4 Tips To Keep In Mind During An Email Interview

The process in applying for a job as an online freelance worker is similar to the process in applying for a regular office-based job. You still have to send in your application and go through an interview process. At this point, there is a considerable difference in the interview process between a regular job application and an online job application.

In a regular job, an applicant will have a face-to-face interview with a human resource staff of a company. On the other hand, online job applications may go through either a Skype interview or an email interview.

4 Tips To Keep In Mind During An Email Interview

For this post, we will focus on how you can increase your chances of success in an email interview with a potential client. There are instances when clients use their email interactions as the basis for hiring an online freelance worker. Due to this, it is important to take into account four things to increase your chances of acing an email interview.

Carefully Read the Job Description

Before I send in my application for an online job, I would always read the job description properly. I make sure I have an idea on what the job requires me to do and, if possible, have all the skills necessary to do the job.

While Virgin Group founder Richard Branson said to simply grab the opportunity and learn how to do it later, which may not be applicable to everybody. There are some people who learn quickly, and if you are one of these talented individuals, go ahead send in as many applications you can to all available online jobs. However, many people, including myself, may need to be more realistic and apply for jobs we can handle. Awareness of the requirements for the job will allow us to answer the questions the client may have about our competence when it comes to working for him or her.

Read The Job Description Properly

It is also advisable to ensure that we review the job description once our potential client answers our initial application. This will allow us to reacquaint ourselves with the requirements of the job.

Go Straight to the Point

The second thing we need to keep in mind when we answer questions is to go straight to the point. There are some instances when the person reading the email is not the client himself or herself. These may be the hiring managers of the client, and they typically receive tons of email for every job their employer posts on online job sites.

Go Straight To The Point - image source: keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

One good tip provided by Life Hacker is to apply a “ten-minute review” rule. In this rule, after you write your reply, save in the Drafts folder and take a walk or do some small chores for ten minutes. After ten minutes, go back and review your reply and make any changes you feel it would need. The reason for the ten minute break is it is enough for you to “snap out” of what you initially thought when you wrote your reply. It also does not take too much of the time that the person interviewing you will not think you are not prompt when you reply.

Check Your Spelling and Grammar

The third thing that I always do when I answer email interviews is to check my spelling and grammar. I actually had the mistake when I started working as an online freelance worker of not checking for any spelling or grammar mistakes on my reply. I only spotted the mistake after reviewing my reply after the potential client did not answer back.

Check Your Spelling & Grammar

Always keep in mind that many clients are strict when it comes to spelling and grammar. This is especially true for writing jobs, admin jobs and even virtual assistance jobs. Due to this, it is very important to check your grammar and spelling before sending in your reply.

Send the Email during the Office Hours of the Recipient

Email interviews are usually conducted by people who may live in a different time zone. Due to this, it is advisable to send your reply during the office hours of your potential client. Since you cannot go to the office of the client in email interviews, it would be a good gesture to the clients when you reply during their office hours. Life Hacker indicates that this simply shows that you respect the busy schedule of the client.

Check The Client's Schedule - image source: morguefile.com 

These are just some tips that you can help in answering the questions of a potential client through email.  Keeping these tips in mind will increase your chances of landing the job and start your career as an online freelance worker.

Hourly Jobs Or Fixed Price Jobs . . . That Is The Question

As an online freelance worker, one of the things I want to make sure is I get paid for my work. Online job sites normally offer two types of jobs for freelancers, hourly jobs and fixed price jobs. Hourly jobs are jobs where freelancers are paid by the hour while fixed price jobs are jobs where freelancers are paid based on a fixed amount.

Hourly Jobs Or Fixed Price Jobs

Hourly Jobs

Hourly jobs are similar to your normal everyday office-based jobs where people are paid based on the number of hours they work. Clients normally give freelancers a set number of hours for them to work each week. In addition, freelancers are also given a set of tasks to accomplish for every hour of work. A time tracker is used to monitor the number of hours the freelancers work each week. The time tracker also takes random snap shots of the screen while the freelancer is working. This is actually for the protection of both the client and the freelancer.

Upwork Time Tracker

Advantages

Hourly jobs are typically guaranteed jobs or the account of the client is automatically charged each time the freelancer starts the tracker. Due to this, online freelance workers will not have to worry about not getting paid. Another advantage is that freelancers are taught discipline since they are required to accomplish a certain tasks within a specific period of time. In order to do this, it is necessary for freelancers to concentrate on their work and avoid getting distracted.

