Are you looking for a self-employed person to help you develop your business and take it to the next level?
Thanks to the diversity of job offers, it has never been easier to find a self-employed person who relieves you.
But here’s the problem: The whole process of hiring a self-employed person can be difficult if you are not sufficiently prepared.
So the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to find a suitable and experienced freelancer. In this article we give you some useful tips to help you hire freelancers successfully.
Let’s move on, shall we?
Advantages of hiring a self-employed person
- Because freelancers are experts in different fields, they can offer you new perspectives that will improve your business.
- It is cheaper to hire a self-employed person than a permanent employee. Freelancers are paid based on the number of completed projects.
- Most freelancers are distant workers. This gives you the opportunity to search for talent from different parts of the world.
- Freelancers need less supervision.
- If you work with a self-employed person, you do not need professional liability insurance. It might help you save some extra money.
Good places to look for freelancers
Here are some of the options to consider when looking for a self-employed person:
Freelance platforms – Most freelance platforms allow you to post different projects and explore freelance profiles. In addition, these platforms have a ranking system that classifies freelancers based on their experience and the quality of their work. Here are a few examples of these freelance platforms:
- Upwork
- Self-employed
- Guru
- Fifty. (Fiverr)
- Hubstaff’s talent
Portfolio pages – If you want to take a look at a freelancer’s work in the past, you should visit a portfolio page. Freelancers post their work from the past on portfolio sites, making it easy to find a freelancer who meets your expectations. Here are some portfolio sites that can help you find a self-employed person:
- GitHub
- Chimney overflow
- Content
- Background
- Carbonmade
Job boards – Posting job offers on various job boards can help you find a professional self-employed person. It goes without saying that the best freelancers end up in these bards. Here are a few examples of job boards:
- Truly
- ProBlogger
- Working remotely
- Remotiv
Social platforms – there are many social platforms that can help you find a professional self-employed person. For example, there are several subheadings on Reddit where you can place freelance assignments.
You can also use LinkedIn to find freelancers. Here are some other social media platforms that put you in touch with a freelancer:
Qualities to search in a freelancer
Here are some of the qualities you should look for in a self-employed person.
- Good communication skills – One of the most important skills a self-employed person should have is good communication skills. A freelancer with good communication skills will communicate with you if there is a problem and push you on the path to your goal.
- Previous experience in your field – You can hire a self-employed person who has no experience in your field, but switching to a self-employed person with experience gives you a head start. Experienced freelancers offer a variety of skills to improve your organization.
- Self-managing… A self-employed person will endeavour to provide you with the best services. Of course, you don’t have to manage freelancers.
- Open to criticism – A freelancer who accepts criticism in a positive way will understand everything you show him/her.
Step-by-step guide to hiring a self-employed person
What should the freelancer do?
Although it can be tempting to get directly involved in the hiring process, it is advisable to first define the role of the freelancer. What should a self-employed person do? What qualities are you looking for in a freelancer? If you have a clear idea of what you want the freelancer to do, you have a head start.
Write down the number of projects you want the freelancer to complete in a given period of time. You should also make a list of the different qualities you are looking for in a freelancer.
This allows you to better assess whether or not you need a self-employed person. Although hiring an independent entrepreneur can be beneficial for your business, it is a bad idea to do this blindly.
Determination of the amount of the income of self-employed persons.
Because freelancers have different rates, you need to have a flexible budget that suits different freelancers. Freelancers are paid differently depending on their experience. Those who are just starting out are different from those who have been in the field for a long time.
Freelancers who have been working for a couple of years demand a higher reward.
There are other cases in which a self-employed person can claim high compensation. For example, if a freelancer comes from a country with strict Internet tax legislation, the fee may be high.
Of course, some freelancers invoice their services by the hour, while others invoice them by project.
So, how do you make a rough estimate of how much you’re going to spend?
You can find out and see what your friends pay for the same kind of work. You can also visit the job boards and freelance platforms and see the rates of the different freelancers. Some freelancers can add their offers to their profile as a freelancer.
