Getting a job should be among the top priorities for any student in this day and age. Gone are the days where businesses would leap out of their seats to hire fresh college graduates. The current business model has shifted towards getting the best people for the job. If you still believe that businesses will go through the time and effort needed to train someone to do a job, then that is a grave mistake. From the company’s standpoint, it is a lot more efficient if someone skilled was hired and put to work immediately. Rather than a fresher that would take months to reach the same level. And online proofreading jobs are not an exception in this regard.
For many students, and even professionals, landing a job in a company or field they love is a dream come true. There is nothing more agreeable than doing what you love, as your mind doesn’t really perceive it as work that way. In any case, the primary objective of someone is to get a position in an industry that appeals to them, but there is an issue. What if you are someone that just likes to read books and novels while laying on your couch, and that is your main hobby as well? If that’s the case, then a job that focuses on reading carefully should be ideal for you.
Why Editing and Proofreading?
The key to writing any successful document is to follow the highest codes writing has in place. Using the proper terminology and delivering the messages clearly and concisely have the ability to elevate any paper you write. Writing is among the most professional ways of communication, and that is only possible if the writer makes sure to follow every rule to the dot. However, from a realistic standpoint, that is simply, not possible. Just as all students need a teacher, there needs to be someone that corrects writers if they falter. There is a position for that, and it’s called proofreading.
What is proofreading?
If you’ve ever received an assignment or paper in college, you might have heard your professor talking about needing proofread papers. At the time, you might’ve glanced over this term, but it is a crucial facet of effective writing. Proofreading can be defined as reading through a document in order to look for any errors and inconsistencies. It is a form of review that decides whether a document is ready for submission and publishing. Unlike reading through a paper to find its mistakes, proofreading aims to review a document meticulously to determine its worthiness for delivery. Being a core element of professional writing, it is often the last step before the document reaches the finishing point.
What is Editing?
You might associate proofreading to be something akin to editing, although these are completely different things. Editing is the process of removing all forms of errors and inconsistencies from a document, while proofreading is checking a document to see if it has any mistakes left in. Editing often takes place immediately after reading, while proofreading is the final step in the writing process, before submission. For this reason, the term editor and proofreader are not interchangeable, although its occurrence does cause these steps to be a lot more confusing.
Proofreading is a relatively straightforward process that involves reading through a paper in detail, and looking for any mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation and word choices. The goal here is to design a paper that is not only readable by its intended audience but also delivers its message as clearly as possible. This doesn’t include researching and adding content, but rather manipulating its arrangement to be coherent. Any mistakes highlighted, and while you might rectify the minor mistakes, major mistakes are marked, and the document might be suggested to undergo another editing session.
Where can I look for jobs?
Regardless of your proficiency level, proofreading a document can be a big burden to carry. In a way, any document that is sent from your side after proofreading is completely free of any mistakes, at least in theory. Your clients would expect you to proofread their documents completely and would proceed to submit their documents at once with no prior thoughts. Being a professional, any errors and mistakes that remain unrectified will entirely be your responsibility.
Word of mouth
One of the easiest ways to look for proofreading jobs is to ask around your circles for anyone that is in need of proofreading help. Although this isn’t exactly online, the medium, you’re supposed to be working on and will be receiving the work definitely is. Once you find a client that needs to get a document proofread, you can share your email with them and receive the file that way. It is also possible for you to communicate with them through social media and other instant messaging applications. Many popular IM apps also support sharing files in Word and PDF formats too, making it easier for you to receive and send files to multiple clients at once.
Social media
You can create your own page on any social media platform of your choice of advertising your Proofreading Services Online. It will undoubtedly be a help if you were to actively pursue clients by yourself first, just to establish an initial following. From then, you can simply provide your contact details and watch as people get in touch with you. An excellent way of keeping your social media pages active is to regularly update its content, such as images, videos, and posts. You can even engage directly with people through messages and ask them if they have any work. Perhaps the best way you can propel your page is to encourage clients to leave their honest reviews after their work.
Academic forums
There are quite a lot of platforms online where students get together en masse. There they engage themselves in discussions about their academics, among other matters. As a consequence, there will also be students that are in need of a proofreader. They will often post on forums looking for a suitable one. If you see any such post, we recommend getting in touch with them hastily to get the opportunity. You can decide on the terms of payment and delivery, and receive work as such. Although some forums prohibit advertising services, you can communicate using other means and conduct business that way.
Job portals
If you’ve browsed through a job portal, you might have noticed a wide variety of positions open for applications. Although this is dependent on where you live, there might also be positions for an online proofreader. Even if academic proofreading positions aren’t available, you can still opt for professional proofreading ones, which check professional documents. Businesses and companies send tens of hundreds of documents every day, and some of those documents hold immense weight. Business plans, proposals and MOU’s need to show the highest regard to language, and any errors are unacceptable.
Conclusion:
There isn’t anything difficult about being a proofreader. If you have a solid knowledge of the English language and are adept at spotting mistakes, then this job will be ideal. However, if you feel that you lack in these departments, it is better to look for other ways to earn money according to the skill set you currently possess. This isn’t to discourage you or anything, but proofreading is a responsible position that takes time and skill above all.
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