Get Experience › Tia Ross | Editor

Hands-On Experience

Where to get it

Entry-level editing job

One of the best ways to get experience is at an established company that hires entry-level editors. Contrary to what you may think, there are actually quite a few. Click the heading for a current list of openings with "editor" in the job title that are marked to accept "entry-level" applicants.
Shadow a Senior Editor

Find an experienced editor with whom you can apprentice. This can work in a number of ways. We'll cover just a couple. One way is that they can allow you to edit or proof a chapter (or a few) before them so they can review your work while performing their edits. They can then send you their corrected final so you can see how you did and what you may need to study more closely. This can also be done the other way around. You both edit or proof the same document, but the senior editor sends you her revisions upon completion so that you can compare as sort of an answer key. Either way you learn by doing.
Editor internship

While internships are commonly offered to matriculating or recent college graduates, any determined aspiring editor can and should apply for internships too. Click the heading for a current list of internships for editors via SimplyHired.
Proofreader internship

Interested in being a copyeditor of proofreader? Proofreading internships are especially common. Click the heading for current openings.
Work in high school or college

If you're a college student, seek out peer-review editing or other opportunities to edit or proofread fellow students’ works, making it clear your revisions are "suggestions" and being sure to refrain from rewriting. Also join or form creative writing clubs to get experience working with other writers' fiction or nonfiction.
Volunteer

Generally, I wouldn't recommend volunteering as a way to get experience for various reasons with the exception of editorial organizations like EFA or ACES, but volunteering to edit your campus newspaper, magazine, or other publications under the scrutiny of an advisor who offers feedback on your work can be far more helpful than if you simply volunteered for a publication with no oversight.