This information will help you make a rough estimate of how much you will spend on each project.
Save function description
Once you have a rough estimate of the budget and quality you expect from a freelancer, writing a job description becomes child’s play!
Before you start writing the job description, you should find an excellent job description that will attract good freelancers.
After you have created the function title, you need to write a short overview of the function. The assessment should include information about the freelancer’s role, business objectives and how the freelancer can help you achieve your goals. The evaluation should also be short, in four sentences.
Describe the freelancer’s work by splitting up multiple responsibilities into short, concise tasks. You can use bullets to describe the tasks of a self-employed person. It enables the freelancer to visualize daily activities in a simple but effective way.
Even self-employed people need a good reason to apply for a job. Give them a reason to apply for the freelance position by listing some of the benefits they will receive.
For example, you can let the self-employed know that your company offers health insurance and paid holidays.
And that’s not all.
Avoid using language that could attack your brand. Use a simple, engaging and friendly tone when writing your job description.
Assessment of applications
Navigating through applications can be a tedious task. However, if you do not assess all applications, you may not find the right candidate.
How to find the right freelance candidate for your company?
The first thing you have to do is read the cover letters of several freelancers.
Take one more step and take a look at the portfolio of a freelancer. Look at the freelancer’s earlier work. Is that normal? Does this look like what you’re looking for? If the answer is yes, please enter the author’s name/email address.
Here’s the deal:
While the analysis of the portfolios of freelance writers and designers can be simple, the analysis of the portfolios of developers can be complex. It’s pretty hard to crack the code. You can ask someone to evaluate the code for you if you do not have programming skills.
In addition, if you are looking for a freelancer on a freelance platform such as Upwork, don’t forget to check the reviews of previous clients. This will give you an idea of the work ethic of the freelancer you are going to hire.
As soon as you have a shortlist of suitable candidates, you will contact the candidate within 24 hours of the vacancy. If you don’t do so within the first 24 hours, qualified candidates can move on to other jobs and positions.
Interviews with shortlisted candidates
Interviews with shortlisted candidates make it easy to find information about the various freelancers.
Here are some questions you can ask a freelancer in an interview:
- What is your deadline for the project?
- Can you tell me more about your experience so far?
- When are you free?
- Do you charge per hour or per project?
- What are your freelance costs?
- Which payment method do you use?
- When will you be ready to pitch?
- What kind of communication do you prefer?
Although you can interview on Skype, this step is not mandatory for some jobs. You can contact pre-screened applicants by e-mail. If you are looking for freelance writers, designers or administrative staff, an e-mail will suffice.
You can also have a personal conversation if the project is complex enough. However, such cases are quite rare. If your company has a strict maintenance policy that requires you to attend the interview in person, you must also follow the company’s guidelines.
Although interviews can help you find out more about a particular candidate, they can also be very time-consuming. Be careful not to spend too much time interviewing shortlisted candidates.
Testing of a paid test project
Before you offer a freelance contract, start with small paid projects that help you evaluate the freelancer.
Paid test projects help you assess the quality of a particular freelancer’s work, the timeliness of a particular assignment and how the freelancer responds to criticism.
You have to include the daily tasks in the experimental project. A paid test project must also contain brief instructions for the self-employed person on how to carry out the project. The briefing naturally clarifies the ambiguities that can arise when working with a freelancer. In short, it puts you on the same wavelength as the self-employed.
Although some companies have unpaid trial periods, it is still advisable to pay freelancers for their time. Not to mention the fact that some self-employed people reject a job offer and move on to another job if you offer them unpaid test projects. Highly qualified freelancers always appreciate their time and can have other projects they are working on.
Paying a freelancer for a test project motivates the freelancer and creates a climate of trust between you two.
If the self-employed person does the work satisfactorily, you can hire him or her and enter into an employment relationship.
