| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Are freelancing job interviews common practice? Thread poster: Corbett AM
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Corbett AM 
Ireland
Local time: 06:36
French to English
+ ...
Hi all,
I have a question I hope you can help me with.
I read on the website of a certain company that after a test translation is completed and the results communicated to the freelancer an interview, be it in person or by phone, is arranged, obviously if the test translation is successful.
I have not yet experienced this. Why is an interview necessary? Does it make the company any more professional to interview their freelancers?
I went o... See more Hi all,
I have a question I hope you can help me with.
I read on the website of a certain company that after a test translation is completed and the results communicated to the freelancer an interview, be it in person or by phone, is arranged, obviously if the test translation is successful.
I have not yet experienced this. Why is an interview necessary? Does it make the company any more professional to interview their freelancers?
I went on to send my cv regardless of this issue and have since received and completed the test translation(s). I am now awaiting feedback.
Anyone else have experience of this?
Thanks in advance ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 01:36
German to English
| Not completely unusual | May 27, 2013 |
I've had a few phone/face-to-face interviews (with local agencies). Sometimes an agency wants to get a feeling for prospective translation vendors -- how easy they are to work with, how they feel about rush jobs, flexibility regarding working weekends, etc. It also gives the translator a feel for for what working with the agency might be like. I see this as an opportunity for both parties.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 06:36
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| The terminology is all wrong | May 27, 2013 |
It all sounds very much like a job application, doesn't it? CV; interview... But maybe there's a valid reason for this on-line or in-person meeting:
They ask us to submit quotes for a potential business partnership. As part of our quote, we send our publicity material (our brochure, or whatever else we care to call it), that sets out our experience and our services, i.e. why they should choose us. They then request us to prepare a sample, so they can directly compare the work of s... See more It all sounds very much like a job application, doesn't it? CV; interview... But maybe there's a valid reason for this on-line or in-person meeting:
They ask us to submit quotes for a potential business partnership. As part of our quote, we send our publicity material (our brochure, or whatever else we care to call it), that sets out our experience and our services, i.e. why they should choose us. They then request us to prepare a sample, so they can directly compare the work of several potential partners. When they have chosen a couple of potential partners, they'll want to convene a video or in person meeting so that the details of the future business partnership can be thrashed out.
If only they'd stop looking at us as piece-work employees and start looking at us as partner businesses, suppliers of intellectual services, maybe we'd all get along better. But don't hold your breath. ▲ Collapse
| | | | inkweaver
Germany
Local time: 07:36
French to German
+ ...
| Interviews are for potential employees, ... | May 27, 2013 |
not for freelancers as far as I'm concerned.
Would you ask your lawyer or doctor (or even plumber) for a free "test" first and then for an interview? I don't think so.
In certain cases I might even agree to do a free test (only in exceptional cases though), but to an interview? No, sorry, never.
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Charlotte Farrell
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:36
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
| I have had one phone interview... | May 27, 2013 |
... followed by a short test translation for one company and they now send me a lot of work and are a great client. I think some companies like to do this for a variety of reasons and I don't think there's much wrong with it. I wouldn't be too keen on a face to face interview, however.
| | | | Corbett AM
Ireland
Local time: 06:36
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks everyone | May 27, 2013 |
Your responses have been interesting. I would normally agree with Inkweaver and was thinking `what the ....` when I saw the mention of the interview, but maybe the approach by this agency will lead to something concrete, like Charlotte`s experience. Judging from their website they seem to actually want to know their freelancers and put a voice to a name or a face to a name (I`m really not keen on a face to face interview though so hopefully it`s not the latter!!) unlike some companies who cl... See more Your responses have been interesting. I would normally agree with Inkweaver and was thinking `what the ....` when I saw the mention of the interview, but maybe the approach by this agency will lead to something concrete, like Charlotte`s experience. Judging from their website they seem to actually want to know their freelancers and put a voice to a name or a face to a name (I`m really not keen on a face to face interview though so hopefully it`s not the latter!!) unlike some companies who claim to have a network of thousands of translators around the world (I wonder how many they actually have and how many they actually give work to).
I appreciate the comments from the more established translators as much as the relative newcomers like Charlotte (I read a post from you just today regarding the length of test translations). Is there any chance Charlotte you could let me know what they asked you in particular? I`d greatly appreciate it.
I just thought it was unusual so I figured I had better ask around to see if it`s the norm.
