The need for talented and efficient employees also grows along with the growth of your business.  Sometimes, hiring a full-time employee doesn’t make any sense. That’s when knowing how to hire a freelancer comes in handy. If you have one-off projects or you’re just unsure whether a full-time employee would make sense for you, a freelancer could be a good solution.

Hiring a freelancer has so many benefits for the employer. It can be cost-effective, saves workspace and you get specialists who are ready to listen to you always. If you want help with a short-term project, hiring a freelancer may be a good choice. You can save money on employment benefits and taxes associated with full and part-time employees, and still have access to the kind of expertise you need.

The number of freelancers in the job market has been exponentially increased as a result of Covid 19 pandemic and when you search on internet thousands of such profiles are available and you may feel confused. Also, if you make a wrong decision by hiring a wrong person for your project requirement, that will again affect your business.

The internet is a vast place and finding the right person to do a job for you can be quite challenging. When you want to hire the best freelancer, what do you look for during the process of selection? How to know he/she is the right person? So here comes the handy guide which helps you in hiring a good, efficient and talented freelancer as per your requirement.

Set the Job Requirement

You must know what you are looking for, as this is the best way to find the most appropriate candidate for your job. If you want the best person for the job, you need to be crystal clear about the service they need to provide. So, always start by making a list of attributes and skills that you need for your project, so you could know how to start your hiring process. This makes everything much easier.

Set your Budget

The rate of freelancers may vary according to their experience and their approach to the project. Most freelancers are committed to many projects and pay their own taxes, so at some points their hourly and project rates may also be higher than those of permanent or full-time employees.

Also, the level of experience too matters. Someone who’s just in the initial phase of their career will have wildly different rates from someone who’s been in the field for years. Expect to pay more for freelancers who are experts in the field, or those with specific experience in your niche.

You can hire a freelancer for a job in a lower cost or you can just go for one with higher rate. It solely depends on you; but remember that the final cost depends on a variety of factors like experience and their expertise. The point is to find the balance. You want a person that is not so expensive but who would provide you with the good work that would not require additional tweaking and editing.

Clearly, the budget is a crucial aspect of the negotiation process, and it is indicative of the level of quality and professionalism you want when hiring a freelancer. To make sure your budget is fair and attractive for the type of person you want, research the average rate for hiring freelance professionals you hope will work on your project.

Look for Recommendations

If you want to hire someone who is a good person and a good worker that will fulfil all your requirements, the it is better to look for some recommendations from your friends or colleagues. Or even you may take recommendations from another freelancer employee who is already in your project.

Set the timelines and Deliverables

All jobs use strict deadlines as a way to ensure that the job will be completed in the specified timeframe. Specify in advance the amount of work that needs to be done so the freelancer could organize his schedule to complete the tasks on time. A freelancer’s skills are what helps you find the perfect match for the actual work you need to be done. Therefore, before hiring a freelancer, you might even consider talking with an expert as part of your hiring process to set the timelines of the project.

Review and Assess the Freelancer

You may be having the profiles of so many freelancers with you. Start reviewing with the applicant who you think is the best considering the experience and portfolio. Check if they fit within your budget and make sure their skills fit your needs. Prepare a list of the best fit and start connecting with them and discuss the details. If possible, meet the top candidates via a video call. It’s a lot easier to assess the person when you see their reactions to questions and how they behave in conversation.

Regardless of technical skills and experience, you also want to find a freelancer with the following skillset:

• Friendly & polite in communication
• Open to constructive feedback
• Reliable & respectful towards deadlines
• Transparent and easy to talk to
• Curious about their field (they stay up to date with the latest developments)
• Determined & consistent in their efforts

Hire the Freelancer

After these steps you will be having one or two best options for your requirement. The person most open to communication and eager to provide samples of high-quality work should be the final choice. Once you have the candidate you like, make sure to provide them with all the details they need to start. Also, go through the payment and schedule details one more time, to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Here are some important next steps after you’ve successfully hired your freelancer:

• Establish Communication Rules: Communication is critical when hiring a freelancer and working with them successfully. Here are a few rules you may want to cover together

• Keep a Non-Disclosure Agreement: If you will share sensitive information that could affect your business if leaked, then an NDA is a good idea. Additionally, train the freelancer how to use the information and how to protect your project from any prying eyes when they work on it.

• Establish a protocol for progress reports

All of these actions help demonstrate your respect for the work your freelancers do for you, and can only enhance your employer brand. Freelancers bring expertise and experience when you need them. If you take some time to hire and manage freelancers properly, you will reap the rewards of a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Now you know how to hire a great freelancer! As you can see, there are a few different steps to hiring a great freelancer. It’s actually very similar to hiring a full-time employee, the only difference is that the interview won’t end with a job offer.

Hravailable.com has a huge database of freelancers from a wide range of niches. If you are looking for freelance employees for your organization, register your company in hravailable.com and search in our huge database to get the right talent. Those who are looking for freelance jobs, register your profile for free in hravailable.com and get noticed by recruiters who are looking for your kind.

HRavailable keeps you updated on the latest news in the job market.

Get notified about the latest job openings through HRavailable and never miss a chance to get noticed by the recruiters.