How To Become A Professional Proofreader And Earn A Living

Professional proofreaders who produce quality work earn a substantial income. Moreover, many maintain a positive cash flow from the comfort of their own homes. If you are a job seeker who wants to work in the English field and also have the option to work from home, professional proofreader might be the job for you. Unfortunately, all proofreaders do not achieve their goals. You, however, can land the career of your dreams. To succeed in the industry, you need to follow specific steps. In this post, you will learn how to become a professional proofreader and earn a living.

Earn A Bachelor’s Degree

In order to get hired for high-paying professional proofreader jobs, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree. This degree can range, but successful proofreaders typically major in English or journalism. When choosing a college or university to earn your degree at, look for those that are accredited. You do not want to spend 4 years in school only to obtain a less valued degree. Employers look for candidates who excelled in a program at an accredited school. Work hard to achieve high grades in your English literature, advanced grammar and creative writing courses. Then, you will obtain the skills that employers look for in professional proofreader job candidates.

Gain Experience

After you earn a degree, gain professional proofreader experience. Many students believe that they will find a high-paying job straight out of school. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The jobs that provide the largest salaries require a minimum of 1-3 years of experience. In order to achieve your career goals, you need to take on lower level roles for a few years. Apply for internships at well-established companies. Use the best places to find internships for great options. Look for entry level jobs near your area. If you can gain relevant experience in the field, you will qualify for high-paying professional proofreader roles in the future.

Learn How to Use Online Tools

Professional proofreaders succeed when they learn how to use online tools. Since you will be conducting most of your work online, this step is crucial for success. You need to understand how to use the proofreading skills you acquired in school on your computer. Employers require proofreaders to download documents onto their personal devices. Once you do so, you need to learn how to edit it on your word processing program. Popular programs offer “track changes” and “insert comments” tools. If you do not know how to properly utilize these features, you will not be able to meet deadlines and produce quality work. To avoid this outcome, learn how to use online proofreading tools.

Know Your Place

If you want to excel as a professional proofreader, learn your place. The process of producing quality work involves numerous roles. These roles include content writer, editor, copy editor, and proofreader. In order to complete your role’s duties properly, you need to familiarize yourself with the duties that you are not responsible for. The content writer produces the work. Then, the editor makes the heaviest changes. After they generate a new draft, the copy editor makes additional alterations. Once they complete a third draft, the proofreader receives the document. Your job is to lightly polish the document, check for grammar mistakes and fix typos. Look into each sentence carefully to catch every small error. Then, you will increase your value as a professional proofreader and qualify for senior level positions.

Prepare A Portfolio

Lastly, prepare a portfolio to show off your professional proofreading experience. Determine your highest quality pieces to include in your portfolio. Leave out pieces that you are less proud of. After all, employers take proofreaders’ portfolios into careful consideration. They also take resumes into consideration. Check that you avoided the most common resume writing mistakes. Then, you can ensure that employers will move on to look at your portfolio. Many professional proofreaders choose one specific niche to establish a focused portfolio. Employers often view these professionals as experts because they have a strong skill in a specific market. Consider high-demand niches such as health, business and fashion. With a specialized portfolio, you will impress employers and earn a high-paying proofreader job.

Successful professional proofreaders earn good livings from the comfort of their own homes. To do so, first earn a bachelor’s degree in English or journalism. Then, gain entry-level experience to qualify for senior-level roles in the future. Learn how to use online tools to keep up with today’s technology. Know your place in the content creation cycle to establish a valuable reputation. Finally, create a specialized portfolio to impress employers. Take these steps to learn how to become a professional proofreader and earn a good income.