Is it ok to be fussy as a newcomer to freelance translation - regarding which agency you work for? I think it is personally. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 07:36
French to English
| working on a good working relationship | May 27, 2013 |
As a PM in a top-notch agency, I would always have a bit of a chat with a translator before deciding to send them a job. I wouldn't have called it an interview, it was not as formal as that, but I wanted more than "can you do this for Monday and what is your rate".
I was in charge of all translations into English, so I had to make sure they were native speakers. I also wanted to see whether I would be able to get on with them, because if I was going to the trouble of putting anothe... See more As a PM in a top-notch agency, I would always have a bit of a chat with a translator before deciding to send them a job. I wouldn't have called it an interview, it was not as formal as that, but I wanted more than "can you do this for Monday and what is your rate".
I was in charge of all translations into English, so I had to make sure they were native speakers. I also wanted to see whether I would be able to get on with them, because if I was going to the trouble of putting another translator on my roster, it had to be someone I enjoyed working with. I also wanted to create the kind of working relationship with enough trust on both sides so that they could tell me what was going on when they had a problem.
I'm still in touch with quite a few of them although I left several years ago. ▲ Collapse
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Anne M Corbett wrote:
Is it ok to be fussy as a newcomer to freelance translation - regarding which agency you work for? I think it is personally.
Rather than "fussy", we could say "discerning", and being discerning is what it's all about, as far as I'm concerned - not only in terms of who our clients are, but also what kind(s) of work we take on, how much and when we work, etc. These are the decisions that shape our working lives, so it's essential to put some thought into them. And surely the right to choose who we work for is one of the biggest perks of being a freelancer!
I echo what has been said above about agencies that treat us a little bit too much like employees rather than independent contractors. The ones that use too much HR-speak, such as "recruitment process", "applicant" and so on put me right off as in my experience, they tend to start from the position that we have no choice but to accept whatever terms they lay down and are in no position to negotiate. And that's not true at all.
As for interviews, in nigh-on eight years as a freelancer I have never had one, so in my experience they're not common at all. Even if I were keen to take on new clients at the moment, I can't see myself doing one as it just seems a bit OTT to me, plus I don't think it would necessarily give either party a good idea of what it would be like to work together in practice. There are plenty of people in the world who are smooth talkers but turn out to disappoint you! By far the most important question from an agency's point of view has to be whether you will deliver good work consistently on time, and experience will be a much better gauge of that than an interview. If agencies have the time and inclination to conduct interviews, good for them, but if they decide not to hire (to use some more HR-speak!) the interviewee in the end for reasons other than poor performance, that's a fair amount of administrative time wasted on the whole "application"!
[Edited at 2013-05-28 04:35 GMT]
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NataliaAnne
Brazil
Local time: 02:36
Portuguese to English
| Having a bit of contact can be positive | May 28, 2013 |
I’ve had two experiences which could be classed as ‘interviews’. One was for a local agency and held after all other requirements had been met (CV, test translations etc) and turned out to be more of a coffee and biscuits ‘put a face to the name’ kind of thing. It was actually nice to meet all the PMs and know who I was dealing with when they contacted me.
The other was over the phone and described by the agency as an opportunity to chat and see if we would both feel comfo... See more I’ve had two experiences which could be classed as ‘interviews’. One was for a local agency and held after all other requirements had been met (CV, test translations etc) and turned out to be more of a coffee and biscuits ‘put a face to the name’ kind of thing. It was actually nice to meet all the PMs and know who I was dealing with when they contacted me.
The other was over the phone and described by the agency as an opportunity to chat and see if we would both feel comfortable working with each other. I respect the fact that the agency owner wanted to get to know me a bit better and made a point of taking the time to do this.
Both of these ‘interviews’ led to ongoing work and I think they were worthwhile. If I hadn’t liked what I saw (or heard), it would also have let me know straight away that I didn’t want to work with these people and saved everyone a lot of time. So, while most agencies don’t require ‘interviews’, I don’t see anything wrong with them. Don’t think of it as them drilling you, but rather as a chance to see if you want to work with them. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Corbett AM
Ireland
Local time: 06:36
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Good to hear from PMs | May 29, 2013 |
Hi again
I tend to agree with Texte Style and NataliaAnne that a bit of contact can be good. It is good to know that there are PMs out there who are not robots doling out work to the first translator they can get hold of (who they also seem to think are robots). Some PMs I have encountered don`t even seem to understand translation.
