How do you find and hire freelancers?

Do you struggle to hire freelancers? There are a number of things clients can do to maximise their chances of hiring the right freelancer. As with any hiring process, there’s no guarantee you’re going to get things right every time. However, with these tips & tricks, you’ll improve your success rate moving forwards.

Learn from previous hiring processes

How have previous freelancers performed in the business? Is there something you wish you had asked them at the interview, now you’ve worked with them for a few weeks/months? When you hire freelancers, it should be a learning process for employers as well as candidates.

When things do go wrong with freelance hires, it’s important to understand what safeguards can be brought in during the interview process to avoid repeating mistakes.

Learn from current employees/freelancers

Ask current employees/freelancers what can be improved in the hiring process. It’s amazing how many clients don’t tap into this vital knowledge pool. Current employees give you candid/unfiltered information. If you have any freelancers on site, make them your first port of call when it comes to refining your interviewing process.

Spend time creating a proper project brief

Given the quick turnaround times involved in most freelance hiring processes, it’s easy to skip past the step of creating a proper job brief. Sometimes, you’re just desperate to get someone on-site as soon as possible. This creates a mismatch between freelancer and client expectations and leads to a number of challenges around what work is delivered.

Mark is a successful freelance strategy & transformation consultant of 10+ years. Rich (movemeon.com co-founder) asks about pros & cons, how to get set up and why more and more employers choose to work with freelancers. Click here to see more videos and interviews with leaders or subscribe to our Youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVR2kNdT-wA

Create milestones for every project

Milestones create an element of accountability for both employers and freelancers. Clear expectations for the project, set against a timeline, leave both parties reassured they’re working towards the same goals at an agreed pace. Even having a rough outline is beneficial to all involved.

Milestones also help break a project into digestible ‘chunks’, helping map out how the project should be tackled. For example, instead of creating a brief that says ‘freelancer needed for a market entry project in China’, add context on market entry strategy will involve (preferably in order). Then set milestones against this. This could include a competitor analysis, internal/external market forces to factor in, logistics, etc. You can then discuss the prioritisation of each task and you’ll have a clear list of executable tasks to work against.

Don’t forget to sell your business, as well as the project

Freelancing is on the rise and the volume of projects is increasing month on month. This rise in supply means freelancers now have far more choice for the type of work they choose to pursue, compared to even a few years ago. This means employers need to differentiate themselves versus competitors to capture the best talent in the market. So if you have any USPs in your business, be sure to mention it in the job description as they can sometimes tip things in your favour.

Quite often freelancers like to establish long-term relationships with the clients they work with. That’s why it’s essential clients sell their long-term vision for the business, not just short-term projects. This enables freelancers to look past only immediate projects. They’re more interested in your business, which is far more likely to get them over the line, compared to selling just a single short-term project

So there you have it! A few tips and tricks to help improve your success rate when you hire freelancers. As with many aspects of business (& life), all 5 of these tips revolve around effective communication (both written and verbal). Make sure you always remain receptive to improving your own hiring processes – no process is ever perfect!

Interested in hearing more about how Movemeon can help you hire freelancers? Please get in touch with our team by filling out the form below.

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