How Does a New Proofreader Get Started?
Well, talk about a number of ways to find work, but before you start, you need a resume, a cover letter, and some samples.
The Resume
The tips on resume writing that we gave in the chapter on manuscript reading for pay are equally applicable to preparing a resume to look for work as a proofreader, so we won't repeat them here. Some community colleges give certificates upon successful completion of a proofreading course. Be sure to mention having completed a proofreading course and/or receiving a certificate if you have one.
The Cover Letter
When you write your cover letter, think about the characteristics of a good proofreader that were cited at the beginning of this chapter. Mention things like being very meticulous and attentive to detail, being a good speller, having good grammatical skills, and, of course, your specific knowledge of proofreading techniques. It's a good idea also to talk about being deadline-oriented. A prospective employer likes to know that you're aware that proofreading involves deadlines and that you respect them.
Samples
You don't need to put together a portfolio of samples as you would for manuscript reading, but you should have one or two samples available if anyone asks to see them. In the proofreading business, employers don't often ask for samples. Instead they usually give you a test to see what you can do. Still, it's wise to have something to show if you're asked. Until you have real samples, find a couple of newspaper articles, classified sections, or any other copy that has a lot of mistakes and mark that with proofreading symbols as you would an actual job. Don't do two of the same type of copy; make your second one something different.
Be sure to make copies of your first few jobs so that you can replace your made-up samples with real ones. After you've been working for a while, you'll probably want to exchange your first samples for some later ones, since you probably will have gotten better with experience. Also, if you do a really tough job well, that always makes a nice sample.
The Test
If you're applying for a fulltime job, you almost certainly will be tested before you're hired; employers often test freelancers and part-timers, too. Sometimes the test will be dry reading and sometimes it will involve comparing live copy and dead copy. The test almost always involves marking copy only; very rarely would you be tested on vocabulary or be asked to identify proofreading marks. (Of course, you have to know the marks to properly mark the copy.)
Sometimes the test will be timed. Don't let that throw you. It's much better to find all the errors in the copy you do have time to mark than to finish by doing a sloppy job. If you don't have time to finish, be sure to point out where you stopped, so the tester doesn't think you simply missed the errors.
When you go for an interview, it's wise to be prepared by taking along a style manual and a pocket dictionary. If you're given a test, ask if it's okay to use them. Most places will be delighted with your professionalism.
You shouldn't think of the test as a ghastly ordeal to be faced; you should welcome it with open arms! Good test results give a new proofreader the chance to pull in a plummy job without any experience. A tip if you're given a book or magazine page to proof as a test: Be sure to check everything on the page. This includes page numbers, running heads (such as proofreading at the top of this page), illustrations (a favorite trick in proofreading tests is to print the illustration upside-down in the live copy), any numbers, captions, formulas, etc. And watch out for huge headlines! It's been shown that the larger the type, the more likely people are to assume that it's correct without really looking at it.
The Aggressive Job Seeker
Okay, now you're resumed, lettered, sampled, and rarin' to be tested. What's next? The most obvious, but still one of the best, ways to get started is to see what's available in the classifieds in your local paper. Ads for proof-readers are usually plentiful in big-city dailies, and even in smaller towns and suburban areas, some-thing should be available most of the time.
Flyers
For a wider range of opportunities, you can prepare a simple flyer advertising your services and mail it to firms in your area that might be likely to use proofreaders. Having a flyer done at a quick-print shop doesn't cost a lot, and it can be a very effective way to get business.
If you'd rather not do a flyer, you can send a snappy cover letter and your resume to the same firms. Or you can call first to find out if the firm uses proofreaders, and then follow with the resume and a letter.
When you make an initial contact by mail, follow up with a phone call about a week later. If a firm uses proofreaders but has no work at the moment, note on a calendar to call again in three months. It's a good idea to have a separate calendar on which to note dates for job follow-ups, due dates for work, etc. Remember that if you get an initial turndown because you're inexperienced, you can always re-contact the firm after you've been hired by others.