Peter, yes I was trying to think of the word discerning. It wouldn`t come to me!!
| | | | | A bit of real-life contact is always a good thing in our business | May 30, 2013 |
Hi there Anne,
First of all, agencies each have their own way of conducting business, just like freelancers do. Some are more personable than others. As for me, I am more comfortable with the personable ones.
Second of all, if you do get a call from an agency, chances are that you are being recruited (sorry if that word conjures up an employer/employee relationship, but when you are waiting for the results of a test, you are on the asking end of the deal). There are a n... See more Hi there Anne,
First of all, agencies each have their own way of conducting business, just like freelancers do. Some are more personable than others. As for me, I am more comfortable with the personable ones.
Second of all, if you do get a call from an agency, chances are that you are being recruited (sorry if that word conjures up an employer/employee relationship, but when you are waiting for the results of a test, you are on the asking end of the deal). There are a number of reasons that an agency might call you; they might even just be checking that you can be reached in case of a problem.
Third of all, real-life contact is a welcome addition to e-mail, and can establish a friendly relationship with a new business partner. Try not to feel like you are being put on the spot. Make the most of the time to glean information on your correspondent. You'll be able to get a feeling for the project manager's stress level, among other things, and perhaps open the lines - so to speak - for future discussions on technical points of the work to come.
After having been through all sorts of agency clients, I can tell you that my best and most lucrative partners are those with whom I have had at least one or two conversations, and my best clients call me regularly to see if I am free.
With direct clients, the telephone is an indispensable means of communication, and face-to-face contact is often the only way to get a job (think in terms of trade fairs). Don't limit yourself to the more "anonymous" means of communication. People are people and they need to feel you out. I was recently invited to a very nice restaurant by a direct client in my area, and I certainly wasn't about to pass that up!
Good luck with that! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I've only ever heard of 1 case | May 31, 2013 |
Otherwise they sometimes chat with you on the phone to find out about your rates, qualifications and specialisations.
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Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 11:06
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Have been interviewed once or twice | Jun 1, 2013 |
Both over the phone and on skype after I cleared their tests and other formalities. But nothing further has come in the form of work.
This further proves the conventional wisdom that the more hoops the agencies make you jump, the less work you can expect from them.
There are many many more agencies who have just send me large projects after looking at my profile and I have been working for them for ages. I haven't spoken a single word with their PMs over the phone. Ever... See more Both over the phone and on skype after I cleared their tests and other formalities. But nothing further has come in the form of work.
This further proves the conventional wisdom that the more hoops the agencies make you jump, the less work you can expect from them.
There are many many more agencies who have just send me large projects after looking at my profile and I have been working for them for ages. I haven't spoken a single word with their PMs over the phone. Everything happens by email.
The trouble is, most PM are several worlds removed from translation and really don't have a clue as to how to evaluate or select a translator. So they go by management manuals which stipulate all these steps. Unfortunately for them, these steps may be adequate for selecting a good worker for a factory or a desk job, but when it comes to translators who are differently skilled, it is not a fool-proof method.
To select a good translator, you need to have a feel for translation which regrettably the PMs in the swanky large agencies lack. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sarah McDowell
Canada
Local time: 00:36
Member (2012)
Russian to English
+ ...
Yes, they are not at all uncommon. But they are not called interviews. The words "consultations" or "negotiations" are better words to describe them.
Both you and the client will have a chance to see if you want to work together and if you can come to an agreement about deadlines, rates, and so on.
It is the same as in any line of business.
| | | | | I "interview" | Jun 1, 2013 |
I am opening my own translation and design agency. I wouldn't call them interviews, but I do like to sit down and chat with all the new (and old) people that we work with. I just want to know more about them as a person, what kind of things interest them, etc. I find that it is easier to motivate and communicate with someone that you actually know than it is with a faceless e-mail address. Even when working with people internationally through something like Skype is a great tool.
W... See more I am opening my own translation and design agency. I wouldn't call them interviews, but I do like to sit down and chat with all the new (and old) people that we work with. I just want to know more about them as a person, what kind of things interest them, etc. I find that it is easier to motivate and communicate with someone that you actually know than it is with a faceless e-mail address. Even when working with people internationally through something like Skype is a great tool.
We are expanding our business right now with a huge project. We've had to hire another 5 freelance designers and we finally found a marketing guru, so we've been "interviewing" a lot lately. I only need a couple more things to fall in place and I start with translators, woohoo! ▲ Collapse
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