I WANT TO BE A VA for Proofreading, Admin Job

The term 'proofreading' means reviewing a text copy in order to identify and correct errors in it. The reviewed text can either be a soft copy made on computer or a hard copy on paper. Whatever the nature of the text may be, the task of proofreading involves a great amount of patience and concentration. Nowadays more and more individuals and business houses prefer to hire virtual assistants instead of full time employees for this job. This kind of a practice is not only economical but allows the employers to receive quality work within a short span of time.

As a virtual assistant you need to have an excellent grasp in English language to succeed in proofreading. Besides having a degree in English, you must possess a great grammatical sense and a decent knowledge of semantics. As reading and editing are the two most important aspects in proofreading; you as a virtual assistant must review the text copy very slowly and carefully. While reading the text you should remain absolutely focused on the typology and spelling and must try to understand every word and sentence clearly. To become a successful virtual assistant in proofreading, you must possess good analyzing and reasoning skills as well.

To avoid overlooking of errors you must train your eyes and mind through constant practice. This is the reason why proofreading is considered as an art which must be learned because it is in the nature of our mind to correct errors automatically. It is difficult for an individual not trained in proofreading to find inappropriate usage of words or missing words as their mind is tuned to recognize these errors as correct. One general rule is that you must never skip your eyes from one alphabet to another; as this mainly leads to overlooking of errors. It is advisable not to proof each and every type of mistake at a single go. You must do separate proofs for grammar, spelling, formatting errors and usage of words. As a virtual assistant, a sound knowledge in word processing software is also mandatory. A good command in this software will enable you to implement functions like 'track changes' and 'mark changes' effectively.