Landing an exciting new gig as a voice over artist requires impressing potential employers during the interview stage. Along with assessing your vocal skills and audio production abilities, interviewers will evaluate your soft skills and personality to determine if you’re the right fit for their project or company.
To help you tackle the interview with confidence, we’ve compiled a list of the most common voice over artist interview questions, along with tips on crafting strong responses:
General Voice Over Interview Questions and Answers
Tell me about yourself.
This open-ended question is commonly used by interviewers to start off the conversation and learn about your background Focus on highlights that are most relevant to the voice over role,
Sample Answer I’m an experienced voice over artist with 5 years in the industry. I specialize in commercial and narration voice over work with extensive experience recording for radio spots, e-learning courses, audiobooks and more. Key strengths I bring include vocal versatility, ability to adapt my tone and delivery to diverse script requirements and advanced audio editing skills. I’m passionate about voice over work because I love bringing words to life through my voice.
Why are you applying for this position?
With this question interviewers want to gauge your interest in and suitability for the specific role. Be clear on why it appeals to you.
Sample Answer: When I learned about the voice over position with your audiobook company, I knew it would be an excellent fit for me. Having produced dozens of audiobook recordings in the past few years, I’m well-versed in pacing delivery for longer form narration and adopting an engaging yet clear narration style. I’m excited by the opportunity to bring my experience to your catalog of fiction audiobooks.
Are you available to work nights?
For voice over artists, having schedule flexibility is often desired by employers. Be upfront about your availability.
Sample Answer: Yes, I’m fully available to work nights and weekends. As a freelance voice over artist, I maintain a very flexible schedule without set work hours. I can adapt my schedule as needed to accommodate night or weekend recording sessions.
Why would you be an asset to our company?
Use this question to highlight your most relevant hard and soft skills. Tie them directly to the company/role.
Sample Answer: With over 200 completed commercial voice over projects, I have extensive experience delivering the upbeat, friendly read needed for your radio and online advertisements. Equally important, I work very well independently and require little direction or hand-holding. I’m committed to delivering high quality voice over work on time with minimal back-and-forth. My production skills allow me to handle audio editing myself to polish recordings before delivery. I’m confident I can hit the ground running and quickly add value through top-notch voice over work.
Name some of your strengths and weaknesses.
While discussing your strengths, focus on those most applicable to the voice over artist role. For weaknesses, share minor ones and follow up with how you actively work to improve.
Sample Answer: My key strengths are my vocal versatility and intuitive ability to understand script requirements. I adapt my tone, inflection and delivery based on the desired feel of the final recording, whether an upbeat radio spot or an audiobook character voice. On the weakness side, I sometimes feel I could be even faster at picking up new technical skills, like a new audio editing program. To improve, I take online courses and practice new tools in my free time until I feel fully proficient.
Can you tell me your salary expectations?
Research typical voice over rates before the interview so you can provide an appropriate range based on your experience level and the role.
Sample Answer: Based on my background, for a position of this scope I would expect a rate around $250 – $300 per finished hour of recording. However, I’m willing to discuss compensation flexible based on the specifics of the role. The most important factor for me is finding long-term projects with clients I can establish partnerships with.
Voice Over Portfolio and Experience Questions
What voice over experience and past projects do you have?
This is your chance to summarize your overall experience and highlight notable voice over projects.
Sample Answer: I have over 5 years experience as a voice over artist, having completed more than 500 projects during that time. My experience spans commercial work for radio, web advertisements, and TV spots as well as audiobook narration and corporate eLearning course voice overs. Some major projects I’ve worked on include an ongoing radio campaign for a national department store chain, voicing 12 characters for a fantasy audiobook series, and narrating 50+ technical training modules for an engineering firm.
What voice over styles are you most experienced with?
Tailor your response to the styles most relevant to the role. Provide examples of past work demonstrating those styles.
Sample Answer: Most of my voice over experience has been focused on warm and friendly reads for commercials and narration requiring a conversational and engaging tone. For example, my work on a recent furniture store radio campaign required an upbeat, energetic read that brought excitement to the script. I also have training in character voice work and have voiced audiobook projects requiring voicing multiple distinct characters.
Can we see some of your past voice over work samples?
Come prepared with samples that best showcase your vocal skills for the type of role. Provide a brief context before playing each sample. Have them readily accessible on your phone/laptop.
Sample Answer: Absolutely, I’ve brought along some samples representing my commercial and audiobook voice over work. The first is a 30-second radio spot I voiced for ABC Electronics’ holiday sale campaign last year with an announcer read. The second sample is from a fantasy audiobook where I voiced the protagonist. I can play these samples from my phone or laptop, whichever is most convenient.
How has your voice over experience evolved over your career?
