How to Hire Freelancers

Freelancers are an excellent way to help you run your business. Not only are they a convenient way to get help for starting or running a business, it also offers you the chance to access skills you might not have. In this article, we will look at how to hire freelancers and get the best out of the collaboration.

What is a Freelancer?

A freelancer is an individual who works for themselves. They offer services to clients for a fee. Many freelancers work in accounts, bookkeeping, marketing, and administration. Freelancers are often listed as solopreneurs, although some register themselves as LLCs.

Freelancers reap lots of benefits. They can work from home, set their hours, and have some tax benefits. Not all freelancers are full-time, however. Some are part-time, earning cash on the side while maintaining other employment.

Advantages of Hiring a Freelancer?

There are numerous advantages to hiring a freelancer for your business. Here are some advantages of hiring a freelancer:

Flexibility

It can be challenging to find your business employees with the skills you need, the experience and them to be close to your office. Every project you have or a different area of your business will demand different skills. Hiring freelancers allows you to hire the skills you need in the quantities and for the time required to make it a success.

For instance, you might not need an accountant full-time but rather need one for just a couple of hours a week, or one day a month. A freelancer can fulfill that role without the cost of a full-time employee.

Don't Need an Employee Identification Number

As long as you aren't hiring any other staff, hiring a freelancer does not require you to get an EIN. So its less paperwork for you to complete.

Expertise

Freelancers are often highly skilled. They have lots of experience because they work with a variety of clients. Therefore, they can build more experience, which can benefit your organization, especially compared to full-time employees who tend to stay in one business and therefore have less exposure to challenges which can build skills.

Cost-Efficiency

Freelancers are very cost-effective. Imagine that you only need to have a freelancer’s skill for one day a week, a full-time employee will cost five times or more, especially when you consider onboarding fees and employee benefits. Therefore, your business can save money by hiring freelance workers.

High-Quality Work

Freelancers rely on the quality of their work. The longer they’ve been a freelancer, the higher the quality of their work because it is the only way that they can stay in business. Not only that, the length of their time as a freelancer allows them to have more skills, highlights, and other aspects that make them more valuable.

Disadvantages of Hiring a Freelancer?

While there are many advantages to hiring freelancers, there are also some issues. Here are some of the disadvantages.

Commitment

Freelancers do not commit solely to your business. They have several projects that they will be working on concurrently and they have to split their time accordingly.

Security

There are several security risks. Normally freelancers will have access to your accounts, website, data, or other information. Freelancers might not betray your trust, but you do have to trust their own security. Therefore, you can put your infrastructure at risk. But there are ways to get around this one, such as limiting access or changing certain passwords regularly.

Lack of Supervision

One significant disadvantage is that you can’t supervise their work. But there are certain advantages to this. Some research has found that the lack of supervision can be great for productivity and quality of work. Still, you can’t always determine that all the time being billed is spent on your project and not on other projects or personal time.

How to Hire a Freelancer

There are many ways that you can hire a freelancer. Here are some of the top options for finding the next freelancer to take your business up a step.

Local Market

There are probably freelancers who live in your local area. These can be some of the best you will find because you can talk to them face-to-face. Finding them can be challenging, but you might find them at business networking meetings or on local Facebook community groups.

From Contacts

If you service several clients, you might find that your clients have recommendations about who to use for certain work. Not only do they have the contact, but your clients can offer recommendations and serve as a testimonial for the freelancer.

Online Freelancer Websites

Places like UpWork, Guru, and PeoplePerHour offer a place to post jobs, with requirements and then get freelancers to bid for your work. While you can get numerous freelancers to post jobs on these sites, you do have to be careful as some aren’t as experienced as they would like. Always check on the ratings and experience.

LinkedIn

Another option is to use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great location because you can search for skills and check out the history of the person by reading what others have said about them and perhaps reading the comments and articles they publish on the platform. LinkedIn is free to use, but you might need to pay a premium to contact some freelancers.

Final Word: How to Hire Freelancers

Freelancers are a great resource for numerous individuals. Whether you’re looking for a marketing specialist, administrative assistant, or perhaps someone who can help you generate leads, learning how to hire freelancers can be a cost-effective way to make your business grow. You can find out more about starting a business, including how to incorporate your business on our website.