5 Costly Mistakes Businesses Make When Outsourcing to Freelancers

With the growing informal gig economy, hiring freelancers is becoming an increasingly common practice for businesses looking to scale their productivity. There are plenty of capable workers who possess skills and expertise that fall outside that of an in-house team, and outsourcing is an efficient way to beef up your workforce’s skill set without going through the tedious and costly process of hiring.?

Business owners and hiring managers should exercise the same level of due diligence and precaution, if not more, when outsourcing tasks to workers who are not formally employed in the company. After all, you won’t want to end up with workers who overpromise and underdeliver. That will only leave you scrambling to source for another talent, or force you to take matters into your own hands when you realise that you’ve wasted time and effort only to end up with something completely different from your clients’ expectations.?

There is an art to hiring freelancers, and understanding the common mistakes that companies make when they are new to outsourcing can help you avoid experiencing the same painful consequences yourself.?

1. Failure to communicate task deliverables and requirements

Ensuring that everyone is on the same page is the bare minimum for effective outsourcing. This means that both you and your freelancer should be familiar with the basic terminology about the tools, skills, event, or subject topic surrounding the task at hand. Being aware of industry norms and technically terms will also help you narrow down the talent pool and prevent you from getting hoodwinked by less competent individuals who can talk the talk, but not walk the walk.

For example, if you’re looking to create a jingle for your brand, you should at least familiarise yourself with the basic components of a jingle, such as the music key, chorus, tempo, and harmony. Not being familiar with project terms yourself will make it much more difficult for you to communicate changes to your freelancer, and you’ll likely end up giving vague, unactionable feedback such as “please jazz it up a bit”, instead of being able to point them to the exact component that needs altering.?

2. Not providing enough details in the project brief description

This point relates to the previous one. While many of us are returning back to the office, it is highly unlikely that your freelancers will be following you back to your official workplace. Most freelance arrangements will occur remotely, at least in the initial planning stages. It is therefore better to over communicate rather than miss out important details that can make or break a project.?

Understandably, we do not always have the luxury of time to leave every stone unturned when preparing a brief for freelancers. In a time crunch, project coordinators should at minimum include:

• Minimum skills (and level) required for a task
• List of responsibilities a freelancer is expected to undertake
• A clear deadline

When in doubt, it is important to conduct research or consult in-house experts for a second opinion to minimise the possibility of errors or misunderstandings. When errors do inevitably occur, being open to further negotiation and feedback and also help smoothen the outsourcing process.

3. Picking the cheapest option available

All businesses run on a budget, and freelancers are no doubt another cost to the bottom line. While it may be tempting to go for the cheapest option available, that ironically might not always be the most financially sound decision. Freelancers who charge a premium do so for a reason - because they have skills that are in demand. Rather than dealing with unexpected delays and low quality work, it may be more time and cost effective to engage freelancers who know what they are doing, and can give you work that is ready for submission from the first iteration.?

That’s not to say that less experienced freelancers cannot produce good work. Rather, if you’re in a pinch and need someone to deliver, going with the more expensive option can often provide more assurance. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for - and higher priced services are often backed by expertise and knowledge accumulated over several years of a freelancer’s career.

4. Not spending enough time on market research & analysis?

More than just glancing through profiles for qualifications, setting aside time to scrutinise each freelancer’s profile can really help you avoid disaster hires and uncover gems. Hiring managers should request for and analyse testimonials, reviews, and portfolios whenever possible.?

Even if a freelancer has the required tools in the box, they may not be familiar or interested enough in your company’s product or industry. This can and will make a difference in the final project outcome. A freelancer who is truly interested in a project will go out of their way to fulfil its potential. Profiling sessions are your opportunity to sniff out a freelancer’s natural inclinations and interests to see if they are a right fit for your company, and the specific job scope.?

5. Engaging freelancers without arranging an introductory session

Even though outsourcing arrangements are remote-first, you should still conduct a meeting online before handing the project over to your freelancer. After all, you don’t want to engage someone who isn’t who they claim to be. Setting up an initial meeting, even one that is online, also gives you an opportunity to build rapport, which can help facilitate future project arrangements if necessary. The initial meeting will also give both of you a chance to clarify the details discussed over email, such as their availability, project deliverables, and pricing. Take it as your final opportunity to weed out any misunderstandings before the project commences.?

Thinking of outsourcing the hiring process?

At CreativesAtWork , our +1,500 professionals go through extensive portfolio reviews and reference checks before they are added to our talent pool. Let us take the extensive ground work out of talent sourcing and present you with only the best of the best freelancers, handpicked by our internal team that has over 10 years of experience with matching talent and businesses to create magic.

Don’t waste another day on the wild talent goose chase. Contact us at CreativesAtWork with your budget, timeline, and requirements, and we will bring you freelancers who can deliver the goods in no time.?