Virtual Instructional Designer – Methods To Land A Virtual Contract

If you are a virtual instructional designer working from home how do you stand out from the others when applying for a job or a contract?

There are a number of traditional job hunting recommendations for landing that job that just don’t work when you are a “virtual” instructional designer. So, just how do you stand out during an interview?

The number one asset is your voice. Since most of the interviews are conducted via a phone conference, you will need to practice using a very professional voice tone. You need to learn how to emphasize words through tone and “not volume”. An important point to remember is don’t “speed talk” during an interview on the phone! Keep in mind that your future employer is not able to see you; therefore they are unable to read body language, facial expressions or your hand movements. Everything depends upon your voice. Finally, if you find yourself in a conference call with four other instructional designers applying for the same position, make sure you use your first name before you respond to each question. This way the interviewer will connect your name with your voice and your responses. Always try to make a connection between your voice, name and company name.

Your second asset is your professional vocabulary such as keywords and phrases relating to your profession and the company that is interviewing you. Do your research before the interview and practice using the keywords with the correct voice tones.

The most important key element during your phone interview is “silence”. Turn off the television, radio and the washer or dryer in the background while you are on the phone for your interview. Don’t let the kids play right in the room with you while you are doing your interview. Keep in mind this is a professional interview even if it is being conducted via the phone.

One strategy that works is the KISS principle. Keep your responses short and right to the point. The interviewer is also on the phone and may be experiencing distractions in the office, so you must get right to the point and not drag on with long explanations.

Keep your interviewer engaged in the conversation and the interview. End your explanation with a question to the interviewer. And the question should tie your answer into their company by using the company name and the interviewer’s name.

Finally, always follow-up your phone interview with a thank you email and a hand written note sent via U.S. Mail. In both notes you should include the links or URL’s to specific materials on your web site related to the company’s instructional needs. And don’t stop there! Continue to send communications via email and U.S.Mail with a newsletter about the current instructional design trends and updates. They will remember you each time they read or reference the materials.