Disadvantages

The first disadvantage of an hourly job is actually the same as one of the advantages depending on how you look at it. Hourly jobs require freelancers to complete a certain amount of work every hour. For article writers, it may be a certain number of words to write within one hour or for researchers, a specific amount of data to be collected for each hour of work. In this situation, freelancers may feel pressure while working, which can affect the quality of their work. They may also have to forego short breaks, especially if the client is strict. Since the time tracker takes random snap shots of the screen while the freelancer is working, checking social media accounts is a big no-no for freelancers working on an hourly job. You wouldn’t want your client to see you wasting your time checking out the latest pictures posted by the person you are stalking . . . er, following. Hourly jobs may last from a few hours up to a year. There are some jobs that can last a very long time of the client is satisfied and continues to require the services of the freelancer.

Hourly Jobs Or Fixed Price Jobs

Fixed Price Jobs

Fixed price jobs require freelancers to meet a set deadline to turn in their work. Once they submit their work and their client is satisfied, the payment is released. The funds for the payment of these jobs are normally placed in an escrow account, which means funds are available once the project is complete. While the release of the funds is still subject to the approval of the client, if the client does not approve or disapprove the release of the funds, it will be automatically released by the system after a specific period of time. But, it will still be necessary for freelancers to make a request for the release of the funds.

Advantages

Fixed price jobs give freelancers the freedom to work at their own pace. While a deadline is set for the project to be completed, freelancers can opt to work on it all in one go or take it easy and gradually complete the project. Since fixed price jobs do not require online freelance workers to use the time tracker, they will not have the feeling of Big Brother looking over their shoulder while they work.

Disadvantages

The biggest disadvantage of a fixed price job is that freelancers may risk the chance of not getting paid for their work. I’ve heard of stories from freelancers who said they worked on a project for a whole day and ended up not getting paid by their client. I have never encountered this since I take into account a number of things before I accept or apply for fixed price jobs (this will be discussed later on). One way of avoiding this situation is by checking whether the client already deposited the amount into an escrow account in the system. Freelancers may also have the tendency to procrastinate when working on fixed price jobs. This is especially true when the deadline for the project is still at least a week away. When I started working as freelancer, I normally found myself trying to beat the deadline. While my clients were more than satisfied with my work, it would have been better if I was able to finish my work well before the deadline. You can deal with this through simple self-discipline. It is important for you, as a freelancer, to set up a schedule for working and stick to it. 

While my first online job was an hourly job, most of the jobs I accept or apply for are fixed price jobs. Fixed price jobs allow me to work at my own pace. I also do not have to worry about the client seeing me checking something else while working. When I apply for fixed price jobs, I typically make sure the client is good on his or her word that the job will be paid. The following are the things I normally take into account when I apply for fixed price jobs:

• Feedback of other online freelance workers
• Feedback given by the client to online freelance workers
• The account of the client is verified

Feedback from other Freelancers

In my opinion, the feedback of other freelancers is important since it gives me an idea on the type of client I will be working for. Aside from the feedback from other freelancers, I also look at the feedback of the client on the work of the freelancers. While freelancers may have a lot of good things to say about their clients, there are also some instances when clients would not feel the same way for the freelancer. When this happens, the client may give an unfavorable feedback, which can affect the status of the freelancer on the online job site. This actually happened to me once. When I was still working with my client, our communication was great and my client even commended my work. However, he gave me a 4/5 rating for the job. I typically accept or apply for jobs posted by clients who give a positive feedback to freelancers, that is, if they did a good job.  Another thing I check is whether the account of the client is verified or not. I normally steer clear of clients who do not have a verified account since there may be instances when they do not have the funds available to pay for the project. In my seven years as an online freelance worker, all of my clients have paid me for the work I did for them.

Feedback from the Client

Actually choosing between an hourly job and a fixed price job depends on the online freelance workers themselves. Some freelancers are more comfortable working on hourly jobs while others, me included, prefer working on fixed price jobs. In the end, you have the freedom of choosing which type of job is comfortable to you.

