Want to hire a freelancer? Simply follow this outsourcing guide. Hiring a freelancer can be a rewarding time in your career, affording you the free time to focus on other tasks, due to your workload being lightened. This allows you to focus on your business goals.

In the modern world, if you hire a freelancer to outsource part of your business this is now easier than ever. Telecommuting or remote work is a growing trend the world over.

If you own a start-up or if you’re a small entrepreneur that is pressed for time and money, to hire a freelancer makes sense.

This is a smart, cost-effective way to bring in additional revenue without causing an overriding amount of pressure.

Here are some outsourcing tips on how to hire a freelancer:

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SHOW ME FREELANCERS

Additional support is essential in making your business grow and to be as productive as possible.

In fact, most business owners will request some kind of support within their first year, whether it’s marketing expertise, logo design, or virtual assistants to manage the backlog of administrative tasks. 

Employing a freelancer can be a great solution for freeing up time to focus on the tasks you do best because they are versatile and highly knowledgeable in their specific area of expertise.

This allows for time-consuming projects to be completed with ease, without you having to learn or hire for a particular skill set. Freelancers are experts in anything from web development to accountancy.

A freelancer will essentially make your business more efficient, leading to profitability. It is not always easy to hire a freelancer as it may take time for you to discover the right fit.

When searching for the right freelancer, you should study their profile closely and compare their pricing to others in the market.

A freelancer with a higher price and better reviews might mean a more efficient working practice so be mindful of this too.  

Outsourcing your work can prove to be highly cost-effective, especially when you take into consideration the flexible nature of a freelancer’s contract.

Even though freelancers may charge slightly higher initially, that extra cost will be much less than a permanent hire.

Consider the following costs for a full-time employee:

• Hourly wage
• Holiday pay
• Sick pay
• Health insurance
• National insurance
• Supplies (computer, desk, chair)
• Recruitment
• Training
• Processing payroll
• Renting office space

All of which can be broken down even further as each aspect takes time, therefore having intrinsic value. Hire a freelancer to help you cut those unwanted costs immediately.

A frustrating challenge for freelancers is not knowing what their client really wants from a project.

We suggest giving the freelancer structure by brainstorming some ideas and establishing clear targets.

For example, if you require help with a logo, be as specific as possible, providing details such as colours, style and letters.

Giving your freelancer a high level of detail will increase productivity, allowing the freelancer to deliver the project swiftly and successfully. 

Yes, freelancers can be found predominately online. Sites such as Skillbox where you can post a job for free gives you the flexibility to browse the platform and hire a freelancer at the click of a button.

If you need further information regarding Skillbox, here are our FAQ’s. Otherwise, get in touch with us. 

Developing a beneficial virtual working relationship can take time and can’t replicate having someone sit with you in person.

That’s why you need to find a freelancer with the right experience who you can trust to deliver your work.

This can be achieved by chatting with the freelancer, either by using an online chat system or through direct messaging.

If the freelancer has your preferred communication style, their responses are detailed, and their skill set is apparent, then you have probably found the right fit and straight away begin outsourcing work.

The key is to outline a clearly defined schedule for your freelancer right from the very start.

Flexible work is what a freelancer is used too, however, this doesn’t mean you should give them a flexible deadline unless you feel it will benefit your project.

You should communicate how often you want the freelancer to check in, and also find out whether the project fee includes revisions. 

When the project is finished, before employing their services again, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Was the job done to the required standards?
• If revisions where required, were these completed in a timely manner and were they accurate?
• Was the freelance job good value for your money?

A small business owner can delegate a wide variety of tasks to freelance professionals. They have flexible work patterns, making it easier to delegate when under pressure.  

Freelance expertise varies, including;

• Customer Services
• Administration
• Web Design
• Digital Marketing and creative tasks
• Accounting and consultancy

There should be an aspect of your business that you are an expert in, that you’re passionate about.

Well, this should be reason enough for you to outsource anything other than that to focus on your main skill set and to encourage productivity within the workplace. Think about how much time you waste on admin.

There are various freelancer sites available, each offering a different class of freelancer.

Why not try our website, Skillbox?  

It is a 3 in 1 platform which allows ultimate flexibility as you are able to utilise online and in person services under one account. You can even view educational courses!

Skillbox is incredibly easy to navigate and there is a substantial pool of quality freelancers awaiting your project. To get started simply post a job for free.