You must go through the process of interviewing candidates to select a voiceover artist that would fit your project. Demo tapes can greatly help you and the whole panel in judging each candidate and selecting the one who will get the role.

Judging candidates through voice over demo tapes is a more efficient method than asking each candidate to audition and perform a voice over test in your office. A talent will be able to give his or her best performance in a demo tape as a job interview can put undue pressure on anyone, even on seasoned professionals. You just need to set a standard consisting of essential voiceover qualities when judging demo tapes. Here are the qualities you should listen for:

1. Pace. Pay attention to the speed of the actor's delivery. A good voiceover artist is someone who can adjust his pace easily to emphasize different ideas. Rodney Saulsberry, author of "You Can Bank On Your Voice", states that the speed of delivery has an important effect on any voice over piece. Good artists understand that a very slow delivery and an extremely fast delivery are a pain to listen to and they should know how to pace their voice throughout a piece.

2. The attention point. How well did the voiceover talent grab your attention at the beginning of the spot? The right balance of emphasis on specific words and phrases, combined with their personality and tone are indications of skill and experience. Artists who can begin their tape with a strong, decisive or persuasive statement are proving that they can enter the commercial sphere with ease.

3. Accents and Dialects. A good voiceover artist will have a certain style but a talented artist can easily adapt his or her style to imitate different accents and dialects. Artists who can speak in different accents and dialects are usually able to play different characters.

4. Speaking Pattern. The delivery pattern of a voiceover piece is a significant element in any recording. The correct delivery pattern or rhythm can help listeners to remember the script and even identify the brand being promoted. It is important to take note of this when listening to every demo tape.

5. Humor. Having or portraying a sense of humor is often an important element of voiceover scripts, especially those that are more commercial in nature and involve a conversation. Look for examples of lighthearted tones, jokes and humor on the demo tape; can the talent easily share a joke and make you smile? Or is the delivery strained and difficult to understand?

The process of finding the perfect voiceover artist that will match your project is tedious. Use voiceover demo tapes to evaluate the abilities and skills of every applicant. Evaluate each applicant's demo tape with these five criteria. Skilled artists will be able to show that they have mastered each of these criteria over the duration of their demo.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.