Proofreader and editor interview questions
Questions for proofreading, QA and content-editing roles, with answers that show method rather than talent.
Proofreading finds errors in a finished text: spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting. Editing changes the text itself for clarity, structure or tone. Say which you are applying for and that you can tell the difference when a client asks for one and expects the other.
In passes: one for meaning, one sentence by sentence for grammar and agreement, one for punctuation and formatting. Describe how you keep your place on screen and how you handle fatigue.
Name one you know (a house style, or a common published guide) and say that you follow the client's guide first. The right answer is consistency within the document, not a particular guide.
Subject is 'team', singular, so 'was late'. Explain the rule: find the head noun of the subject, ignore the phrase after 'of'.
Separate errors from preferences. For errors, cite the rule. For preferences, note them and let the author decide. Keep the tone neutral; you are checking the text, not the person.
Give a figure from practice with how it was measured: "About 90 percent on timed tests with planted errors, with one or two false flags." Then say what you are working on.
Practise out loud. Say each answer once as written, then again in your own words with your own number or story.
Have a number ready. "My Proofreading score is at benchmark on a timed test" is a stronger answer than "I am good at it". Take the test and quote the result.
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