Why Do a Video Call When Hiring Freelancers

Video Call: Is it necessary?

It may sound simple, but it takes more than an impressive CV to find the right freelancer.  While skills and experience will always be key considerations,  what you see on paper is sometimes not enough.

Working with freelancers is not just about credentials.  For the partnership to succeed, the candidate’s personality should jive with yours.  Hiring freelancers is about finding the right fit, something you have a better chance of achieving through a video call.

While there’s no right or answer wrong when it comes to interviewing methods, doing a video call presents a lot of advantages.  This is not to undermine the effectiveness of a phone interview or text chat.  Compared to both, there’s a lot more to gain if you do your interviews via video calls.

1. Save time

The most obvious advantage of doing a video call is the time that you get to save.  There’s no question that as entrepreneurs, every minute of your time counts.

Finding the right freelancer is equally important too, which is why you can’t take interviews for granted.  You wouldn’t want to rush into hiring someone and end up regretting your decision later, would you?

Getting the much-needed help is as important as your other entrepreneurial endeavors.  Basing your decision entirely on the contents of a candidate’s CV is not wise.  Though it may produce better results, it’s still not a smart decision considering the risks involved.  It’s pretty much a hit-or-miss if you think about it.

You have to keep in mind that getting the services of a freelancer will cost you money.  Moreso if the candidate you hired doesn’t meet your expectations.

A video call provides you a faster and better way of evaluating candidates.  This is especially true if you have several of them vying for the role.   It also allows you to see a quick preview of what the candidate is like and if they’ll be a good fit.

From there, you can quickly eliminate candidates and narrow them down to the ones that really impressed you.  The best part is it minimizes the probability of a mismatch because you’re able to talk to each of them.  This should give you enough time to gauge if they’ll fit right in or not.

Location is never a problem, either, especially for a busy person like you.  With today’s technology, you can conduct a video call from just about anywhere.  You can do it in your living room or inside the nearest coffee shop.  You can even use your phone if you’re out and about.

2. Get a good impression

One of the perks of doing a video call when hiring freelancers is that it gives you a good impression of what the candidate is like.

• Do they have a home office?
• What’s their personality like?
• Do they have a good command of the English language?
• Are they up to speed with technology?
• Are they confident enough?

These are questions you can’t answer simply by looking at a person’s resume.  Though your time together is brief, it at least gives you an idea of what the person is like as well as their work environment. This is important because you’d want to make sure that:

• They are qualified for the task
• Their environment allows them to focus
• Their personality blends well with yours
• They are resourceful and technically sound
• They can back up what’s written in their CVs

You’re not going to get the above information, of course, without asking the right questions.  That being said, you have to be prepared so you can get the answers you need that will validate your decision.

Doing a video call gives you a better picture of the candidates “while in action,” so to speak.  It gives you a better idea of what they’re capable of, how they communicate, and what their work environment is like.

If you’re trying to hire a blogger, for instance, doesn’t it make sense for them to have their own creative space? Writers need a place where they can come up with ideas and focus.  They definitely won’t be able to do that with children running around or animals making noise in the background, don’t you think?

3. Get to know the candidate personally

Though everything is supposed to be professional, one can’t argue how important it is to get a glimpse of the candidate’s personal side.  While it seems to have nothing to do with work, the truth is, it does.

Even if the work is remote in nature, you’d want to promote a certain culture especially if you’re looking to hire long term.

This is the reason why most entrepreneurs hire for the right fit over skills and experience.  It’s because you can always teach skills but you can’t teach personality.  It’s a rare gem that’s pretty difficult to find.

Hiring for personality isn’t the same as hiring the one you get along with, though.  It’s not even the same as hiring with your gut.  The point of knowing a candidate’s personality is to determine if they are on the same wavelength. This is important because it will make working together easier and facilitate a healthy working relationship.

So what exactly should you be looking for?

• Do they have to be bubbly?
• Will it help if they have a positive outlook on life?
• Do you prefer parents over single people?

These personality traits can be crucial to your decision depending on what you’re looking for.  Some business owners prefer hiring parents because they’re more likely to be more responsible.

For others, hiring someone who asks a lot of questions is better while there are also entrepreneurs who prefer hiring someone with an outgoing personality.  In the end, it really goes down to personal preference.