Editorial Brokers
Another effective way to get work, especially if you're inexperienced, is to contact an editorial broker or editorial service. Some of these places work exclusively with freelancers; others may have some staff. These services find clients and then farm out the work to freelance proofreaders, editors, and writers. Proofreaders are often the most in demand. In exchange for finding the client for you, they take a percentage of the fee paid. While this means you will make less than you would if you found the client on your own, it's a wonderful way of zipping right past the inexperience roadblock. Since the broker has an established business reputation and the client doesn't know you, you automatically assume the credentials of the broker. Another plus for the novice proofreader: at least for the first few jobs, the broker will probably check your work to make sure it's satisfactory before returning it to the client. That helps you to learn and ensures that the client will be satisfied.
Brokers and editorial services almost always test freelancers before they hire them, so assume you'll have to take a test when you go for an interview. Take your manual and your dictionary and a pica pole if you have one and can use it.
Body-Snatching
When you work for an editorial service, you're normally paid by the service rather than the client. "Body-snatching" is a major concern for some brokers. It works like this: After you've done a couple of jobs for a particular client, it suddenly dawns on the client that if she worked with you directly, she wouldn't have to pay the broker's fee. Voila! Money saved. Sometimes the client will offer to split the broker's fee with you. This is a very shoddy practice, and you shouldn't go along with it. In the long run, it makes trouble for everyone. Other brokers won't touch you if they find out you've done this, some brokers may go out of business if they lose too much work, and you'll have a guilty conscience.
Because they've been burned by bodysnatchers - or fear they will be-some go-betweens won't tell the proofreader who the client is if they can avoid it. (Oftentimes they can't because the name of the firm will be somewhere on the work.) There are many instances where a proofreader needs to question a client directly, so this sometimes-justified paranoia works a hardship.
Legitimate Hiring-Away
Some brokers offer a legitimate way for you to work directly for a client. For a fee (paid by the client), they will release you from your obligation to go through them in doing work for this particular client. If you do enough work for the client, it may be worth their while to pay the fee.
Yellow Pages
If you're interested in signing on with a broker or editorial service, look in the Yellow Pages under Editorial to see if any are listed in your area. Temporary employment agencies also sometimes have work for freelance proofreaders, so you might try there too.
Magazines and Books
Remember Writer's Digest and The Writer? These magazines have classifieds and display ads. You can place ads there advertising your services, and sometimes you may find ads placed by people looking for proofreaders.
The Writer's Market doesn't specify opportunities for proofreaders, but you can use it as a reference for names and addresses of publishers you'd like to contact for possible work. The same is true for the other publications we told you about in the last chapter.
College Bulletin Boards
Although you probably won't get rich doing work for college students, proofing term papers and theses might be a good way to get your feet wet. Tack notes on the bulletin boards in the student union, dormitories, and fraternity and sorority houses offering your services for an affordable fee.
Professional Organizations
Depending on where you live, joining one or more professional organizations might be just the ticket to getting started. What you're looking for are organizations related to writing, publishing, advertising, public relations, communications, and that sort of thing. Many writers began their careers as proofreaders or editors, and many still market other types of editorial services along with their writing. You can make valuable contacts through a professional organization. Some have freelance directories in which they list their members and the services they offer. These directories are then distributed to local businesses as sources for hiring freelancers. Others have "hot-lines" that offer job listings by phone. Employers list their available jobs with the hot-line. Members call in to listen to the job descriptions, and if something interests them, they receive the name of the prospective employer after giving a membership number.
Often other members will suggest places that hire proofreaders, especially if they don't do that kind of work themselves. Professional organizations have other benefits too. Many offer workshops and programs to help sharpen editorial skills or to describe new avenues for finding work.
If there are no local organizations in your area, you might try joining a national organization. You probably wouldn't attend meetings, but sometimes their magazines list job opportunities. Most national organizations have local chapters in the major cities. A few you might want to look into are:
- Society for Technical Communication
- American Medical Writers Association
- Communications Society of America
- Women in Communications
- Associated Business Writers of America
