Top Tips After Hiring Your New Freelancer

By: Kerry Johnston

2019-01-22 15 minute read

The freelance community is growing so fast with more and more people opting from the traditional 9 – 5 job to freelancing. Statistics show that over 54 million Americans in some form or another participated in freelance work during 2015. The trend is not slowing down, in fact over the next 5 years it is expected to increase to half of the populations both in the U.S. and the U.K.

With more and more business finding that hiring freelancers is more beneficial than hiring someone full time it is little wonder why they have become so much in demand and the market so competitive.

If you are considering hiring a freelancer you will want to get the most out of them and there are many ways that you can do this in a professional and business-like way.

What’s the real story?

First, let’s look at some of the reasons why hiring a freelancer over in-house employee benefits you and how to get the most out of the freelancer.

in-house employee vs freelancers

in-house employee vs freelancers


 

  • Freelancers are experts in their field of profession, plus they have lots of experience working for other people. So they could come up with fresh ideas which you never thought of that can be beneficial for your company. Once they know your business model, they can get right down to work and get the job done.
  • If you think about it, hiring a freelancer saves you money. You pay them for the project. There are no overheads such as office space, supplies, like computers or paying them social security, vacation pay, medical or dental perks that you would have to pay a full-time employee.
  • You have a huge pool of candidates to choose from. You are not tied down to hiring a person who lives in your area. Instead, because freelancers work remotely you can get the right person for the job.
  • If you have a large project that would put pressure on your existing employees because you are short-handed. Hiring a freelancer for a short period takes the pressure off, leaving you with more flexibility.
  • If you are unhappy with their performance, you pay your freelancer for the work done and terminate them. Opposed to a full-time disgruntled employee who could sue you for a variety of reasons such as harassment, discrimination or workers compensation. There are no misunderstandings when hiring a freelancer they understand that they are paid for work done and move on to their next gig.

 

Have a plan before you hire a freelancer for your project, you will need to:

 

  1. Do your homework by outlining your expectations and know exactly what you want from your freelancer, a roadmap. This will give you the ability to be specific of what is required by telling them in detail what you expect from them such as deadlines and drafts. This lays the groundwork with no misunderstandings.
  2. Keep an open line of communication, so that you can offer suggestions or answers to any of the freelancer’s questions. Set a time when you will communicate with them either by email, WhatsApp or any other social media app that is suitable for you both.
  3. Only have one point of contact who your freelancer communicates with. Having them to answer to two or three other people will only confuse them and this is where mistakes set in.
  4. Consider using a system that can track the amount of time your freelancer is spending on the project this allows you to see the amount of time they are taking to complete the designated task. An online project management system will be able to store files, streamline communications. It is a useful tool that will also allow you to assess the project once it is completed.
  5. Work out a plan on how the freelancer will be paid with a quick and easy solution that suits them. It could be by bank transfer, PayPal or something else whatever is decided be sure to be consistent.
  6. hiring professional freelancers

    hiring professional freelancers


  7. Finding the right freelancer now days is easy, there are a number of sites that you can turn to. The most popular site Fiverr offers an easy to use platform where you can browse and filter your search. It also comes with ratings and reviews together with the freelancer’s qualifications and work history.
  8. If you are looking for a high caliber freelancer who has vast experience, you can expect to have to pay them more. You get what you pay for, it might be tempting to hire someone for less. But then expect more time spent on the project with edits etc.
  9. Before hiring your freelancer, ask them for a sample of their work or give them a task to see how they handle it. Assess the results by checking if they completed the task on time and if the work is satisfactory. Also were the lines of communication good?
  10. Once the project is completed and you are satisfied with their work, let the freelancer know. This will strengthen your relationship with them and if you need them in the future they will be more willing to jump into your next project.

 

 

 

Bottom Line?

If you source your freelancer through Fiverr, the process can be quick and easy but knowing how to manage and get the most out of your freelancer is a little more difficult.

By following some of the tips, you will discover the many benefits of hiring a freelancer.


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