Dear Editor World,

I am writing to express interest in serving your company and clients as a proofreader. I have interest in editing papers online for two reasons. First, I want to utilize my existing skill set to benefit others, and, second, I want the flexibility of part-time, internet-based employment because I am pursuing education beyond my bachelor's degree and want to support myself with a profession that will accommodate my current lifestyle. I will make an excellent addition to your team because of my educational background and employment history. 

To complete the degree requirements for an Economics B.S. at Duke University, I necessarily developed a high level of aptitude and experience in written and oral communication to convey my understanding of economic theory and the quantitative analysis therein. Duke wants its graduates not only to understand the content of their disciplines but also to command the English language sufficiently to speak and write effectively about their areas of expertise. In the process of acquiring this suite of abilities, I received a very significant accolade from Dr. Bruce Caldwell, who is the director of Duke's Center for the History of Political Economy and who is the General Editor of The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek. Dr. Caldwell recommended my paper, out of all the essays of his undergraduate students, to be published in the Duke Journal of Economics as an example of outstanding achievement. What is really impressive about this distinction is that the paper I wrote was about the theories of Friedrich Hayek and, as mentioned, Caldwell is one of the world's leading experts on Hayek's life and ideas. Dr. Caldwell wrote on my paper that “I would not want to debate you in the Oxford Unionâ€ because he appreciated both the exceptionally strong diction I employed as well as the thorough and well-crafted, holistic argumentation of the paper, which was a critique of the ideas of Hayek's contemporary and opponent Herbert Finer. This achievement demonstrates that I possess ownership of the English language sufficient to produce writing with style, organization, and grammar worthy of being displayed on an international scale. Additionally, I earned a spot on Duke's Dean's List and had many other “A'sâ€ and “A+'sâ€ on written and oral assignments. As was the case with my paper for Dr. Caldwell, these successes illuminate my rigorous understanding of the English language. Lastly, I even hold a perfect score on the SAT Writing Subject Test, which is simply more evidence that I have what it takes to effectively proofread documents for your company and clients. 

Apart from my awards at university, I have real-world work experience proofreading. As Vice Business Department Manager at Kaiser, I held responsibility for managing a team of Chinese to generate English-language marketing content for our business. Through that process, I became the final editor for the material that my colleagues produced. Because the proposals I created were being reviewed by executives at companies like HSBC, Airgas, and Mitsubishi, they had to meet international business standards to be effective. By the end of my time at Kaiser, I enabled my company to bid on new projects it otherwise would not have been able to because of the efforts I put into perfecting the proposals drafted by my team. Also, I created and edited content for our website, and I developed my own independent quantitative research as well as an accompanying commentary that went before our CEO as a proposal to alter the structure of my department. The research proposal and commentary impressed the CEO so much that he followed my ideas and developed an entirely new office in Shanghai to target new business in that region. These experiences demonstrate my comfort in editing and proofreading and give me confidence that I can effectively proofread the written work submitted by your clients.

The aforementioned reasons show that I have the skill and experience necessary to successfully work as a proofreader for your company. Thank you so much for your time and for your consideration of my application. Please contact me for any reason about my application.

Sincerely,
Kevin Flesher
