Hiring Out to Freelancers: Do You Know the Secret?

Did you know there are over five million freelancers (and growing) in the United States?  Whether they’re called freelancers or outsourcers, staffing business resources or entrepreneurs, they’re out there, and they’re busy.  Thousands of business owners have dipped into the freelance world to get projects completed, from data entry to website design, from copywriting to programming – and been happy about the results.  Not because they paid big bucks or because their projects were extremely easy, not because they found the one good apple in a barrel of bad ones, but because they knew the secret you’re about to learn here.

Communication.

Yep, that’s the secret – communication.  Now, communication doesn’t simply mean telling the freelancer what to do.  It is a two-way street, passing thoughts, ideas and so on back and forth.  There is also a way to communicate – and a definite way not to.

The best way to start, continue and finish a project with communication is by setting the tone in the first place.  When hiring a freelancer, you have to remember that you aren’t the boss (this may be hard for some of you, but stick with me here); you’re the client.  The difference is that, if the freelancer doesn’t care for your tone, they can end their services right then and there.  Granted, they’ll have to return the fee if they’ve been paid, but you’ll have wasted a lot of time.

From the outset, it’s best to look at the freelancer as a partner in a joint project.  You have the idea; they have the skills to make the idea reality.  Be respectful of their skills and what went into attaining those skills, and they’ll treat you with respect in return.

In addition, don’t be derogatory if they turn in something you don’t like.  There’s no reason to defame their skills; simply explain what it is you aren’t happy with.  When there are issues, they’re generally due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding of what was wanted.  Remember – these freelancers are trying to run a business.  To deliberately ignore what a client wants would be sabotaging themselves, and most – if not all – are more than willing to work with you to get you what you want.

How Do I Know That You Have What I Want?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions by business owners (even if it’s just in their head), and one of the hardest to answer for freelancers.  Freelancers can’t just say, “Because I said so” or “because I know that I can”.  For that matter, very seldom would any business owner be happy with the response that they got from questions such as this.  However, there are few things that any business owner interested in hiring a freelancer can look at, which can make it easier to figure out before the hiring process is done.  

1. Portfolio – A freelancer’s portfolio is the lifeline to their work.  Believe it or not, many freelancers spend a lot of time on building up a portfolio because this is as good as a resume’.  Whether the freelancer performs web site development, writes content or any number of other things, a well-established freelancer will have that information in their portfolio.  
2. Samples – on occasion even well established reliance’s won’t have a portfolio.  If this is the case don’t be alarmed; this doesn’t necessarily mean that they haven’t done anything. It may very well mean that their clients preferred not to be mentioned in their resume or portfolio.  If you come across a freelancer whose pricing is good, but they don’t have a portfolio, ask them for samples.  Don’t expect the samples to go along with what your project is, however.  Many freelancers are wary of people stealing their work (it does happen), and will most likely give you a sample about something else.  What samples they do send though, should give you an indication of the type of work and the quality of work that they do. 
3. Questions – If you get past the reading stage and on to the interview stage, pay attention to how the freelancer answers your questions.  For that matter, listen for questions that they may ask you.  No matter how careful you are in your project outline, most people will not be able to give you exactly what you want without asking clarification questions.  Therefore, if you’re interviewing a freelancer and they ask no questions, or they seem to assume automatically that they know what you want, the chances are 50/50 that you will not have a pleasant experience.

By keeping just these three things in mind, you can turn a problem project into an excellent working relationship.

Freelance Contracting FAQs

Many freelancers have done fine for years without a contract for their business transactions.  Many business owners have done fine without contracts while hiring freelance business resources.  Then again, many people – freelancers and business owners alike – also have horror stories; for each horror story a business owner has about a freelancer, the same is true the other way around.  Here is a short list of Frequently Asked Questions, from both sides of the line, about contracts:

Freelancer: Do I really need to include the specifics for the job?

Not at all.  For instance, if the project is something simple like “optimized articles”, and you and the owner know what it means, why bother writing it down?  Of course, they could always argue that they needed six when you turned in four, or they were all supposed to be 600 words instead of 400, but who’s counting when you really get down to it?

Business Owner: Why should I make sure I have full rights for the deliverables?

You don’t have to.  You can always assume that you’re buying full rights to any deliverables. 

Freelancer:  Do I really need to bother with a contract?

