How do you land proofreading jobs?

A quick note about the introduction to this article: Some folks don’t agree on the extent of activity falling under the heading of “proofreading.” For instance, some believe comments on word choice fall within the scope of proofreading; some disagree. I can give more examples, but I’m sure you get the point.

Dans la majeure partie des missions que l'on m'a confiées en "proofreading", la relecture s'est souvent doublée d'une réécriture. Plus le texte est technique - donc "neutre", plus la relecture est facile et en quelque sorte scientifique. Plus il est personnel plus la relecture est compliquée, mais pas pour autant moins intéressante, loin de là. Plus elle demande de travail, moins elle se limite à corriger les fautes d'orthographe ou de syntaxe. La cohérence, l'emploi du mot approprié, la justesse de l'expression sont - presque- les plus importants.

No matter how good you are or believe you are at something, you will still need evidence. And your evidence as a proofreader comes in form of your portfolio. If you are a beginner with no experience proofreading for others, start by proofreading for yourself, and then turn these into a portfolio that you can show to your potential clients.

It isn't common for proofreaders to be listed and credited for their work (e.g. next to an author's name in a book). We often do a lot of the heavy lifting but don't get the recognition. So I think you do really have to find a way to list which publications you've proofread.

Difficile de construire un portfolio! Les textes que l'on a relus pour des clients sont dans la plupart des cas confidentiels (romans, poèmes, cours non encore publiés...). Un seul auteur a proposé d'ajouter mon nom dans son livre après que j'ai relu les contes pour enfants qu'il avait écrits. J'ai, par contre, les appréciations laissées par des clients sur la plateforme avec laquelle je travaille. Certains potentiels clients les consultent.

I agree with this statement. Get training especially if you find that you somehow transitioned from writing to proofreading and would like to branch out to freelancing, get training. One of the first courses I did was a diploma in proofreading and editing from the College of Media and Publishing. It was a great introductory courses and I highly recommend you get some training and do skills development courses throughout your career.

New skill will always be helpful to land a job as a proofreader. There are few must have skills such as:- A great grasp of grammer, Stellar Style Guide Familiarity, Competence with Computers, Capacity to Concentrate for a Long Time.

I think a lot of people see proofreading as something that anyone can do if they speak the language fluently. But that's massively underestimating the role. I would definitely recommend taking proofreading courses from the CIEP (the UK's Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders). There is so much more to proofreading than just spotting a typo or two!

Consider a proofreading qualification, whether it's a short course or degree from a recognised university. Also, networking isn't just about new opportunities: it's about learning from other proofreaders.

Attend events that your target audience are likely to also attend. Most of my work is in academic proofreading, so I often go to talks at universities and science/humanities events (e.g., Nerd Nite). There's no harm in mentioning what you do (without boring the other person!) at unrelated events – this year I picked up a job from a vet at an indie music gig! In this way, you can at least enjoy yourself when you're marketing.

Most proofreading jobs I have worked on have come from word of mouth. You get one job proofreading a book for a publisher and then you find that whoever hired you has friends/connections at other publishers. If you do a good job, your name will get passed around very quickly.

I have found that the vast majority of my clients have come from recommendations. This has also inadvertently led me to becoming quite niche.

Les clients s'imaginent souvent que la relecture est accessible à tous. Or, elle ne se limite aucunement à ceux qui parlent correctement une langue. Ou qui, d'un simple coup d’?il, repèrent une faute de grammaire. Le relecteur apprend de chacune de ses missions, il doit bien souvent adopter l'état d'esprit de l'auteur afin de ne pas trahir sa pensée (biographie), il peut aussi devenir l'un des maillons de la cha?ne commerciale (quand il corrige le contenu d'un site), il doit conna?tre certains éléments historiques (romans ou livres dédiés à l'histoire...). Le relecteur doit accro?tre sa propre culture pour être efficace, ne pas commettre de faux-sens. Selon moi, il apprend plus de sa propre expérience que d'une formation "académique".

I think if you aren't professional and doing the things listed here you won't be a proofer for long! Detailed, accurate work is what they are paying you for!

Get a Bachelor’s degree in English, volunteer to work for magazines and editorial boards as an addition proofreader, and apply for work on websites like Indeed.com. When applying for work, look for editing companies, since they hire editors and proofreaders.

Se nota muchísimo que este artículo ha sido creado con IA, no solo por los sangrantes errores ortográficos, sino por la insulsa redacción.

Start off by doing some volunteering work and once you have honed your proofreading skills, contact proofreading companies to see if they have any vacancies or search for proofreading jobs on Indeed.