Starting a freelance business can be challenging, but growing your business can be even more challenging. In light of an increasing number of businesses using remote work and hiring freelancers from around the globe, freelancers must meet certain requirements in order to work remotely.

The interview process plays a major role in securing a job. Once you reach that point, you become more than a name on a list of individual freelancers. 

Make the most of your interview and increase your success chances with these 5 tips.

Work from home: Review your setup

Aside from getting a quick response to their emails, clients may also request ad hoc video calls whenever it seems necessary to refine the strategy. Similar to conventional meetings in the office, virtual meetings are intended to achieve the same outcomes.

You will have to demonstrate you are well-prepared for these types of situations during the interview. A cluttered background or losing sound during a crucial moment of the conversation with your prospect is the worst!

Below are some tips for preparing for your video interview with a potential client:

 · Keep the camera eye level or higher - avoid low angles

· You should choose a neutral background

· Eliminate background noise and adjust microphone levels

· Minimize interruptions of the network

· Check your Wi-Fi before making a call

· Choose a quality camera (an external one is usually better than a built-in one).

· Sit close to a window or a light source

Maintain a professional appearance

Multiple touchpoints make up the initial impression clients have of you before the interview takes place.

Before they invite you to an interview, they typically conduct thorough due diligence on your social media, portfolio, and personal website. It is even possible they will ask former colleagues how they perceive you as a professional. Even though recruiters do these types of background checks, you do have some control over how they perceive you.

Take the logo and professional branding as an example. You can impress your potential clients when they start searching online for mentions of you by investing in a top-notch personal website and brand.

Pay attention to the prospect

It is natural for most candidates to talk about their experience when coming for an interview. Their sentences often begin with "I did..." or "I had..."

An explanation of your background is crucial. In fact, your experience does not constitute the focus of the interview. It's more important for recruiters to understand how you fit into their project goals. Because of this, you should also pay attention to what your potential client has to say - what their project objectives, timeline, and requirements are.

Every freelancer should be a good salesperson. There is no doubt that salespeople who listen to their prospects and let them talk more are the best. 69% of success is attributed to listening to a prospect's needs. You should ask your prospect questions to understand their key points, needs, and goals the next time you go in for an interview.

Take the time to research

After a company posts a job for a freelance copywriter, the next morning – “Bam!” – their inbox is flooded with over 60 applications. If there were so many resumes to choose from, what project owner wouldn't be happy?

It's likely that most candidates in that situation, as well as those in most others, sent the same application to hundreds of employers without even reviewing the prospective employee's profile.

It's essential that you devote some time to preparing for interviews in order to impress your prospect. You should spend roughly 20-30 minutes looking over the project and coming up with some general suggestions.

Find a way to relate your past experience with your prospect's industry as you prepare for an interview. Consider showcasing only those past projects you have worked on in the same industry, instead of explaining every aspect of your career.

It's a good way to stand out among other freelancers.

Provide easy access to your past experience

You should take the time to create a decent resume to summarize your experience. It's best to keep it short and precise. If a recruiter just scans your content, rather than reading in-depth, simple and to-the-point copy tends to work better.

Online resume builders can make the process of creating a resume quicker.

A recruiter can also see your experience more easily when you use bulleted lists, charts, and icons. Making your resume as good as it can be will make a positive impression on recruiters before they meet with you in person.

Finishing up

The more freelancing jobs you receive, the more stable your financial situation will become. We hope that by following the tips we mentioned in this article, you will become more trusted by companies and gain an edge over other freelancers when interviewing your leads.

Also Check: Several ways to set up your freelancing portfolio without actually having clients.


Check back here to learn more about getting started as a freelancer and how to protect yourself from fraud.