at a high level. Creativity leads toward resourcefulness, and curiosity helps you learn more about the various industries and publications you’ll be editing. These two traits will keep you updated and always looking to learn more.
Flexibility
When it comes to writing, few rules are really set in stone, so flexibility is a great trait to have. The willingness to bend a little and look things up when you aren’t sure will take you a long way.
Consistency
This ‘C’ is important enough to mention all by itself. If the editing work is not consistent, all the other traits aren’t worth much. Copy editing must be done well, and it must be done well every time.
When you utilize an editing service like ours, you are trusting us to balance out that writing and make you look good. There’s no room for error, and lucky for all our clients, we take the responsibility very seriously.