Proofreading is a career that everyone cannot do. You have to have a keen eye for mistakes, such as grammatical, spelling, and punctuation issues. They handle any form of text, whether it is a transcript, manuscript, or article to just to name a few. One thing about being a proofreader is that you have to love to read. The majority of your day will be reading and correcting mistakes. It is a profitable career where you can live good and either work from home or at a company.
When it comes to being a proofreader, you do not necessarily need a college degree or experience, but a college degree would look good on your résumé. It will show that you have done a lot of proofing. You can consider getting training in proofreading where you will get a certificate. You will learn everything that you will need to become a professional proofreader, such as the Oxford style comma and how to apply references to content.
Before you become a professional proofreader, you will want to know what you would like to specialize in, such as transcripts or websites, just to name a few. It is good to choose two to specialize in, so you can always have work and learn different styles. You can begin working as a proofreader by taking smaller jobs to gain experience. You can go on bidding sites, such as Upwork to proofread for others. You will not make that much money, but it is a start. You will learn that you will have to read the text more than once to get a perfect document. Formatting is another thing that you have to learn. It seems like a lot, but the more experience you gain, the easier it will become.
Once you get that first job that could become a larger job. For instance, if you go on Upwork, a potential client may want to hire you permanently. When this occurs, it’s best to make your own price. It is important to continue to learn while proofreading. Before getting into any major professional proofreading jobs, you will want to know AP, APA, and Chicago Style. You can always have a style guide near you when proofreading, but most of it needs stored in memory. That’s how good of a proofreader you are.
Before you make the big step of applying to your first major proofreading job is to test yourself. Practice makes perfect. Everything that you write, proofread it as many times as you need to. Even though, you may have started taking smaller proofreading jobs, you can begin taking higher paying ones. As a proofreader, you can set your own rate, especially when you find your own clients. Since you want to make a living out of this, you will want to consider your living expenses. Don’t be afraid to charge what you believe you deserve. If a client does not want to pay your rate, it’s a good idea to look elsewhere. Two places you can find proofreading jobs are on writing forums and publishing companies. You will more than likely be working on a freelance basis. You can also find proofreading jobs on social networking sites, such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
Even after you gain a professional proofreading job, you will still want to keep your resume refreshed. Even if you get a permanent proofreading job, you may still want to get other clients. You never know when there will be downtime in your permanent job. Make sure you always include the best proofreading jobs and skills that you know will stand out from the rest.