10 Habits To Discard To Enhance Efficiency

This afternoon, I attended a general assembly of a well-known developer in the country. During the assembly, one of the speakers quoted an oft-ignored adage “you reap what you sow” or something to that effect. This proverb is quite applicable to everyone since whatever we do today will have a significant effect on what will happen to us in the future. This is particularly true among online freelance workers since our work is mainly determined by the level of satisfaction we provide our clients through our work. In order to keep them happy, it is important for us to use our time at work wisely to ensure our efficiency during the day.

Being efficient is not about working harder rather it is mainly about being smart while working and getting more things done during the day. While this may not be easy, it can be done if we get rid of some bad habits we may have formed after we started working as online freelance workers.

I listed 10 habits, in no particular order, that we do without to ensure efficiency while at work.

1.    Constantly checking our email while working

Image credit: Peter Parcon

Since we have continuous internet access while working, we have the tendency to check our email at every chance we get. This is one bad habit that can cost us a good amount of time, which could have been used for working. This gets worse if we have multiple email addresses, which can result to at least an hour of wasted time each day.

One way to deal with this is by making a schedule on when we should check our email. A suggestion from Ron Friedman, a strategy consultant, indicates that we should quit MS Outlook, close our email tabs and turn off our phones for a 30-minute period. For me, since I already have an idea when my clients would send me an email, I typically open it at around that time. This would actually depend on you when you would check your email, but it would be best to schedule it properly.

2.    Spontaneously browsing the net

Image credit: Peter Parcon

Aside from checking our email, continuous internet access may also tempt us to search Google for answers to questions that spontaneously came to mind. These questions may not be related to the project we are currently working on and may cause us to stray from the job at hand.

One way to deal with this is by having a pen and paper beside us while we work. We can write down these questions on the paper and search for the answers later on when we complete our project.

3.    Constantly checking our personal social media accounts

Image credit: Peter Parcon

This is one bad habit that costs online freelance workers a good amount of time that could have been used for working. Checking Facebook, tweeting or posting a picture on Instagram can have a considerable effect on our efficiency, especially if our work does not require us to do this.

One way to get rid of this bad habit is by simply logging off. Logging off from our personal social media accounts can allow us to concentrate on our work and get more things done. We can also set a schedule when we should check these social media accounts at around the same time we check our email or when we need search for something unrelated to our work on the net.

4.    Multi-tasking

Image credit: Peter Parcon

Multi-tasking may be a good idea for some people to get more things done at once. However, it should be noted that recent studies have indicated that around 98 percent of people are not capable of accomplishing two things simultaneously. This means we are actually wasting time when we multi-task.

With this in mind, it is advisable for us to focus on one task and accomplish it before working on another task. This can enhance our attention span and improve our efficiency while at work.

5.    Sitting all the time

Image credit: Peter Parcon

This is one thing I noticed ever since I worked at a co-working zone. Whenever I sit for at least two hours at a time, my efficiency tends to go down. Due to this, I typically have a short break every two hours and I walk up to the roof deck of the building or go down for a short walk around the building.

6.    Working on less important tasks at the start of the day

Image credit: Peter Parcon

In the past, I normally work on easy tasks at the start of the day, which is quite true for many of us. We also leave work that requires more concentration at a later part of the day. This is one very bad idea since studies have shown that our willpower has the tendency to decrease throughout the day, which means we may end up leaving important tasks unfinished at the end of the day. Due to this, it is best for us to concentrate on the most important tasks at the start of the day and leave the easy ones later on.

7.    Not setting priorities

Image source: en.wikipedia.org

While goal-setting may be considered as one way to achieve success, it may not be a good idea to set too many goals.  When you have too many goals, it will not be easy to accomplish all of them since you will not be able to concentrate on any of them.

A solution was presented by Warren Buffet when he noted that the life goals of his personal pilot were not being accomplished. He asked his pilot to list down 25 things he wanted to accomplish before he passes on. Buffet told his pilot to select 5 things he considered important and simply ignore the other 20 things. This essentially means you should set priorities on the things you want to do.

8.    Failing to make a plan

Image source: www.flickr.com

One of the things I can never forget when I was still a teacher was when former educator and inspirational speaker Harry K. Wong paraphrased a quote of Sir Winston Churchill in one of his videos, “if you do not plan, you are planning to fail.”. When you want to accomplish your short-term, medium-term or long term goals, it is necessary for you to make a strategy in accomplishing them. It can be quite exasperating to try to find a course of action in the middle of a process, which can result to a big amount of wasted time.

