Looking for a Freelancer? Here's How to Know If You've Found the Right One Hiring a freelancer requires almost the same amount of consideration as finding in-house talent. Doing so provides business owners and team managers to fully assess whether an independent worker is the right fit for their team.
By Pierre Raymond Edited by Kara McIntyre
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Despite challenging economic conditions and droves of layoffs spilling into several industry sectors, the U.S. labor market remains remarkably strong, with unemployment standing at a nearly five-decade low.
Organizations continue to show resilience against the face of widespread adversity, however many of them are finding it harder to hire highly skilled workers, as the number of employees voluntarily resigning continues to outpace historic data.
Finding the right talent remains a persistent problem for many organizations. Changes in workplace benefits and new return-to-office mandates have made it even harder to retain existing workers. Demand for increased workplace flexibility and hybrid work models continues to outshine higher compensation and other traditional benefits.
Having to navigate tumultuous conditions has seen organizations turn to hiring independent contractors and freelancers to answer their need for highly skilled professionals and further leverage these workers as a key workforce strategy.
Related: 5 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Hiring Your First Freelancer
The affluence of hiring freelancers
While companies continue to hold a traditional view when it comes to hiring freelancers, many are reconsidering the importance of independent workers against a slew of ongoing challenges that aren't looking to wane anytime soon.
Continuous data estimates that more than 70% of small-medium businesses (SMBs) have hired or used freelancers in the past. While some are exercising the ability to leverage independent talent for short-term projects or staffing shortages, more than 80% of these businesses have claimed to be satisfied with the benefits of hiring freelancers and are planning to do so again in the future.
Hiring freelancers not only comes with the ability to resolve near-term problems, but many are experiencing the financial benefits thereof as well. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), it's suggested that an in-house employee's salary is typically 1.25 to 1.4 times more than that of a freelancer.
The assumption here is that while businesses are required to fulfill their financial responsibility towards employees, a range of additional expenses and tax obligations for onboarding and retaining new in-house professionals are further driving up costs.
Further assumptions for companies looking to onboard more freelancers are due to the tedious process that requires recruiting new staff, training and onboarding them. This not only requires immense resources, often stemming from the company's pockets, but it could further prolong the process of resolving in-demand problems and already tight budgets.
How to know if a freelancer will be a right fit
It's a welcoming thought witnessing a growing number of established organizations, both big and small, leveraging the capacity of independent workers and freelancers.
While the right people — freelancers — can help grow a business, bring sought-after skills to the table and help to further initiate innovation, hiring managers, team executives and business owners are often baffled to find that even the most talented freelancers are not the right fit for their business, team or project.
Outsourcing work could often present companies with even more problems and challenges, further driving up costs and extending the delivery of project deadlines. To mitigate such problems, here's a rundown of things to consider and look out for when attempting to bring on board a freelancer or outsource work.
Related: Employee or Freelancer: Which One Do I Need?
Business and project-specific skills
Hiring freelancers with the intent to resolve critical issues and fill the gaps where in-house employees might lack certain critical skills requires business owners and hiring managers to consider the need for these skills and their attribution to the business or project.
Growing a team, with additional freelancers, requires businesses to take stock of the specific skills and knowledge they might require to complete certain tasks. Some freelancers might lack critical skills that are often commonly found among in-house employees. This could further prolong the delivery of a project and can become a wasteful money pit.
Keen understanding of the business and stakeholders
Further investigation of potential freelance candidates might reveal that they have inadequate knowledge of the business, the industry and potential stakeholders.
To avoid these instances, it's important to have a thorough look at previous work, projects and references a freelancer can deliver upon request. With specific insights, business owners and hiring managers can make further assumptions on whether a freelancer understands the scope of the business and what they are looking to achieve in the long term.
Quality standards and professionalism
One thing to keep in mind when hiring new freelancers is that many of them often work across multiple projects at once. A lack of physical concentration and dedication to one or two specific activities at a time can have an impact on the quality of work a freelancer is set out to deliver.
Moreover, oftentimes freelancers might have a keen sense of professionalism — or a lack thereof — which indirectly affects a team's ability to complete certain deadlines. This hinders project managers from actively resolving existing problems or could influence in-house employee morale in a number of ways.
Related: How to Find the Right Freelancer
A shared sense of excitement
Given the understanding that existing in-house employees already share a similar view of the project or cause they're working towards, the assumption would require freelancers to have similar excitement for the work they are being hired for.
Freelancers are often driven by the excitement of undertaking new challenges, while many could have a mindset of "being in it for myself." Freelancers need to be active contributors, innovators and effective communicators.
Fits into the company culture
Having established a company culture can help motivate other employees and further drive up productivity. Rolling the ball further down the court, freelancers must be aligned with the company culture.
While it takes some time for freelancers to become comfortable with other employees and become active contributors, their ability to adjust or adapt needs to be feasible for the company and other team members.
Shared workstyle
Many companies have a specific workstyle or tone of voice they've already established. This would mean that new hires and independent workers will need to share a similar point of view.
A review of previous work and references could be a good indication of whether or not they have the ability to adjust to a specific style. This can also be reflected in the work they are doing for the business.
Agility
A key trait for freelancers is to have the ability to quickly adapt and change direction whenever it may be required.
With this in mind, freelancers need to fit within a company structure and become a working mechanism that helps to support project ideas, concepts and meet deadlines. This requires them to be increasingly agile in their work, but also be open to frequent reassessment.
Related: 5 Tips for Finding and Managing the Right Freelancer
The takeaway
Hiring freelancers can be as difficult as finding new in-house talent. It requires business owners and hiring managers to consider their direct needs and what potential a freelancer could have for the company.
Nonetheless, the fact that freelancers can be a valuable asset in addition to the ongoing consideration of previous work and their ability to adjust and fit in with the company culture can help determine whether or not hiring an independent worker is the right decision for any project or business.
