Do you need a freelancer for a specific project but do not know how to find the perfect match? Here we explained how to hire a freelancer in 8 steps
With the increasing number of freelancers, finding a suitable candidate for your project could seem overwhelming. In our previous blog content, we detailed the number of freelancers nowadays and the future projection. However, if you proceed step-by-step by specifying your needs, you can find the best talent for your current project. Check below to see how can you hire freelancers in 8 steps!
1 -Identify the project’s scope
Freelancers are different from traditional employees since they often work project-based or for a short time; thus, you must provide them with as much information at the front as possible. At the beginning of the search process, you should specify what you need a freelancer to do, what is the goal of the project, the delivery times, terms and conditions, and any limitations you have.
2 – Determine minimal requirements for freelancers
After you determine the scope of the project, you should establish the minimum requirements in terms of work experience and skills. Doing this would help you to filter the pool of candidates and make you closer to the most suitable ones. You can think of questions such as “How many years of experience do I expect in the mentioned area?” or “How long it is required to use a specific program to meet the project’s needs?”. Also, if you want your freelancer to have experience in a specific tool; so you can address that too.
3 – The Budget
The budget of the project is one of the most important subjects in the negotiation process. After you set the minimum requirements for your talent, you should think of a fair and appealing budget for your project. Your budget should be in line with the project scope and requirements, and doing market research can give you an idea of what is the ideal budget for this kind of project.
In addition, the level of expertise you need (ranging from junior to senior) should be also taken into account while deciding on the project’s budget. Do not forget that freelancers from different countries have different rates, meaning that they can offer you the same product quality while charging you differently; so do your search!
4 – Write the job description
A job description is crucial since it summarizes what is required and gives the candidates a general sense of the project’s workload. A job description should be clear and specific and include answers to the questions that candidates may have in their minds. While writing a job description, you should include;
An extensive title
Project start and end dates
A breakdown of the task you need to be done
Requirements
A summary of the project
Deliverables and deadlines
Budget
Payment terms (fixed price or hourly)
5 – Job Posting on the Right Medium
There are many freelance job platforms, like Remotify, where you can post your project to reach a pool of candidates. Finding the most suitable and reliable platform for your project would give you access to the right audience and help you to find your talent much faster and easier. To decide which platform to make the job posting, you can search;
The variety of freelancers that are offered
The way they screen freelancers
Entry fees and other commissions
Reviews
By evaluating these parameters, you can decide which platform addresses your needs and make your job posting on that one!
6 – Choose the Best Candidates
You would probably receive many job applications including freelancers that do not meet your criteria, and choosing the best candidate among them could be overwhelming. You should begin by eliminating the candidates that do not meet your criteria, in terms of required work experience, skills, etc. Now, you have a list of relevant candidates; so you can review each of their applications individually. You should check their resume, work experience, previous projects, and which tools the freelancer specialized in.
Also, you may check their referrals. After you decide on your prime candidates and have a short list of them, you can arrange an online meeting to ask your additional questions and meet in person. In many freelance job platforms, like Remotify, you can arrange a meeting immediately with your potential talents by just clicking on an option.
7 – Online Assessment
You could still have second thoughts after you conduct a meeting with your potential talents. Besides going through their resumes, portfolio, and referrals, you can conduct online assessments. There are lots of online skill assessment tools, so you can use the one that applies to you and rank the candidates according to their scores.
8 – Interview
Now you evaluate all the parameters of your candidates, so you can begin to interview with your top ones. Some topics must be covered during the interview, and goes like this;
Examples of their prior work (no need if they already have a portfolio)
Their attitudes toward your project
Whether they have experience working on similar projects. (if they have, you can ask them to tell some of the use cases)
How they feel about the timetable and deadlines
Their openness to feedback, and whether they are open to changing their work in line with the feedback
How they handle a dissatisfied customer
Their preferred method of communication
Make the Hiring!
Congratulations! You have successfully passed all the previous steps and now you are ready to work with your freelancer!
How to hire a freelancer through Remotify?
We have a huge list of freelancers registered on our platform and we are working on a talent source as well. When you get in touch with us and introduce to us your request, automatically our team you look for matches your project with the specific skill.
Another option is applying your project on our website and a filter will be created according to the skills appointed during the procedure. The freelancers registered will be reached to apply their bids and more information about their abilities and some specific experience.
