How to Handle Rejection As a Freelance Proofreader

The hardest part of becoming a proofreader is starting out. In the beginning, you likely won’t entirely know what to do or where to start. Additionally, you will have little to no history with which to show potential clients your value. And you are very likely to lose a number of bids before landing your first client. This is why learning how to handle rejections as a freelance proofreader is so important. 

The truth is, no matter how good of a proofreader you are, you are going to experience rejection—not only when you first start out, but as you grow your business as well. It just isn’t possible to win every bid or convert every potential client. 

So how can you weather the storms of rejection when it comes to freelance proofreading? In this post, we cover some of the basics to help you persevere.

Understand that winning any job is often a numbers game

There is a lot of competition in the job market. Job vacancies posted to sites like Indeed often have hundreds of applicants. On freelancer sites like Upwork, job postings can often get upwards of 50 proposals.

The sheer number of applicants for almost every job or gig means applicants or proposals are going to get denied. This means the corollary is also true: most people vying for jobs will have to submit a large number of proposals to get hired. Upwork tells its new freelancers that it takes on average 15 proposals to land their first gig. 

None of this has anything to do with your abilities as a proofreader. Rather, it is entirely due to a crowded job market being the norm.

Understand that rejection does not define you or your worth

A number of years ago I was given two tickets to a preseason football game—the Seahawks in this case. While it was an extremely nice gesture, I ended up giving them to someone else so they could attend the game. The reason? I’m not a big football fan, and I didn’t want to take the better part of my weekend attending an event I had no interest in seeing.

Let me ask you, were the players on the team offended when I gave away my tickets? Did they doubt their worth or abilities as athletes because I passed on a free offer to watch them? Of course not. My “rejection” of the Seahawks tickets had nothing to do with the Seahawks. I chose to give my tickets away because I had other priorities.

Often when a client chooses not to hire you, it has next to nothing to do with your services or the value you bring to the table. It could be that the potential client has other priorities and a limited budget. Or, they may place a different value on proofreading than you do and therefore not be willing to pay your rates—or a million other things.

All of us say no to offers—including good offers—all of the time and for many reasons. Most of the time it has nothing to do with the person making the offer.

Look at every “no” as one step closer to the next “yes”

Thomas Edison’s views on failure have been often quoted. “I have not failed,” he said about his process of inventing the light bulb, “I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

This is true of freelance proofreading as well. You can put yourself in a much better position to succeed when you have a growth mindset. With this mentality, every “no” is one step closer to an eventual “yes.” The rejections you face are simply part of the path toward success.

Mindset is critically important when it comes to how to handle rejection as a freelance proofreader, and arguably just as important as grammar and spelling skills because it is your mindset that will help you persevere and succeed.

Use rejection as a means of learning and improving

While it is true that being rejected usually has nothing to do with you, you can still learn from it. Job proposals, in fact, are a great testing ground. You can create two different templates for job proposals and see which one performs better. You can try selling your services in different ways. Or you can try experimenting with rates, going up or down until you find one that gains traction with clients.

Likewise, you may get feedback from clients at times that can clue you in as to what they are looking for. Perhaps you find that many of your potential clients are looking for fast turnaround times. If so, that is something you can prioritize and use as a selling point. 

Conclusion

Learning how to handle rejection as a freelancer is one of the most important skills you can develop. Taking “no’s” in stride can give you the boost you need to persevere as you get started and grow your proofreading business. It’s essential to remember that the job market is essentially a numbers game, that being rejected by a client has nothing to do with your worth, that every “no” brings you one step closer to a “yes,” and that rejection can be a great teacher. Having a mindset that incorporates these truths is one of your greatest assets. 

If fear of the unknown is holding you back, check out our website to learn all about how to start freelance proofreading. 

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