Been wondering how to hire freelancers and integrate them into your project smoothly? Whether your business needs a freelance developer to spiff up your website or an editor to make the copy sing across the pages, it’s never been easier to hire online.
Thanks to platforms that post and fill freelance jobs online for a small fee, you can select from a worldwide selection of talented individuals to accomplish virtually any tasks on hand.
Like everything in business, there are pros and cons to hiring freelancers. Before hiring online, consider the following:
Pros and Cons of Hiring Freelancers
Pros:
- Pull from a talent pool that might not be locally available
- Specialized skills of knowledge from programming to virtual assistants
- Hire on an as-needed basis
- Not a direct hire, no long-term obligation
Cons:
- Unfamiliar with your business practices and protocols
- Untested work quality
- No direct control over workflow
- Your business is not their sole focus–they often have multiple clients
That said, there are measures you can take to ensure that your decision to hire freelancers online is an experience that’s positive for both you and your freelancers. Take a look at a few.
#1 - Conduct a pre-hire assessment
Every freelancing website has an enormous volume of freelancers who want to earn your business. Each one claims to be skilled, reliable, and committed to your project.
However, things aren’t always what they seem.
Most freelance platforms offer testing so that new freelancers can provide potential clients with a baseline of their capabilities. Look through available testing options and request that the top candidates submit to that testing.
Additionally, check the freelancer’s past work history on the platform. This number gives you a percentage of happy clients as well as allows you to review honest feedback comments. While an occasional negative comment is not uncommon, if you see a repeat red flag, such as “late submission,” or “found errors in work,” or “unpleasant to deal with,” you should continue the hunt for a better candidate.
#2 - Offer a small project, first
Once you’re satisfied with a freelancer’s credentials, there’s one more step you should take before offering them a large contract.
Offer them a small project as a “test”.
This challenge can be a little taste of an overall more substantial project that you’ll use later, whether you hire them or not.
This small project allows you to see firsthand the freelancer’s ability to communicate with you and your team, achieve deadlines and works independently to reach a deadline.
If they fall short on this final “test,” it doesn’t mean they are necessarily a “bad freelancer,” it merely indicates that they aren’t the best fit for your business.
#3 - Communicate project goals at the outset
When you first start hiring online, it can be easy to forget that the people you engage aren’t likely to be local to your area. They may never have heard of your business let alone understand the daily operations, standards, and workflows.
You must prioritize the time to clearly communicate the scope of work during the interview process and set the project goals at the outset of your project.
Unclear communication leads to a breakdown in efficiency for both parties.
Your project completion is delayed when the freelancer needs to provide re-work, leading to possible cost overruns for you. And, nothing makes a freelancer surlier than an employer changing the project goals after they’ve already completed a large chunk of work.
Online forms can help organize team communications and remote work.
#4 - Establish a structured framework
Whether you’ve engaged the services of someone to do freelance writing, a research project, or even digital marketing, there’s an underlying common need — a structured framework to help keep them on task and moving your project forward.
Are you wondering how you can do that?
After all, when you hire freelancers online, they don’t work directly under your watchful eye. But, what if they could?
Provide a structured framework that serves as a virtual office using online forms in combo with project management apps.
Use free project management apps such as Trello, Asana, or Basecamp to set specific short- and long-term goals for the duration of the project.
Also, consider creating custom to-do lists to guide them every step of the way. Upon completing each form, they submit them to you for approval.
Freelancers can go off-track easily when they aren’t sure where to start. Project management apps, online form workflows, and to-do lists will provide them the steps and further clarify your expectations.
#5 - Be clear on deadlines
While you should have communicated the deadlines at the start of your project, it’s critical to underscore this point.
It’s not enough that your job posting on the freelancing website or forum stated the deadline.
Freelancers juggle multiple clients and projects. While some are excellent at scheduling their workflow, others struggle with meeting deadlines.
Be very clear. Check in with your freelancer occasionally throughout the project. Set small and reasonable mini-deadlines throughout the work. Ask if there are any setbacks or challenges. Offer guidance as needed to ensure you hit your target completion date.
#6 - Allow them to flourish
While you should set clear deadlines and provide systems that will help them succeed, remember that freelancers choose their career path because they like the freedom to utilize their skills on their terms.
Freelancers are independent business owners, not unlike you!
Whatever their area of expertise, resist the urge to micromanage them. If you’ve communicated goals and dates with them, they understand the urgency of your project. Remember that the best freelancers also care deeply about your project as their paycheck — and professional reputation — rests with every project they accept.
So, kick off the project and follow-up with them as needed, but let them flourish doing what they do best.
Hire online with confidence
Now that you know the tricks that demystify the process, you can hire online with confidence. While freelancers don’t work directly for your company, you are the client and will be the one to set the anticipated outcomes.
Yes, freelancers are independent by nature. However, they share a common goal with you — to help your business achieve its goals. By assisting you with this, they ensure a future relationship that fuels their business.
Therefore, it’s not unreasonable to expect those workers you hire online to honor deadlines, complete your to-do lists, and communicate with your team professionally — it’s all in a days work for a professional.
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Deborah Tayloe
Deborah is a blogger and freelancer who often writes for EmailMeForm. When she’s not blogging, you’ll probably find Deborah working on DIY projects around her home in North Carolina.
