With a global talent-pool available for hire at any time, it is no surprise that many savvy business owners are outsourcing many jobs to freelancers and specialist companies. With the proliferation of the internet, advances in technology and cheaper methods of information communication, it has never been easier to find skilled freelancers to undertake projects for business projects.
The freelance market -which has begun to boom over the past ten years- is a global resource of writers, administrators, graphic designers, translators, web designers and many more, working on a project-by-project basis.
One of the main benefits of outsourcing work to freelancers, is that it saves a great deal of money on hiring new staff, training them, and then bearing the cost of their continual employment during slow periods. Often, business owners turn to freelancers, because their work is significantly cheaper –in the short and the long term- than hiring new staff, however, the cost is not the only benefit.
Freelancers tend to specialise in certain areas; whether its writing, translation, administration or design, hiring a freelancer means you get top quality work from a specialist in the industry. Many sites (such as odesk.com, freelancer.com, fiverr.com, peopleperhour.com and others) let you read reviews on a particular freelancer’s previous work, as well as offering online exams to show their skills.
The Process of hiring a freelancer is quick and simple, on most freelancing sites, you simply put out an advert describing a project, the amount you are willing to pay, how long the job will take, and what skills are required, then liaise and negotiate with those who bid on your job offer; alternatively, you can search through a catalogue of skilled freelancers, and contact the ones who have the right skills for the job. Once the job is complete, you may want to hire the same freelancer for another job, or perhaps try somebody a little different; either way, it is up to you how much you wish to work with them.
One of the main disadvantages to hiring freelancers is that they may not have enough specific information about your company or product to work a job effectively. For example, if you wanted an advertisement to be created for your product, you may need somebody with specific knowledge of your company and the product in order to produce an effective advert which not only appeals to your niche or demographics, but also portrays your company image and culture in the correct light. This kind of job often requires a great deal of knowledge from within the company, which freelancers simply won’t have.
Another disadvantage of hiring freelancers is that –because they are usually not onsite- they can be hard to monitor, however, it’s important to remember that because freelancers only get paid for the work they do, there is no incentive for them to waste time, as many employees might. It’s a good idea to liaise regularly with a freelancer to ensure you get regular updates on the work. This not only helps to ensure that you get the product you want, but also helps to guide the freelancer when they are unsure of what to do.
Ultimately, outsourcing work can provide a cheap method of getting a project done efficiently, professionally and cheaply, without overworking your existing staff. The way to get the best work from freelancers is simply this: The more you put in, the more you will get out.
The way to get the best work done is to be specific and thorough in describing what you want, how you want it done, and with enough detail for a freelancer to work with. Remember, information is the tool that freelancers work with, the more you provide, the more equipped they are to complete the task to your exact specifications. Give them as much information as possible; if additional research is required, point them in the direction of good information sources (your company’s website, research studies etc).
Learning to use freelancers will provide you with a rich, flexible talent resource that will help to save you time and money, without compromising on quality.