5 answers
Sarah
Student
Orlando, Florida
1
Question
Updated
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How do you get hired for a job/internship/volunteer opportunity in careers relating to proofreading, editing, or technical writing without prior experience before finishing your degree?
Returned to school as a college junior this year
My interests are creative or technical writing, editing, and proofreading careers
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5 answers
Michael Giles
Technical Publications and Training Manager
13
Answers
Mayflower, Arkansas
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Before finishing your degree, you'll likely have to do an internship. It sucks, I know, but it puts that experience under your belt. My first real-world job out of college was similar in a different way. My boss asked me a few months in to take a class on PageMaker and PhotoShop when I was already familiar enough to do the job on my own. I asked him why, and he said because it looks good on my resume. I said fair enough. Do what you have to to further your career.
I'll definitely look into what programs would be helpful to learn or get a certificate in, in order to improve my chances of standing out. Thank you for your advice.
Sarah
Cassandra Carney
Author/Social Media Manager
4
Answers
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Updated
Cassandra’s Answer
That is a great question and I've lived that struggle as well. Try to find some pro bono work. Check you campus board especially around mid term and year end for those needing proofreading and copy editing. Get their contact info so they can be listed on your resume'. Even if they don't pay you, its experience and employers want to see you that you have been able to apply your skillset in real world settings.
Another place to look is community center or services that help those going back into the work field. Help them with their resumes and cover letters. Again, any experience is good experience and can go on your resume.
Another place to look is community center or services that help those going back into the work field. Help them with their resumes and cover letters. Again, any experience is good experience and can go on your resume.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I have now added these suggestions to my list of places to reach out to and pursue.
Sarah
Lindsey Flagg
Freelancer
16
Answers
Crown Point, Indiana
Updated
Lindsey’s Answer
My best advice is to start in one of two places (or both):
1. Your school network (such as classmates), which is where I landed my first writing job opportunity, and
2. Your school itself, which is where I landed an on-campus role in copywriting and content management.
If your school has a career department and/or a student job opening portal, you should take advantage of them. I will add that staying helpful and collaborative in classes, extracurriculars, and among friends and classmates can help keep you in people's minds when a project or opportunity comes up that needs a friendly and reliable hand.
You can also look for extracurriculars and volunteer opportunities on campus or in the surrounding community to build your skills and your network. Every writing and editing opportunity—paid or unpaid—builds your skills, opens you up to a wider network, and can help you create writing or editing samples for your portfolio.
Make sure you take classes relevant to the writing or editing work you want to pursue as a career.
Practice your writing skills in your free time to help improve your skills and start building your portfolio.
1. Your school network (such as classmates), which is where I landed my first writing job opportunity, and
2. Your school itself, which is where I landed an on-campus role in copywriting and content management.
If your school has a career department and/or a student job opening portal, you should take advantage of them. I will add that staying helpful and collaborative in classes, extracurriculars, and among friends and classmates can help keep you in people's minds when a project or opportunity comes up that needs a friendly and reliable hand.
You can also look for extracurriculars and volunteer opportunities on campus or in the surrounding community to build your skills and your network. Every writing and editing opportunity—paid or unpaid—builds your skills, opens you up to a wider network, and can help you create writing or editing samples for your portfolio.
Lindsey recommends the following next steps:
I appreciate your insight. I will look further into school-presented opportunities.
Sarah
Ira Preston Richardson
Technical Writer
6
Answers
Nitro, West Virginia
Updated
Ira Preston’s Answer
Sarah, I would be glad to address your question. I worked as a technical writer for about 25 years. I found it to be a rewarding profession. The first thing I would do is see if your college or university has a co-operative education program. A college co-op program will place you in a job as closely related to your field of study as possible. They don't pay well, but you won't be in the job for the money anyway. The jobs typically last the length of a semester, although I had several that lasted longer. Some co-op programs will want you to take a work-related class. It will cover things like resume writing, interview skills, etc. I had about three or four co-op positions on my resume by the time I left school. They definitely helped me land my first few jobs.
If there isn't a co-op program at your school, I would suggest contacting government agencies (federal, state, and local) to see if they have any volunteer opportunities where you can write. If you live in a small town, call the mayor. Governments, no matter the type or location, never have enough money to hire the people they need, so they're motivated to hire volunteers.
In addition, note that newspapers and public broadcasting organizations are great places to get writing and proof-reading jobs, both paid and volunteer. Are there factories or chemical plants where you live? These are great places to get real technical writing experience. The hard part with industrial jobs is getting the name of a person who can hire you or set up a volunteer situation. You might have to dig through the corporate websites of these companies to find someone to contact.
When you put co-op or volunteer jobs on your resume, make sure you label them as such. Think about adding "Short-term co-operative education position via UNIVERSITY NAME," or "Short-term volunteer position" to the job's description. You will also need the name of your supervisor, plus his or her email address, title, and phone number. You will need this information even if you don't put it on your resume. (I keep a text file of work addresses and contact information for my previous jobs. Potential employers often request this information if they ask you to complete an application.)
If there isn't a co-op program at your school, I would suggest contacting government agencies (federal, state, and local) to see if they have any volunteer opportunities where you can write. If you live in a small town, call the mayor. Governments, no matter the type or location, never have enough money to hire the people they need, so they're motivated to hire volunteers.
In addition, note that newspapers and public broadcasting organizations are great places to get writing and proof-reading jobs, both paid and volunteer. Are there factories or chemical plants where you live? These are great places to get real technical writing experience. The hard part with industrial jobs is getting the name of a person who can hire you or set up a volunteer situation. You might have to dig through the corporate websites of these companies to find someone to contact.
When you put co-op or volunteer jobs on your resume, make sure you label them as such. Think about adding "Short-term co-operative education position via UNIVERSITY NAME," or "Short-term volunteer position" to the job's description. You will also need the name of your supervisor, plus his or her email address, title, and phone number. You will need this information even if you don't put it on your resume. (I keep a text file of work addresses and contact information for my previous jobs. Potential employers often request this information if they ask you to complete an application.)
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and suggestions. With this advice, I have more than plenty of opportunities to explore in order to further my writing career journey.
Sarah
Chris Blocher
Content Designer
12
Answers
Lima, NY
Updated
Chris’s Answer
Hi Sarah,
Cassandra made a great point—doing pro bono work is a fantastic way to show off your skills while helping others. You can visit https://www.catchafire.org/ to find ideas and opportunities. As you work with your client, make sure to document everything you do and add it to your online portfolio. This will help you land paid jobs in the future. Experience leads to more experience!
Cassandra made a great point—doing pro bono work is a fantastic way to show off your skills while helping others. You can visit https://www.catchafire.org/ to find ideas and opportunities. As you work with your client, make sure to document everything you do and add it to your online portfolio. This will help you land paid jobs in the future. Experience leads to more experience!
This site presents many opportunities. I'm excited to start applying for some projects and learn from those experiences. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Sarah