Are you Ready to Hire a Freelancer?

Freelancers can lower your staffing costs (on payroll), provide outside expertise at a reasonable price, and even grow your network. But to get the most out of freelancers, it’s best to start with a well thought-out hiring process.

If you are considering to hire freelancer for your projects, do consider the following steps first:

1. Do you have a clear idea of the project, or is conceptualisation part of the freelancer’s job?

Say your aim is to put out an ad for financial services. Do you already have a plan for the digital content (i.e. what articles to write, what infographics to produce), placement of outdoor ads, or the angle and tone of the ad campaign?

Some freelancers only work on execution, not concept. They can write the articles, design your infographics, etc., but they’ll need you to provide instruction on what to make. A graphic illustrator, for instance, may only draw what you tell them - deciding what to draw may not be part of their service. Conversely, some freelancers operate on the level of consultants or strategists. They will help you conceive of how to run the overall ad campaign, besides just executing it.

You should be clear on which type of freelancer you need, before you hire. This affects the scope of the work, and it should be made clear to anyone taking on the job.

2. Create a list of everything the project will require

Before you start hiring, compose a full list of what the project requires. For example, you might want to include:

●     Any equipment that’s needed, such as software, cameras, lighting gear, etc. (if the freelancer is to provide their own, you should specify it before hiring)

●     Costs of location and rentals (if videos are involved)

●     Price of production, if banners, books, or other printed matter is involved (this will affect how much of the available budget can be allocated to your artists, copywriters, etc.)

●     Subscription services (e.g. your digital content developers may need access to image banks like Shutterstock or Flickr. Again, specify beforehand if they should have their own paid access).

●     Time projections - work out how many hours you can budget for, in the case of professionals who charge this way (photographers are a common example)

Once you have a complete list, you’ll be better able to estimate the costs - and better able to decide whether your intended freelancer is affordable. If you’re not sure what you’d need, we can help you out. At CreativesAtWork, we help clients to determine the resources needed for their goals, and to pick the best talent for the job.

3. Have a clear time limit

This isn’t just about knowing how many hours you’ll pay for. Your freelancers need to know your timeline, to give you an honest estimate of whether your project’s doable. It is, for example, unlikely that you can create 25 quality videos within the next quarter (not without hiring an army of talent).

In addition, having a clear time frame can result in a better deal. For example, some freelancers may charge you a flat amount for the project, instead of an hourly rate (if they concur with the estimated time frame).

If you’re uncertain of the time needed, speak to a few freelancers - as professionals in their field, they can give you a reasonable estimate of how long things should take.

4. Set up a structured workflow

This is a clear “path” for your freelancer to follow when submitting work. For example:

●     Submit work outline via Google docs

●     Propose changes to the work outline for freelancer’s approval

●     Freelancer does the work and submits an initial draft

●     Review stage for the first draft

●     Freelancer works on second draft if needed

●     Final approval and completion recorded on a tracking sheet

Having a fixed system will speed up the work process, and clear up any confusion. In addition, it will ensure your freelancer doesn’t submit anything in a format that you’d struggle to work with (e.g. you may not want to receive images in a format not immediately fit for printing).

5. Establish your policy on competition, before you hire

In general, it will be difficult to enforce a non-compete clause on a freelancer. As by nature of their profession, they are supposed to work with multiple companies. So you may want to ask the freelancer if they do any work for your competitors - if there’s a conflict of interest, you’ll want to hash this out before you hire, and not in the middle of a project.

You may also want to inform your freelancers of which companies you consider competitors. Most of them are ethical enough to avoid conflicts of interest, should they be approached by competitors in the middle of a project.

6. Speak to legal (or consult a legal expert) on drafting the contract for your freelancer

Not all freelancers will provide their own contract for you to sign. Some will default to using yours. Make sure you have the contract reviewed by the relevant experts, before you use it. The contract should also include agreed job scope, payment terms as well as a dispute resolution mechanics, stating what will happen in the event of a dispute. This can prevent more complex legal situations later.

Still not sure if you’re ready? Let us help you out.

Contact us about your project, and we can guide you on whether the use of freelance talent is appropriate. We can even direct you to the best qualified talent, for your project’s specific needs.