Use this question to demonstrate your commitment to continuous skills development and versatility. Share key learnings.
Sample Answer: When I first started out, my voice over work was limited to radio commercials with short script lengths. Over time, I pushed myself to gain experience with longer form narration by taking on audiobook projects. Adapting my pacing and delivery for these longer reads expanded my capabilities. Recently, I completed voice over training on character voice work to add even more versatility. My goal moving forward is to leverage my expanded range into more immersive and dynamic voice over projects.
Why have you chosen to pursue voice over work? What drew you to this field?
Share your passion and motivation to show this career aligns with your interests and strengths.
Sample Answer: I’ve always been drawn to the power of voice and performance. Even as a child, I was told I had a gift for mimicking voices and accents. Voice over work allows me to leverage my natural vocal abilities in a creative career. What I enjoy most is bringing words to life through my voice – turning a script into an engaging performance. My love of language and communication drives me to pursue voice over work.
Technical and Soft Skills Questions
Describe your home recording setup. What audio editing software and tools do you use?
Be prepared to discuss your recording equipment, software knowledge, sound editing capabilities and overall technical proficiency.
Sample Answer: I have a professional home recording studio equipped with high-quality microphones and audio interfaces. This provides clean, low-noise recordings. For software, I use ProTools for core editing along with iZotope RX for advanced audio cleanup and processing. Some other tools in my toolkit include a pop filter, sound absorber panels, and isolation shield. I’m very comfortable with editing recordings to meet broadcast quality standards.
How would you handle constructive criticism or feedback on your voice over work?
Show you are open-minded and value feedback to improve. Discuss politely clarifying criticism to understand it fully.
Sample Answer: Receiving constructive feedback is a normal part of the creative process. When clients provide critical feedback on my voice over work, I make sure to listen carefully and ask any clarifying questions needed to fully understand their concerns. My aim is to determine if there are ways I can improve the delivery or if revisions to the script itself might be beneficial. I handle criticism professionally, never defensively. Most importantly, I incorporate the feedback into future work to continually polish my skills.
How do you prepare for voice over roles? What is your process?
Walk through your typical process for understanding role requirements, preparing, and developing the right vocal approach.
Sample Answer: My preparation starts with thoroughly reading and analyzing the script to gain a sense of the required tone, delivery speed, inflections, and personality. I’ll look up any terms unfamiliar to me to understand the content fully. If portraying a character, I’ll envision theirbackground and personality to inform my vocal approach. I usually read through silently several times first to develop my delivery strategy. By outlining those elements in advance, I can step into the booth prepared but still open to direction from the client during the session.
Mastering your responses to common voice over interview questions requires understanding the role thoroughly and reflecting on your skills and experience. Highlight your vocal talents, technical abilities, communication skills and passion. Come armed with voice
What are the top 10 most important hiring questions for a voice-over artist?
It’s important to ask the right questions of a voice-over artist applicant to make sure they are a good fit for the job. Here are the top 10 most important hiring questions for a voice-over artist:
1. “What voice-over work experience do you have?” is a good question to ask to find out about the applicant’s skill level and experience.
2. Which kinds of voice-over projects have you done? This question will help you decide if the applicant has the right experience for the job.
3. How do you go about making a voice-over? This question will help you figure out how the applicant makes a voice-over.
4. “When are you available?” It’s important to know when the applicant is available to make sure they can meet the deadline for the project.
5. What is your preferred way of getting in touch? Knowing the applicant’s preferred way of getting in touch will help you talk to them more effectively.
6. What is your rate? Knowing the applicant’s rate will help you determine if they are within your budget.
7. How long do you need to turn something in? Knowing the applicant’s turnaround time will help you decide if they can meet the project’s deadline.
8. Question: Do you have any examples of your work? Applicants’ examples of work will help you decide if their style fits the project.
9. Are you okay with being told what to do? If the applicant is okay with being told what to do, you can tell if they are a good fit for the job.
10. Do you have any questions for me? This will help you figure out how interested the applicant is in the job.
What are the soft skills for this role?
Voice-over artists must possess certain soft skills in order to be successful in the role. Here are some of the soft skills needed for a voice-over artist:
1. Communication. To make sure the voice-over meets the client’s needs, voice-over artists need to be able to talk to clients and producers clearly.
2. Flexibility. Voice-over artists need to be able to bend and change with the times to meet the needs of their clients.
3. Creativity. Voice-over artists must be creative and able to come up with unique ideas for voice-overs.
4. Patience. Voice-over artists must be patient and able to handle criticism in order to create the best possible voice-over.
5. Time management. Voice-over artists must be able to manage their time effectively in order to meet deadlines.
10 Questions Voice Over Artists Are Asking
FAQ
Why should we hire you as a voice over artist?
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