What to know before hiring someone on Freelance Platforms

Businesses around the world have come to a halt, and working remotely is now the new thing in the market in the new COVID19 world. On the other hand, many people have lost their jobs. As a result, freelancers are produced by the minute. 

With vast options of freelancers out in the market, what are some things you should look for before hiring a freelancer? How to make the experience successful with a freelancer?  

Finding the right freelancer should be done in a proper format. Not all freelancers out there will satisfy you. Some will take the payment and won’t respond or will give you a low-quality service. Others will give you a high-quality product that you have been hoping for. 

Where to locate Freelancers? 

There are many options to find a freelancer. They can be found on platforms such as Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr, Guru, PeoplePerHour to name a few.

These platforms provide numerous numbers of freelancers specializing in many fields like voice-overs, graphic designing, content writing, and many more.  

They are easily accessible for all employers and free to use. These platforms are properly designed to reduce the number of frauds in the freelancing world as it provides the facility of Escrow.

Moreover, communication between the employer and the freelancer is convenient. To conclude, these platforms are handy to get the job done. 

Payment 

It can be quite confusing when it comes to choosing a freelancer when it comes to cost. Freelancers can cost from as minimum as $5 to $5000 and beyond. Although tempting, going for the lowest cost is not always a good idea.  

In freelancing, good pay results in good quality. Likewise, low pay can lead you to not so experienced freelancers. But, however, this is not always the case. There are unexperienced fresh freelancers that can give outstanding results with minimal payment to get the experience they need.  

How to decide which one? 

With so many freelancers in a particular field, it is difficult to pick out which one. It can somewhat help to interview the freelancer on skype. In addition, asking for previous work samples or a portfolio can help determine exactly what the freelancer is capable of.

Furthermore, asking a freelancer to write a paragraph or two related to the niche you are looking for can give you an insight. Likewise, if a business employer is looking for some type of graphic design, he or she can ask the freelancer for a mockup.   

Communication 

Communication between the employer and the freelancer is essential. The nature of the work and the exact outcome should be discussed before assigning the task. Communication doesn’t end here. The client and the freelancer should be in touch with one another throughout the project.  

There are many ways for a freelancer and the client to interact. Communication can take place through emails, chat, video call, or even a conference call if there are more than one employer involved. Apps like Skype, WhatsApp, Outlook, zoom can be used to communicate in detail.  

Setting Milestones and getting updates 

When an employer has a lengthy project at hand with a freelancer, then it is crucial to set milestones. No employer wants to wait for weeks only to find out that the project is at its initial stage!

A proper milestone schedule with payment details should be finalized with the freelancer before starting the project. Another benefit of milestones is that it gives the freelancer encouragement and the trust to give excellent performance.  

Feedback / Reviews

Moreover, feedbacks and updates of the project should go back and forth among the client and freelancer. The greater the number of feedbacks, the better the result.

Summing up: In conclusion, hiring freelancers is not as straight forward as you may think, but it does get the job done.   

Quratulain Merchant

A content mother, a former student of Hisham Sarwar, and a professional SEO blogger on multiple niche giving services at Fiverr.