4 Tips for Hiring a Freelancer

Hiring a freelance worker is a great option if you need to fill short-term positions or outsource talent for one-off jobs and contract work. But how exactly do you find the right freelancer for the job? Read on for 4 tips for hiring a freelancer.

1. Look In the Right Places

Freelance workers make up 36% of the United States workforce. They may be all around you, but that doesn’t make them easy to find. Your best option for finding a reliable freelancer is to look inside your network. Know someone who would be great at the job? Ask them if they would be interested in working on a freelance basis. Freelancing is popular because of the freedom it affords, so most people are open to new freelancing opportunities. What should you do if you don’t know anyone who would be a good fit? Upwork is the most popular website for finding freelancers, and it is easy to set up an account.

2. Be Clear About The Job

The best jobs for freelancing are easily defined projects. Before you post your job, write out exactly what you want from your freelancer. Be as specific as possible. How many words should the article be? How many pages will the website include?If your expectations are clear from the beginning, you will weed out unqualified freelancers and save valuable time explaining things over again later (or worse, paying the freelancer to redo work because you weren’t clear about what needed to be accomplished).

3. Ask Good Questions

Ask questions that relate to the job rather than using the default ones. You may want to assign a short task (10-15 minutes) that demonstrates the freelancer’s ability to perform the greater task. Just remember that this application is unpaid so don’t expect your potential freelancers to spend hours on the application or you won’t have any applicants to choose from.

4. Don’t Just Choose The Cheapest Freelancer

Sometimes the cheapest option is good enough, but in most cases, you get what you pay for. Do your due diligence. Check profiles and read reviews from past clients. Ask follow-up questions if necessary. If you are torn between multiple freelancers and need a long-term commitment, consider giving a paid trial assignment to 2 or 3 finalists before choosing your freelancer.