Hiring guide
How to Hire a Copy Editor
Hire a copy editor who catches errors, applies house style and queries facts: where to find them, a marked-up editing test, red flags and FAQs.
The short answer
Hiring a Copy Editor comes down to verifying command of grammar, punctuation, usage and spelling, including the variant (us or uk english) you publish in, fluency in the style guide you use, such as the ap stylebook, the chicago manual of style or your house guide and fact-checking instinct: querying names, dates, quotes, figures and claims that look off before you commit interview time. The process below runs 4 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Introducing errors while fixing others, or "correcting" valid usage because of a personal rule
- Watch for: Rewriting for preference rather than fixing problems, which erases the author's voice
- Score on: Share of planted errors caught without new errors introduced
- Score on: Consistent application of the style sheet
Paste your Copy Editor job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →When you hire a copy editor, you are hiring the last line of defence between a draft and your readers. A copy editor fixes grammar, spelling and punctuation, applies your house style or a guide such as AP or Chicago, checks consistency and flags facts, names and figures that look wrong. Strong ones do this without flattening the writer's voice.
Why this role matters
Errors in published copy cost credibility, and in news, legal, financial or medical content they can cost far more. A good copy editor raises the floor on everything you publish, keeps style consistent across many writers and saves senior editors from line-level fixes. A weak one either misses errors or rewrites so heavily that writers stop trusting the desk.
Where to find candidates
- ACES: The Society for Editing, including holders of the Poynter ACES Certificates in Editing
- The Editorial Freelancers Association (US), the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (UK) and Editors Canada, which run member directories
- Journalism job boards such as JournalismJobs.com and Mediabistro, and news organisations' own copy desks
- University journalism and English programmes, especially students who edited student papers
- LinkedIn searches for copy editor, subeditor, production editor and proofreader titles
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Introducing errors while fixing others, or "correcting" valid usage because of a personal rule
- Rewriting for preference rather than fixing problems, which erases the author's voice
- Inconsistent application of style within a single test piece
- Queries phrased as orders or criticism instead of questions to the author
- Cannot name the style guides they have worked to or explain how they handle a style question the guide does not cover
The interview process
- 1
Application and Short Proofing Screen
Ask for a CV and samples of before-and-after edits where confidentiality allows. Include a short passage with planted errors at the application stage to filter quickly.
- 2
Editing Test
Give a real-length piece in your format with your style sheet. Plant spelling, grammar, style, consistency and factual errors, plus a passage that is correct but unusual. Ask for tracked changes and author queries. A job simulation of a live editing shift is one option for comparing candidates on identical copy.
- 3
Test Debrief
Walk through their markup. Ask why they changed what they changed, what they left alone and why, and how they would raise a suspected factual error with an author on deadline.
- 4
Team Interview
Meet the editors and writers they will work with. Explore how they handle pushback on a change, competing deadlines and a style question nobody has ruled on.
Cohesyve
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Cohesyve takes your Copy Editor job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Share of planted errors caught without new errors introduced
- Consistent application of the style sheet
- Restraint: changes justified rather than preferential
- Quality and tone of author queries
- Handling of factual and legal risk flags
- Accuracy under the time limit
Onboarding
- 1Hand over the house style guide, the style sheet decisions log and any banned or legally sensitive terms
- 2Pair them with an experienced editor for the first few shifts and review their markup together
- 3Explain the workflow: who sees copy before and after them and who signs off
- 4Clarify escalation for legal, factual or sensitive content
- 5Invite them to propose additions to the style guide as questions come up
Common questions
What is the difference between a copy editor and a proofreader?
A copy editor works on the text before layout, fixing language, style, consistency and flagging facts. A proofreader checks the final laid-out version for remaining errors and layout problems. Some roles combine both.
Do copy editors need a certification?
No certification is required. Credentials such as the Poynter ACES Certificates in Editing or CIEP membership grades show training, but an editing test on your own copy is the better evidence.
How do I design a fair copy editing test?
Use copy like what they will edit, give them your style sheet, plant a known list of errors across categories and include some correct-but-unusual text to test restraint. Score every candidate against the same answer key.
Should a copy editor check facts?
They should flag anything that looks wrong and query it. Whether they verify every fact depends on your organisation. Many publishers keep full fact-checking as a separate role, so say which you expect in the job description.
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