Working as an independent contractor offers so many perks: independence, control over decisions, flexible schedule, ownership of your work and satisfaction with your accomplishments. Successful freelancers have numerous reasons to feel proud.

But, many traditional office-bound employers may view freelancers with skepticism. Why would a worker leave the security of an office job? Is work-life balance really more important than the 9-to-5 grind? Are freelancers antisocial control freaks who are afraid of being told what to do?

How can freelancers who have decided to return to an office job address potential employers' fears about hiring them to work in an office?

Let's begin with perhaps the easiest fear for a potential company to air during an interview, the "Oh, so you've been freelancing" question. The way you respond to this depends partially on your unique situation. If you did a bit of contract work during the time you were between jobs, then you can simply explain that the income was tiding you over during a position search. That's perfectly fine, and it shows you have hustle.

But, if you have been making a living as a contractor for a while now, you don't have anything to apologize for, says Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation, which looks at how free agency came about, what a solo career might look like and where the trend is going. "Smart managers will seek and find precisely those kinds of people, people who have already proved themselves out in the market," he says.

In this case, Pink believes the best defense is a good offense. "If you've been able to work for yourself for a while, you should be asking employers what they provide that you won't able to get on your own, and is that enough for you to make the sacrifice that comes with working for someone else rather than yourself," he explains.

If your people skills are called into question -- "What's it like working all by yourself at home?" -- you only need to remember that as a free agent, you deal with a much wider variety of people than you would in an office setting. "If you're working for yourself, it doesn't mean you are working in a hermetically sealed cave in the Yukon," quips Pink. "You are not simply in your marketing stovepipe where all you see is marketing people all day. You are the marketing individual, accountant, general counsel and CIO. And the proof is in how you handle yourself in the interview."

Another thing to remember in an interview is that there are more free agents today than there used to be. "I think that compared to 10 years ago, it's a significant difference," Pink says. "It used to be that if you left Corporate America and went to Free Agent Nation, you basically had to renounce your citizenship forever. More people have dual passports now; it's easier to migrate back and forth."

Right now, you can get David Green's special report on "The 6 Secret Keys To UnLock The Career You Desire In 2006" for FREE if you hurry, visit this resume help tips website. http://www.PowerfulJobSearchTips.com