Online video makes collaborating and holding virtual client meetings a breeze, but it also comes with its own set of unique nuances to consider. With video and Skype interviews becoming a growing component of the courtship process between freelancers and clients, taking the time to sharpen your interview skills can make a big difference in locking down your next business venture.
Whether you’re a client looking for someone to get a big idea off the ground or a freelancer eager to find your next client, these articles from the Hiring Headquarters—Upwork’s resource for businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs—are packed with valuable tips to help people on both sides of the video feed.
Fine-tune Your Responses for Maximum Impact
For freelancers, the interview phase is often an important step in landing new clients, and it can be the deciding factor when you’re one of several pros being considered. Fumbling during a crucial moment won’t impress your prospect—and it could cost you a potential project.
That’s where being well prepared with a polished approach— so you can give informed, confident answers—can help you stand out in all the right ways.
“Interview Like a Pro: How to Tailor Your Answers & Impress Clients” offers tips to help you wow potential clients by offering targeted responses that show you’re a perfect fit for what they’re looking for. It covers ways to prepare for an interview, and explains which information you should scope out ahead of time.
Here are three things it recommends to help set yourself up to excel during interviews with potential clients.
1) Research your prospect and their brand. A little time spent going over the company’s website and reading up on their operation can go a long way toward showing your interviewers you’re familiar with their brand and well-prepared for the job at hand.
2) Showcase your expertise. It’s helpful to identify which of your core strengths will be most useful for the project you’re interviewing for. This also gives you an opportunity to prepare examples of past work you’ve done that align with the client’s needs. Anything that shows you’re a valuable asset is a good thing.
3) Ask the right questions. Beyond being a time to impress potential clients, interviews are a great opportunity to gain deeper insight into a client and determine whether they’re a good fit for you. Balance questions that show you’re forward thinking and prepared to deliver with other questions that can help you get the intel you need to decide how you’d like to proceed.
Know What to Look for in Freelance Interviewees
If you’re a client looking for support, finding high-quality freelancers can be a major step to help grow your operation or build out your distributed team. A freelancer’s skills might look great on paper, but you can’t always assess whether they’ll be a good match for your project until you’ve had a chance to connect live.
To get the most value and information from the interview process, it pays to know what types of questions to ask and which areas you should focus on.
“9 Interview Questions to Find the Perfect Freelancer Online” digs deep into the most important considerations to keep in mind when crafting questions for interviewees. From freelancer experience to project details and logistics, it covers key questions to ask, tips on what to look for in responses, and helpful follow-up questions to have handy.
Among the range of potential freelancer responses during an interview, here are three things to listen for.
1) Project management skills. Are they confident they can complete the project within your proposed scope within the target deadline? Do they seem comfortable juggling numerous moving pieces while staying on track and working independently?
2) A firm grasp of the project. Do they seem to understand the scope of what you’re asking them to do and what the project entails? What’s their approach, and how would they handle any unforeseen bumps in the road?
3) The necessary experience. Have they worked with similar clients in the past? What is the quality of their output, and what kind of feedback have they received from previous clients?
Looking for additional tips to get the most out of your interviews? The Hiring Headquarters has lots of insight-filled articles to help you out.
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