During the recent webinar Strategies for Interviewing Success, we discussed how to effectively and confidently position yourself as the best candidate for the contract or project you are interviewing for. The session was focused on the strategies and techniques to turn successful interviews into contract offers and specifically designed for independent consultants. We reviewed four key take-aways and the process that leads to success. If you missed it, you can watch the Strategies for Interviewing Success webinar on the TrainingPros YouTube Channel. The four keys to interview success are focus, network, practice and experiment. Let’s unpack each one below:
Focus
Be ready for anything by focusing on what is most important. After a handful of interviews, you’ll start to see trends and anticipate the questions potential clients will ask. Let me give you a head start if you haven’t experienced enough interviews to spot the trends. And if you have, let me help you refine your experiences. Some interview questions that are specific to freelance projects and contracts are: a. Can you show me samples of work you’ve done on similar projects? b. What’s your work process like? c. Tell me about a time you had trouble making a deadline and pulled it off. d. How much do you charge? e. What’s your availability?
Network
It’s not what you know in this business. It’s not how good you are. You could be the most brilliant, talented person, but still never find success. It’s WHO you know and how well they know you. Your relationships will make or break your career. Do others know your goals? Your super powers? Your interests? Your accomplishments? How well do you know theirs? How many people are you helping on a daily/weekly/monthly basis?
Practice
Practice means saying yes to more interviews and thinking of all of your business conversations as interviews. Stay in practice. Sometimes this means going for work you’re not as excited about just to get the practice. Take the time to go through the preparation process. You may even find yourself getting excited about something that sounded dull initially. Remember, “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” – Stephen McCranie
Experiment
Be willing to experiment with new things. Be open to new ideas. Try out a new process. Be willing to reach out for help. When is the last time you asked someone you admire for advice and mentorship? Are you willing to fail? Being willing to fail is sometimes the path to your greatest success. As an independent consultant, you do more interviews than the average person, so interviewing should be an enjoyable experience. Your success depends on your ability to conduct effective interviews with potential clients. The better you can connect the dots between the job description and your resume, skills and attributes for yourself and the person interviewing you, the higher the chances you’ll turn the interview into an offer. If you need support through the interview process, join The Freelance ID Facebook group to connect with peers and mentors, or request to sign up for an Epic interview clarity session – a 2 hour session where you work 1:1 with a Freelance ID coach step by step through the preparation process to match up your skills, attributes and experiences with the job description, talk through all the tough spots, and follow up with unlimited email support and a follow up session to make sure you have everything you need to move forward confidently.
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