Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
Latest labor market tendencies present that 78% of firms use distant freelancers, and 59% plan to make use of extra distant freelancers throughout the subsequent six months.
Uncertainty within the financial system, shifts in workforce fashions, tradition and notion and staff reprioritizing work-life preparations all contribute to the reliance on (and the continued rise of) the “high-skills gig financial system,” as Harvard calls it.
Whereas hiring a distant freelancer might seem to be only one job submit away, there is a science and ability to attracting and retaining the precise freelance expertise for your corporation. Participating a freelancer is way from only a one-off transaction.
Listed below are 5 secrets and techniques to hiring a distant freelancer as a long-term win-win for your corporation and your future tremendous staff of distant expertise.
Associated: How Companies Can Adapt to a Rising Freelance Motion
1. Know the place to look
Corporations of all sizes are growing their reliance on freelancers to spice up productiveness, improve innovation and enhance velocity to market — just some of the benefits reported by almost 700 senior enterprise leaders within the U.S.
In the identical examine, nearly 90% of enterprise leaders reported that digital expertise platforms and freelance marketplaces are important to constructing their blended workforce — a mix of full-time staff and freelancers to create an “on-demand” workforce.
Gone are the times when freelance marketplaces have been simply the go-to for a $5 emblem.
The ecosystem of digital expertise platforms has quadrupled throughout the previous decade, and freelance marketplaces have advanced to fulfill the calls for of Fortune 500 clients, like Amazon and Unilever, and small companies alike, who now use digital expertise platforms as viable scouting instruments for his or her short-term and long-term enterprise wants.
Extra remarkably, you do not must be a publicly traded firm to entry a world expertise pool. Whatever the dimension of your corporation, you may search for freelancers throughout specialised marketplaces for premium expertise, digital freelancing marketplaces or crowdsourcing platforms.
Whereas digital expertise platforms create ease and enlargement of seek for freelance expertise, referrals, phrase of mouth and actively scouting on-line skilled networks are additionally efficient and related means to constructing your tremendous staff.
2. Ask the precise questions
At our company, we rent freelancers to enhance our groups for choose inventive tasks. We have discovered that inside and exterior alignment is the basis of any fruitful freelance engagement.
Get clear in your wants and expectations when hiring distant freelancers. You’ll be able to construct your freelance staff round your wants when precisely what you want.
Inside questions to think about:
- What particular expertise would add extra worth to our shopper or challenge?
- How lengthy will we actively want this freelancer?
- Which freelancers on our roster can we re-engage, and what have they extra just lately labored on?
Exterior questions to think about (what to ask potential freelance candidates):
- Do you’ve the capability to tackle new tasks? Any conflicts of curiosity?
- Do you’ve related case research that replicate our particular ability necessities?
- Are you obtainable throughout our projected length of the project?
- What time zone(s) are you obtainable to work in?
Associated: 5 Knowledge-Backed Advantages of Working With Freelancers to Develop Your Enterprise
3. Have an onboarding plan or course of
As soon as you have recruited the precise freelancers for your corporation, keep rapport and proceed to construct belief.
Onboarding goes past the formality of signed contracts. Bear in mind, the beginning of a short-term challenge is the start of a long-term relationship that may serve your corporation wants as a lot because the freelancers’.
Some freelancers share that your corporation repute, transparency and belief are among the many priceless non-negotiables that freelance expertise might take into account when selecting to work (and preserve working) for you.
Additional, demonstrating course of, planning and construction inside your group ensures your freelance expertise receives clear course, understands their project and operates seamlessly inside your current operational movement — all of which might make your life (and theirs) simpler.
Some concepts to think about for seamless onboarding embody:
- Arrange a kick-off or onboarding name
- Share model pointers with inventive freelancers
- Focus on inside language, file construction or different day-to-day logistics
- Set up most well-liked strategies of communication and key factors of contact
- Set expectations round progress, key milestones or check-ins
4. Preserve an ongoing relationship
One enterprise-level digital expertise platform shared that “it takes 5 occasions the sources and energy to discover a new freelancer each time you’ve a brand new challenge, in contrast with establishing sturdy ongoing working relationships.”
Whereas you do not have to decide to a future time-frame or challenge, conserving the road of communication open with freelance expertise can prevent 5 occasions the effort and time the following time your corporation has a necessity.
Make your freelancers really feel valued and depart the door open for future alternatives.
Associated: Worker or Freelancer: Which One Do I Want?
5. Anticipate restricted availability and excessive demand
Stories present that 56% of freelancers are working 30 hours or much less per week, with 80% of the freelancers surveyed both happy or very happy with their freelancing way of life — which is mostly location-agnostic, versatile and permits for a regionally various shopper base, as 32% of freelancers have expanded their shopper base to new international locations.
These components imply your star freelancer would possibly solely typically be obtainable while you want them, however the most effective dream groups have multiple key participant, plus a stable bench.
Construct your tremendous staff (with backups).
Lengthy-term impacts of short-term hires
Hiring freelancers is significant to staying aggressive and surviving in a hyper-competitive market.
Companies have come to understand the worth of the agility of the freelance market, and, as expedited by the pandemic, firms now have higher tolerance and expertise with belief and authorized and compliance procedures that make hiring extremely expert distant freelancers extra the norm.
However to maximise the advantages of partaking freelancers, be able to construct relationships, combine freelancers into the DNA of your organization and workflow and empower your present staff to be a part of the method and see {that a} freelancer is an extension of your shared mission.
