How To Become An Editor In Chief: What It Is and Career Path

What is an editor in chief and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Experts

Bradley Shreve,

Gayle Rogers

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an editor in chief. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.32 an hour? That's $54,751 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -5,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an Editor In Chief?

Bradley Shreve

Editor, Tribal College Journal

Be flexible. An undergraduate degree in history offers a solid liberal arts background, but not a skill set that is finely tuned for most jobs. Think outside the box, and understand that the job you land probably won't be in the history profession.

ScoreEditor In ChiefUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,751

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate -5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.27%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 3.47%

Hispanic or Latino 7.82%

Unknown 4.55%

White 76.90%

Gender

female 52.38%

male 47.62%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an editor in chief

Explore editor in chief education requirements

Most common editor in chief degrees

Bachelor's

73.3 %

Master's

12.3 %

Associate

7.8 %

Start to develop specific editor in chief skills

Skills	Percentages
Editor-In-Chief	17.94%
Edit Content	14.66%
Website Content	13.85%
Editorial Direction	4.52%
Editorial Board	4.20%

Complete relevant editor in chief training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New editors in chief learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an editor in chief based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real editor in chief resumes.

Research editor in chief duties and responsibilities

Manage weekly flash fiction competition.
Operate the fundamental uses of HTML and WordPress.
Leverage SEO and social media strategies to build credibility, increase exposure, and create links back to site.
Used inbound marketing techniques including regular blog updates, SEO and social media to drive new traffic to the site.

Prepare your editor in chief resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your editor in chief resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an editor in chief resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Editor In Chief Resume templates

Build a professional Editor In Chief resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Editor In Chief resume.

Apply for editor in chief jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an editor in chief job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do editors in chief rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Editor In Chief reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I love hearing stories from other sources.

Cons

people not providing accurate information

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019