How should a freelancer act during the Internet interview?

Flick, one more flick, scrolling… And at last your eyes, the eyes of freelancers see the project which you would like to take into your own hands. After a primary learning it seems that this job offer meets all your requirements and only one thing is left – to send the IM message to the employer, to introduce yourself, to please him of her and the main thing is to do everything quicker than your rivals. At the first sight the whole operation seems simple however very often the awkward acting deprives you of an interesting project and hence good wages. Let’s try to find out the most typical mistakes made by the freelancers, and the main principles how to behave during the interview to get the desired job.

So, you have read the announcement and the last thing that usually can be found on the bottom of the page is the contact details of the employer. No matter what form of the contact is offered keep in mind that 50% of success is contact via messenger such as ICQ which allows you to talk online and to minimize the physiological wastes of voice and visual contact.

Make all haste you can without wasting time for making coffee and other trifling matters, and contact the employer via messenger. Here you should remember that every wasted moment may deprive you of the desired vacancy. So, the window of the employer’s messenger is open. Here you should keep in kind the usual mistakes of the freelancers who greet the employer with “hi”, “hey dude”, “wassap” and etc. Even “hello” is a bit inadmissible since you don’t know the person on the other end of the messenger. There may sit not only a spotty teenager but an aged person as well, for whom all those slang greetings are Greek. Some skeptics may object and say that people do not like those pretense and officiality however there is no person n the world who became angry when he or she was greeted with “Good morning.”

After the greetings start explaining the reason of your contacting without waiting the answer. The employer might be busy with other applicants and has no time for formalities. You should immediately tell the person that you address him or her on the grounds of the announcement and specify where have you found it, the date of publication and of course the position you apply for. It is important since the employer could give several announcements. And again, without wasting time you should make the most important move and to provide a short resume. The . correctness and accuracy of the resume is a pledge of your success and your chances to get the offered project.

Here everything is simple. And the work “simple” should be a key one for you. It is very important issue as if your resume is simple for understanding the employer will read it quickly and answer you. When creating your resume forget about your complexes and low self-esteem and make a U-turn and look at your resume through the eyes of the employer. What does the employer want? First of all he or she wants to get a professional. That’s why you should keep in mind that while making your resume you should put that you are a specialist in the required field. The first line which tells that you’re a specialist will grant you more points rather thanthe freelancers who write the employees: “hi, I’ve heard you need smth to be done. I can help you.”

After having told the employer that you are a skilled person he/she would surely start thinking about the reason of such self-confidence. So, you should immediately describe your experience and mention several large and known projects, though not more than 4 of them. If you cannot name the projects you can just describe your activities and the business you’ve worked in. After such a description you should think hard what does the employer want and what vacancies may accompany the offered project. So, for example, if you are a SEO specialist you can write that you have an experience in development and conduction of the PR campaigns. This will surely bring you 100 points in the eyes of the employer who will certainly start thinking about the conduction of the PR campaigns in addition to the Search Engine Optimization.

You should understand that if the employer sees your great potential and wide range of skills she/he will be very pleased with you and here you should provide an opportunity to contact you. So, you will have more chances to be contacted if you put not only the contact information with a remark “Looking forward to your reply” but the number of your messenger as well. Be sure, the employer will contact you without fail.

Finally your resume should be clear and short, 5-7 lines will be enough. Such resume should take not more that 20 seconds to read.

And finally after the nervous seconds you see a blinking ICQ window of the employer. The text of the reply may vary however the main idea will always be one and the same: why should I select you not anybody else?

When you speak to the employer be calm and polite. Don’t be afraid to put a smiley somewhere, however don’t go too far. The main thing that you should assure the employer that he/she needs only you. Do your best to write the things that the employer want to read, make him/her sure that you are a worthy and reliable person who will meet all the expectations.

And the main thing is your creativity. Having learnt all the main project parameters and its purpose start to suggest some ways to reach those purposes and act as if the employer has already hired you. Only then the employer will understand that this freelancer knows everything and will offer you the position without fail!

Probably from the outside all those tips may seem evident however not everybody follows them. If you will be lost and feel uneasy and think that the receipt of the vacations depends solely on the fortune, you should reconsider your opinion and reread this article at least one more time. Feel confident, look at situation through the eyes of the employer and then not a single crisis will deprive you of your work.

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