Nope.  You and the business owner talked about the specifics of the job and have a verbal agreement on what you’re doing and what you’re getting paid for it.  There’s no reason to write it down, because you know for sure the business owner will follow through.

Business Owner:  Do I really need to sign this contract?

No.  You can assume the freelancer fully understands everything about the contract, and that they will adhere to the things you agreed on in PM, email, IM or on the phone.  Of course, if they don’t, you’ll have no recourse to get your money back if you’ve paid them ahead of time, but that won’t happen.

It’s been said that a little sarcasm goes a long way, and it’s true.  The reality of the situation is that contracts protect the business owner and the freelancer both.  As much as you might hate the thought of signing a legal document – no matter which side you’re on – a good motivation is remembering the money involved, whether it’s money you’re making (as the freelancer) or money you’re spending (as the business owner).

Before starting any project, make sure you read over the contract carefully and then, if you agree with the terms, sign on that dotted line!

Don’t Get Stuck in a Rut – Hire Outside the Box

A lot of business owners have an idea of what a good freelancer is before they even start to hire one – before they even look for them.  The problem with these preconceived notions is that no freelancer is going to meet exactly the qualifications a business owner is looking for.  While you can keep your notions and your ideas of what a good freelancer is, don’t be afraid to step outside the box.

When looking through freelancers and deciding which one to hire, here are few things to keep in mind and consider before choosing the one to match your project:

• Education doesn’t necessarily equal know how.  There are several very qualified freelancers with no higher education who are self-taught.  In fact, these might actually be better for your project because self-taught individuals are generally more willing to try different or unique methods then someone who is taught in a structured, college atmosphere.

• Low pricing doesn’t necessarily mean the best deal.  As you gain more experience with hiring freelancers, you find that the best bet is a normally a mix between pricing and performance.  Most freelancing sites, including YesFreelance, have ratings for freelancers that show how they have performed in the past. 

When you choose specifically on low pricing, what you generally end up getting is low quality as well as low price.  In effect, what happens is that you end up spending more money because you now have to hire someone else to make up for the low quality deliverables of the first person; you lose time and money.  Therefore, as you look through the bids, make sure that you don’t just look at price – look at everything.

• Never be afraid of the questions.  If you look over a freelancer’s resume or portfolio and you feel that there is information missing or something else that you’d like to know about, ask questions.  You’ll never know if you have the right freelancer – until it’s too late – if you don’t learn everything that you can about them. 

Hiring a freelancer can be a great thing for your company, but if you’re not careful, it can end up being the same thing as hiring a bad employee.  Pay attention to what each portfolio says and what it doesn’t, while keeping these three things in mind.  Happy hunting!

Writing a Request for Proposal

A Request for Proposal, or RFP, is simply an outline of the project you need completed.  Although the explanation is simple, however, the RFP shouldn’t be.  A well thought out Request for Proposal should have the following parts:

• Project title
•  Project overview
•  Project background (what brought the project into being i.e. established company needing a web presence)
•  Project specifications (exactly what you need, point by point)
•  Project constraints (Do you need the files in a certain format?  What’s your deadline?  Things like this should be included in this section)
•  RFP Requirements (what you would look for when looking through responses)

Why so detailed?  Remember that you may have hundreds of people looking at your project before you select someone.  The less clear your project is, the more questions for clarification you’ll receive.  What if you weren’t able to go back into the project and update it?  You’d continually be answering the same questions. 

If a project is as detailed as you can make it, chances are potential freelancers will be able to bid subjectively, rather than guessing at what they think the project is worth.  Generally, people will post higher bids when they aren’t sure what all a project will entail.  The more details, the more realistic the bids. 

One of the things to keep in mind while writing a RFP for freelance work is realistic deadlines.  If need be, look over previous projects similar to yours.  Most freelancers prefer at least a five-business day delivery time, no matter what the project, because they may have other clients as well.  With five days, they have the ability to deliver high quality materials to all of their clients without rushing any one.

By following the outline above and then carefully looking over the freelancers you’re thinking of hiring, your chances of having a good experience are much higher.  Good luck on your next project!

 

Creating a Freelance Contract

If you’re a freelancer, offering your finely tuned skills for hire, you’ll need to deal with contracts.  Some people say they aren’t that important, but contracts help to establish trust with the client, as well as give your business a professional touch.  Not only that, but people are less likely to back out of a contract than they are for a verbal agreement.

