Why moving quickly with freelancers is important
Hiring a freelancer can help bring a project to life and ensure you deliver on your goals quickly, effectively and on time. However, when it comes to making your final decision and offering the contract, competition for hiring the best freelancers can be fierce.
When a freelancer isn’t working, they aren’t getting paid, so they need to move quickly themselves. Every hour that they aren’t working, they are losing money and are therefore constantly considering new contract opportunities.
Moving quickly is important, but what can you do to speed up the process?
| Aspect | Employee | Independent Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Control and supervision | Direct control over how, when, and where to work | Freedom to set their own schedules and methods |
| Payment | Regular wages; taxes withheld by employer | Paid per project; responsible for their own taxes |
| Benefits | Health insurance, retirment plans, paid leave | Must arrange their own benefits |
| Termination | Often requires notice and may include severance | Can usually be terminated at any time without benefits |
| Tools and equipment | Provided by the employer | Typically use their own tools |
Remember the essence of the freelance workforce - it is a highly flexible resource, intended to be hired at short notice.
Shorten the interview process.
A long interview process can be frustrating for any candidate, but it simply isn’t workable for freelancers. Do you need to do a full interview process by having the freelancer attend your office. Can you instead offer a video call that suits both of your availability? This can help speed up the hiring process.
Group your interviews.
If you do need to interview multiple freelancers, try and group as many interviews as possible, in a short amount of time. Try and avoid interviewing one freelancer on a Monday and then another on a Friday, as there is a high chance that the freelancer you interview on Monday will have already taken another role.
Fully prepare for the interview.
Are you fully prepared for the interview and understand exactly what it is you are looking for? This is important, as this will help you ask the right questions to identify the perfect freelancer for your project.
Ensure all stakeholders are on the same page.
If you have multiple stakeholders involved in the hiring process, this can drastically slow down securing the right freelancer. Can you appoint one key person to make the decision on the hirer, or choose multiple stakeholders who are readily available to be involved in the interview process?
Has the budget been approved?
Once you have made your decision, do you have the go ahead to move quickly? What steps do you need to take to get this in place? Try and do this before you start interviewing freelancers, to ensure you're interviewing those within budget. Is your PO number raised and ready to go? This could also hold up the hiring process.
Smart hirers will move quickly to ensure they are securing the best possible talent. Freelancers are in high demand due to the diverse experience they have gained working on a variety of projects, so you are in constant competition to hire the best.
Remember the essence of the freelance workforce - it is a highly flexible resource, intended to be hired at short notice. Don't make the mistake of putting yourself in a full time and permanent employment process that should take much longer.
As part of the YunoJuno service, you have access to the Talent Team. Consisting of industry recruiters, not only can they help you find the perfect freelancer, they can help with the end to end process of writing and posting your brief.
Join today, and see how the Talent Team can help
