Online interviews can be a great way to make some extra money in your free time, sometimes paying as much as £200 per hour. Is Askable one of the better interview sites, or should we just call it Unaskable (that sounded funnier in my head)? Let’s take a look at how I got on.
Askable summary
Pros and cons:
✅ Easy to use platform
✅ A decent number of jobs
✅ Pays fairly quickly
❌ A lack of email invites for jobs
❌ User profiles are too broad, so not all jobs are suitable
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with online interview sites. On the one hand, if I could do two or three a day during the week, I would easily make over £500. On the other, it can take weeks for me to qualify for a study.
Because studies can be few and far between, I belong to multiple interview sites to increase my earning chances and the latest one for me to try is Askable.
What is Askable?
Askable is a platform that connects businesses with users for user testing and market research. It allows companies to recruit participants for usability tests, surveys, and interviews to gather feedback on products and services. In return, participants are paid for their time.
Also worth reading
Why not take a look at the best sites for online interviews and focus groups?
How does it work?
Askable is very simple to get started with. You create an account, provide a few details and then you can start looking for work.
You’ll see a list of available tasks, each with a brief description of what’s involved, a date, how much you’ll get paid and the requirements. For example, some studies may be looking for parents, others for professionals, or maybe they are interested in somebody who drives a particular car.
When you find a study you like, you’ll need to fill out a questionnaire to see if you’re a good fit. Rather strangely (and uniquely), Askable will record your screen when you complete the questions. Not your face, just your screen. Now, I’m guessing they do this as a bit of fraud prevention. Maybe it’s so they can check that you’re not changing answers and you’re not making things up. Who knows?
Anyhow, once that’s done, there might be a quick internet check to see that your connection is strong enough for a video call. I find that a little odd, as my internet connection is up and down. Just because it’s good one day doesn’t mean it will be next. Still, that’s how it is.
Then, it’s a case of waiting to see if you’re selected. There’s a section in your account marked ‘pending approval’, so you know what you’ve applied for. This is a great little feature and not available on most other interview sites. I often find I apply for interviews and then completely forget what I’ve put in for.
If you are chosen, you’ll receive a message letting you know. If not, you’ll hear nothing and your application will disappear from the pending approval menu.
What do the tasks involve?
The vast majority of jobs with Askable are remote interviews, which require you to have a chat over Zoom. These can be about a whole range of subjects. Some you might need to be a specialist or have a qualification in, whilst others are open to almost anyone.
I’ve also seen quite a few online diary tasks. These usually take place over a few days, or sometimes several weeks, and require participants to fill in a diary for a few days or several weeks. These don’t pay so well, but mean you don’t have to commit to an interview.
How much can you earn?
This varies wildly between tasks and partly depends on your skills. I’ve seen 1 hour-long tasks for people who order takeaways, which paid £35. Not too bad. However, I’ve also seen an interview for accountants paying £200.
Diary tasks pay less, but it depends how long you need to be committed for.
On average, pay is around £50-£60 per hour.
How are you paid?
You have two options. You can receive cash into your PayPal account or you can opt for an E-gift card. The usual choices of cards are there, such as Amazon, Just Eat, Sports Direct, the major supermarkets and many more.
Payment should reach you within 3-7 working days.
Any downsides?
Generally, the platform works very well and the payment is more than fair.
However, I’m not a fan of the notification system. I’ve agreed to receive emails and texts to let me know when new studies are available. But I receive very little through email and most messages come via text. I even had one at 6.45 in the morning. Needless to say, I’ve now opted out of text messages.
I would also like the option to narrow down my profile. I receive invites for jobs looking for accountants or NHS staff, none of which I’m suitable for. Askable should be able to filter these out far better.
What other people think
There aren’t a great deal of Askable reviews around, but over on Trustpilot, it’s rated as ‘Great’. Many of the reviewers praise the site and say it’s easy to use an pay well. However, some comments aren’t so glowing and others have complained about spam text messages and a difficulty in finding work.
My Askable review conclusion
Overall, I really like this site. It pays well, has a decent number of jobs and it’s easy to track what you’ve applied for. I did get annoyed with the texts, but managed to stop them through the settings on my account.
Is it better than other online interview sites though? Not really. But it’s certainly not worse.
If you’re serious about making money on the side through online interviews, this is a site you should visit.