Once you have a goal in mind, it will be necessary to create steps that you can follow to accomplish this goal, according to Harvard lecturer Robert Pozen. You can also make necessary adjustments while you are in the middle of your plan to deal with any issues you may encounter.

9.    Making too many plans

Image source: en.wikipedia.org

A number of overly-organized and determined individuals have the tendency to be fussy when they plan out their day to optimize productivity. However, there are some instances when you will encounter issues during the day, such as an unscheduled maintenance of the website you are working on or interruptions on your internet connection. These issues will definitely wreck your plans for the day.

Due to this, it is advisable to plan for half a day to facilitate flexibility while you accomplish your project.

10.    Aiming for perfection

Image source: www.flickr.com

British author and philosopher Alain de Botton said concerns of not being able to do the job well are often the cause of procrastination rather than laziness. While it is good to aim for perfection, we should not let this stop us from accomplishing our work since we may end up not doing anything at all.

The best way to deal with procrastination is to simply work to the best of our abilities and not to aim for perfection all the time. It would be best for online freelance workers to aim to meet the requirements of our clients, which is essentially what we need to do for our project. If you have enough time, you can go the extra mile and provide something extra to impress your client. However, if you are pressed for time, it is important to simply meet the needs of your client.

These are 10 habits online freelance workers can get rid of to increase productivity during the day. Discarding these habits while taking into account the 5 things online freelance workers should have may allow you to enhance your career as an online freelance worker.

5 Things Online Freelance Workers Should Have

The holiday season may be over but this should not stop us from making out own wish list of the things we would have wanted to receive for Christmas. Here’s a short list of 5 things that every online freelance worker may want to have to make his or her life easier:

Keyboard Vacuum Cleaner 

Keyboard Vacuum Cleaner

The first thing an online freelance worker should have is a can of compressed air or a Keyboard Vacuum Cleaner. Since the laptop is the most important device a freelancer owns, it is necessary to keep it in tip-top shape. Aside from getting the latest virus definitions and software updates, it is also important to keep it clean. And one component that is not easy to clean is the keyboard, that is, unless you have a keyboard cleaner or a can of compressed air. A can of compressed air or a Keyboard Vacuum Cleaner facilitates cleaning the keyboard since it can blow out small clumps of dirt off the keyboard.

Power Bank for a Laptop

Power bank for laptop

Another item that I would not mind having is a Power Bank. One of the worst nightmares of freelancers is reaching the end of the battery life on their laptops without an electrical outlet nearby. This is especially true when they have a deadline to meet. This makes a power bank a no-brainer on this wish list for online freelance workers. Just make sure it has enough juice to tide you through until you finish your work.

Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot

Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot

While I am currently working at a co-working zone, the co-working zone is closed over the weekend and during holidays. Due to this, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot is important for me when I need to work over the weekend and the internet connection of the coffee shop I work in is unstable. It may be necessary for online freelance workers to get the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot devices of the major telecom companies to ensure they have a backup in case the signal of one of the devices is erratic. Just make sure to create a password unless you want everyone else around you to use it.

Bag

Laptop Backpack

When I used to work out of coffee shops, I typically transfer from one coffee shop to another. Although I normally stay in one coffee shop for the entire day, there are some instances when I would visit two or three coffee shops in one day. For online freelance workers who are in this situation, it is important for them to have not only a durable but an inconspicuous bag. When I say inconspicuous, it should not attract undue attention from unscrupulous individuals who want to make a quick buck. It should also be durable since I would not want to walk around the city with a broken strap or two on my bag. With this in mind, it may be advisable to get a laptop backpack since it is durable and inconspicuous . . . unless, of course, these unscrupulous individuals are aiming to get anything they can lay their hands on.

Stress Balls

Stress Balls

Deadlines are a part of the life of online freelance workers and these deadlines normally result to stress, especially when the deadline is hanging over us like the sword of Damocles. Due to this, it may be advisable for online freelance workers to have something to deal with the stress. Some people may go out for a smoke while others may want to take a walk. But, the most convenient way to deal with this is to use Stress Balls. I found these stress balls quite de-stressing for me since it allows me to direct any pent-up frustrations by squeezing these tiny rubber balls.

These are just 5 things online freelance workers may want to have on hand while working on their projects. Some online freelance workers may want to add other items into the list or take out some of them. Whatever the case may be, it would depend on the online freelance workers themselves as to what they consider important for them. But, for me, these are the 5 things online freelance workers should have.