Freelance fees
You must agree on the payment schedule for the project. You can pay the freelancer for each step or at the end of the project as a whole. As freelancers have different payment preferences, this may vary from freelancer to freelancer.
Invoices are one of the most efficient ways to process payments online. When the freelancer completes a certain project, he can send an invoice as agreed, and then you can make the payment. There are several platforms you can use to pay for freelance services – Paypal, Skrill and Stripe.
On the other hand, if you use an online freelance platform such as Upwork, you can make the payment via the website. These platforms have systems capable of processing online payments. In fact, most platforms have an escrow system that registers and arranges the transactions between you and the self-employed person.
Although you can make payments outside of the Freelance platform, this is not recommended. Not to mention the fact that some freelance platforms have a strict policy against it.
Management of freelancers
If you plan to work with freelancers for a long period of time, you need a system that allows you to easily manage freelancers.
Task management applications… There are several task management programs that can help you manage your projects. Asana, Trello, Monday.com, Accelo, Basecamp and Slack are examples of these applications.
Communication – You also need to communicate regularly with freelancers. Effective communication requires projects to be broken down into several phases that can be easily monitored. Give clear instructions on how the work should be done.
The more detailed your instructions are, the better freelancers can perform a certain task. Not to mention that you need to be available if a freelancer has questions about a particular project.
You also need to make your freelancers aware of your company’s vision so that they can help you realise this vision.
Job review and feedback – Once a self-employed person has completed a particular job, you can review it and give your opinion. If you still want to make changes to the finished game, you should contact an independent.
See estimate
If you are satisfied with the freelancer’s work, you can show your appreciation by giving positive feedback. You can also expand your working relationship and offer more work to freelancers. Here are other ways to show your appreciation:
- Refer the self-employed person to a business partner who needs a self-employed person.
- Thank the freelancer for his great work through your social media account.
Legal aspects
When you employ a self-employed person, you must be aware of certain legal provisions:
Confidential information – If you intend to share certain confidential information with a self-employed person, you must enter into an agreement with the self-employed person. Inform the freelancer that the information is confidential and may not be shared with others.
Contract – A contract is one of the most important documents that guarantees your working relationship with a self-employed person. It informs the freelancer about your company and the position to be filled. If you can use an oral contract to legalise the employment relationship between you and the self-employed person, a written contract is more effective and efficient.
Commercial real estate… It depends on your preferences. If you want to obtain the full copyright on the work created by the freelancer, you must let him/her know. On the other hand, you can use the name of the freelancer in some of your projects.
Health: since most freelancers work in remote areas, you are not responsible for their health and well-being. If the self-employed person works on your premises, you are responsible for his or her health and safety.
For you
The process of finding a competent and experienced freelancer can be underestimated. However, if you follow all the above advice, you can find the right freelancer for your company.
With countless freelancers from all over the world ready to take on new assignments, using an online workplace is a great way to take your business to the next level.
What tasks do you want to outsource? What is the difference between a self-employed person and your company? What’s stopping you from hiring someone to work in your company now? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Related Tags:
top 50 freelancing websites,top 100 freelancing sites,freeup,outsourcely,upwork,peopleperhour,freelance services to offer,freelance services india,online bidding sites for web development,freelance services meaning,sell professional services online,i would like to offer my services,rating of freelance websites,worst freelance sites,freelancer in website review,hr freelance websites,أفضل مواقع الفري لانسر,freelancer siteleri,upwork login,toptal,freelance websites,hayden brown,upwork app,hire freelancer meaning,hiring freelancers taxes,how to hire a freelancer on upwork,how to apply jobs in upwork,how to pay someone on upwork,upwork offer letter,how to hire freelancers in india,how to hire on upwork effectively,freelance jobs online from home,i want to hire a freelancer meaning in hindi,what happens when you hire someone on upwork,guru freelance,job and project networks,freelancer projects online,guru.com skills,guru.com kenya,scopic software guru,fiverr,freelancer jobs,best freelance websites,freelance platforms,find freelance jobs