Here’s a sample scenario:

If you’re looking to hire a customer service rep, you’d naturally want this person to have lots of patience and positivity.  While it’s not possible to know a person in fifteen minutes, it’s possible to get an idea of what they’re like.

This can be seen in the way they answer questions or react to certain topics.

• Are they condescending?
• Are they sarcastic?
• Are they too aggressive?

These are definitely red flags that you can easily spot because you’re face to face.  You will have to pass on them if they are any of the above mentioned.  This is because letting them speak or interact with your customers can be disastrous.

One more thing.  If they can talk to you in a negative way (intentionally or unintentionally), what’s going to stop them from talking to actual customers the same way?

4. Get better insight before making big decisions

Let’s face it, hiring a freelancer is a big decision.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re hiring a social media marketer, a blogger, or for any other skillset.  The bottom line is when you hire someone, you’re investing time and money.  You have to make sure that they both don’t go to waste.

A video call is a really good way of ensuring that this doesn’t happen.  It’s easier to verbalize and communicate when hiring over video.  You can easily ask follow-up questions when you need to.  It also allows you to be more spontaneous so you can test if a candidate will fail under pressure.

While one may argue that this can also be achieved by a phone conversation, the difference lies in the visibility.  A video call lets you see how they react or respond to questions, especially the tough ones.

• Do they easily panic?
• Are they able to maintain their composure?
• Are they too serious when they don’t really need to be?
• Do they make things up just to impress you?

You’re never going to see these things with a phone call nor with a CV review.  While personality and skills are still important, you can’t ignore the significance of these “unmeasureables.”

Ask situational questions

A good way to put this to a test is by asking them situational questions.  If you’re hiring an SEO specialist, for example, it would be good to ask what their thoughts are about measuring results and strategy.

• What would they do if your site were still not on the first page of Google after three months?
• Would they go for black hat tactics to guarantee results?
• Do they know what advantages PPC would bring to your brand or are they only interested in doing organic SEO?

Watch their reactions closely while answering these questions.  Are they confident enough?  Do they have an immediate answer or did it take time for them to come up with one?  Did they do a quick Google search?

If they have an instant answer without batting an eyelash, this tells you that they really know their stuff.  This tells you that they are competent and they can contribute to the success of your business. Even if they pause for a few seconds to analyze, the quality of their answer and how they deliver it makes a huge difference.

Will you entrust your company to someone who is not as good as advertised?

Probably not.

Knowing all these about a freelancer certainly helps make the decision-making process easier.  Seeing how they deal with random scenarios helps you feel more confident in hiring them.

5. Gauge their communication skills

As with any kind of relationship, communication is key.  It’s hard to achieve success if there’s a problem with communication.

Communication isn’t all about talking or answering questions, however.  A good communicator should also know how to listen.  Some may argue that a phone conversation can achieve this too, and they’re not wrong.

What makes communication much better in video calls is that you can see the other person’s face.  This means you can see their reactions and expressions on certain questions or topics.

Getting on a video call also allows you to observe their mannerisms.  You may be asking why this is important and what it’s got to do with the task you’re hiring them for.

Then let’s be honest.  Things are easier when you’re not face-to-face.  You’re not that conscious about your enunciation or grammar.  It’s easier to articulate things because there’s less pressure when your face is not visible.

Video calls also allow you to observe candidates closely, particularly when they’re about to answer questions.  Are they actively listening?  Do they look straight into the camera?  Are they looking somewhere else?

Their ability to listen and understand your question is crucial because you’re working remotely.  You’ll be communicating online for the most part.  If their listening skills are not up to par while on video, this may present some problems down the line.

Here’s a sample scenario:

Think of it this way.  If you hire a virtual assistant who will cover several tasks, they need to be on top of things, don’t you agree?  They can’t afford to miss things.

• What time should they start checking your emails?
• Which items do they need to monitor?
• How do you want your reports formatted?

These are tasks that require attention to detail.  It’s not worth paying a VA money if they can’t follow simple instructions.  If you want to know if they’re up to it, test their listening skills during a video call.

Final Thoughts

Hiring freelancers is a form of investment.  If you want to take your business to the next level, you need to ensure that you’re investing in the right person.  Doing a video call is a good way of determining if the freelancer is worth investing in or not. This is because a video call provides you a wider dimension in evaluating a potential candidate.

As with any huge endeavor, you have to do your due diligence.  It allows you to make a good investment without wasting time.

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