Copy Writers

Write advertising copy for use by publication or broadcast media to promote sale of goods and services.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

• Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products.

• Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material.

• Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.

• Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted.

• Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information.

• Write to customers in their terms and on their level so that the advertiser's sales message is more readily received.

• Edit or rewrite existing copy as necessary, and submit copy for approval by supervisor.

• Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.

• Consult with sales, media and marketing representatives to obtain information on product or service and discuss style and length of advertising copy.

• Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy.

Back to top

Job Zone

• Name: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

• Experience: A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

• Education: Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

• Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

• Examples: Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Svp range: (7.0 to < 8.0)

Back to top

Knowledge

Browse Knowledge

• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Communications and Media
  Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

• Sales and Marketing
  Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Sociology and Anthropology
  Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

• Administration and Management
  Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

• Clerical
  Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• Psychology
  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Customer and Personal Service
  Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Fine Arts
  Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Back to top

Skills

Browse Skills

• Persuasion
  Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

• Active Listening
  Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Critical Thinking
  Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Coordination
  Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Reading Comprehension
  Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Time Management
  Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• Active Learning
  Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Instructing
  Teaching others how to do something.

• Writing
  Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Monitoring
  Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Back to top

Abilities

Browse Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
  The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

• Oral Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Written Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Fluency of Ideas
  The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

• Originality
  The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

• Near Vision
  The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Deductive Reasoning
  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Written Comprehension
  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

• Inductive Reasoning
  The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• Speech Recognition
  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Back to top

Work Activities

Browse Work Activities

• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
  Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

• Thinking Creatively
  Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

• Selling or Influencing Others
  Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

• Getting Information
  Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Interacting With Computers
  Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Back to top

Work Context

• Face-to-Face Discussions
  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

• Telephone
  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

• Work With Work Group or Team
  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

• Electronic Mail
  How often do you use electronic mail in this job?

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

• Time Pressure
  How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

• Contact With Others
  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

• Freedom to Make Decisions
  How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

• Spend Time Sitting
  How much does this job require sitting?

Back to top

Interests

Browse Interests

• Artistic
  Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

• Enterprising
  Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Social
  Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Investigative
  Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

• Conventional
  Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Realistic
  Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Back to top

Work Styles

• Dependability
  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

• Persistence
  Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

• Initiative
  Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

• Attention to Detail
  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

• Achievement/Effort
  Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

• Cooperation
  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

• Stress Tolerance
  Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

• Independence
  Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

• Innovation
  Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

• Adaptability/Flexibility
  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Back to top

Work Values

Browse Work Values

• Creativity
  Workers on this job try out their own ideas.

• Independence-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

• Ability Utilization
  Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.

• Achievement-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

• Achievement
  Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.

• Working Conditions
  Workers on this job have good working conditions.

• Responsibility
  Workers on this job make decisions on their own.

• Recognition
  Workers on this job receive recognition for the work they do.

• Autonomy
  Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.

• Advancement
  Workers on this job have opportunities for advancement.

Back to top