When creating a contract, you want to set the general wording in place, with areas that can be changed per client.  In addition, you want to make sure the contract has:

•  Your business logo
•  Your business address
•  Date you send out the contract
•  Client name and address
•  Project scope – The project scope covers everything you’ll be doing for the client, including the project start date and the date of completion.  If you give your clients the chance for revisions, you add the specifications here, as well (i.e. client has three days for revisions, etc)
•  Deliverables – This is an outline of how the completed work will be delivered to the client.  More simply, you are telling the client, “each piece of work will be delivered on its respective due date.  You’ll tell me if you accept/reject the delivered piece”, and then go about informing them how you would deal with an acceptance or rejection.
•  Payment terms – Do you expect payment upfront or upon delivery?  Maybe 50% deposit, then the remainder upon delivery?  However you expect the payment(s) to be made, this is where you put it, along with what the cost is.
•  Ownership of Final Product – Most freelance work is considered “work for hire”, which means the clients owns full copyrights upon payment.  Here is where you legally pass on the copyrights, or set which copyrights the clients will own upon payment.
•  Term and termination – What if you or the client want to cancel the project before it’s finished?  Here’s where you set the terms on what happens.
• Change order amendment – If the client wants to change the scope of the project halfway through, they’ll need to know how to do it and what’s involved.  Here’s where you tell them.

Remember to be detailed and precise.  Dot all your “i”s, cross all your “t”s; timeframes, payment, terms – every detail is important.  Once you get started, you may find yourself referring to the contracts to make sure that you’re sticking to it.  A contract is the freelancer’s MasterCard – don’t start work without it!

Marketing, Marketing and More Marketing

Marketing – some people look at the word like it’s a personal curse.  The fact remains however, that you must be your own marketing department as a freelancer.  Once you decide to take the big step from working for a boss and being your own, it’s time to look at the “reality of the situation”.

Competition is fierce

You’re not the first person to pack up their proverbial bags and take their act on the road.  Whatever it is you’re skilled at, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of freelancers out there – just.  like.  you.  So what is that sets you apart from the competition?  What will make you stand out from the rest?  It’s time you figured it out.

You need a web presence

Most freelancers work online, whether they also go to physical sites or not.  Because most of your contacts will probably also come from online (at least at the start), it’s best to have a website; otherwise, you’re pretty much invisible.  Now, the website isn’t really for people to find it on a search engine and hire you.  It can be a very simple site, with a page that outlines what you do and examples of your work.

Whatever you have on your website, this becomes part of your signature.  Any time you post a comment on a blog, send an email, build an account for any online site that allows a website link, add your website.

Use your contacts

Contacts aren’t necessarily people in your business.  Your contacts are everyone you know.  Let them know you’re available for work in your field and let them spread the word.

Build that blog

If you can manage a website, you can manage to write one blog a week, at least.  Let people inside; let them see what you’re interested in, or talented at.  Tell them about completed projects or that you’re available for more work.

Sell yourself

If you really want to get out there and be known as “the person to go to” in your field, you have to actually, well, get out there.  Physically.  Go to conferences related to what you do and introduce yourself around.  Shake hands, be friendly, share your expertise with those who ask, and listen to those who might know more than you. 

The marketing never stops as a freelancer.  How do you know you’ve “made it”?  When you can start paying other people to market for you.

Gunslingers of the Business World

The Internet provides great potential for businesses of all kinds, and almost everybody knows now that it is vital to have an Internet presence for their company. Okay—got that, now how to get it?  There are new hiring needs that often boggle the mind. Even once you figure out how to develop your web presence, how do you keep it? You need staffing for programmers and video software development. That’s where freelance marketing employment comes in. Then the economy kicks in and you can no longer afford to keep a full time secretary or executive assistant. Now what?

Benefits of Freelancing

Anyone who has been freelancing for a while would scoff at the title here, wondering why anyone would ask. There are so many benefits to working for yourself from the comfort of your own home, they barely seem to require explanation; for many who are new to the idea of independent contracting and working online, however, the entire concept may seem daunting. Whether you’re looking for graphic design jobs for freelancers or freelance illustrator careers, the benefits are the same.

Can a Freelancer Perform Like A Company?

Yes, and many times, better. There are many benefits to hiring freelancers to do work you would otherwise have to hire an independent company to do, or hire a full or part-time employee to do. When you have projects ranging from jobs and careers in business marketing to freelance translation career fields, having one person on your staff may not fill your needs. Hiring your own employees might work, but at what cost?