Most common steps for a corporate organisation to hire a freelancer

Independent talent can be a better option for your business than full-time employees: for example, you may be faced with small, ad-hoc issues which require quick and flexible solutions. Or you might think about scaling up or having a new department or project, but don't want to commit by hiring a full team of employees. Or maybe you face a busy period and want temporary help until things quiet down.

In all of those instances, turning to independent workers can be the best strategy. In fact, more than a third of small businesses outsource work - even giants like Google and Skype have relied on freelancers to build some of their services.

So how would you go about hiring a freelancer in the most mutually-beneficial way and avoid a bad hire? The Freelance Business Community teamed up with the experts at Charipickers to bring you this short guide. Simply follow the steps we outlined below!

Before you start scouting for great talent, make sure you know what you are looking for. Sit down with your team and spot the gaps in your performance. What issue do you want solved? What results would you like delivered? The more information you have, the better.

Then, define how much you'd like to spend and for what period of time. Will your project be over in 6 months? A year? Two years? Do you have the budget for the whole duration or will you have to switch to a lowered-paid freelancer halfway through the project?

Freelancers can often cost less than hiring a full-time employee, and you won't have the added costs of health insurance and other social security contributions. Listen to Ian de Swart break down the Total Cost of Acquisition in his presentation below:

However, freelancers operate like businesses too - they pay their own taxes, insurance, and more, and this can affect their rates. Other factors can influence their prices too. According to Xolo, freelancers in Germany can cost up to three times more than freelancers from Spain, while developers and project managers often cost more than freelance copywriters or designers.

Finally, remember that you get what you pay for, so going for the cheapest option may lead to lower quality work for your projects.

More than 13 million freelancers live in the EU, so how do you find the right one for your business?

The first stop for many is job platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Gigged.AI, etc. They offer a wide range of talent and have in-build tools that can assist the hiring process. There are more than 1000 platforms on the market that connect freelancers with employers. How to choose the right one? Keep an eye out for the Platform Guide that Freelance Business Community will produce this year.

You can also get more specific with job boards which are targeted at a specific niche, such as TopCoder, which is a community aimed at the IT and tech freelancers, or Kolabtree, which helps you find science freelancers.

Freelancers can be hired via Collectives and Agencies such as Crosscast in Belgium, providing marketing talents to organisations, or The Indie List in Ireland who are focusing on creative and marketing profiles. These organisations have built a community of professionals around its brand and provide a more personal approach to talent recruitment. They often have a validation process for the professionals joining their community, so the quality of the talent is higher.

Being engaged with a freelance community can help you to find the right talent. A great list of communities can be found on Freelancing.eu website. Freelance Business Community also offers an opportunity for job givers to attend our activities and build relationships with suitable freelancers.

Contingency compliance agencies can help not only to find the right freelancers, but also set your talent strategy and paperwork so that new freelance hires can feel as part of the team. Companies like Charipickers, CXCGlobal, MBO Partners work with corporate organisations to help them with talent acquisition strategies that involve contingent workers.

All these options sound great, but many businesses are still apprehensive towards introducing strangers to their team. A solution would be to look in your team's network. Ask your employees if they know a person who might be interested in the position. LinkedIn is a great resource to get in touch with talent and find help.

Are you worried that the person you hire might not fulfil their obligations? Unfortunately, this is always a risk. The best way to ensure a good work relationship is to introduce a contract. It will allow you to lay out the dimensions of the project, settle on the price and payment options, agree on a course of action if things don't go according to plan and ensure all parties are staying legally compliant.

For detailed information on how to create a strong contract when hiring freelancers you can get in touch with Charipickers or read our guide.

A freelancer can be an extremely valuable resource for your business, so don't waste it! If you hire an external expert, give them some training and leave them to do their own thing, you are missing out on their added benefit. Instead, take active steps to integrate them. Introduce them to the team, invite them to meetings and team-buildings, etc.

Stay in touch with the contingent worker and make sure you listen to their suggestions and ideas. A fresh perspective is valuable in any business.

At the same time, don't overwhelm the freelancer with attention. Some people work best when they get the brief, send a draft, receive a few comments and make improvements. Rinse and repeat. Others prefer to have weekly progress update calls and be kept in the loop as much as possible. Make sure to define the scope of communication.

Any hiring decision carries a lot of responsibility and while the benefits of introducing independent experts to your team are obvious, it is just as possible for you to make a wrong decision which may hurt your business.

If you want to reap the benefits of hiring contingent experts but are concerned whether you can do it successfully, you can get help with your strategy and the onboarding process.

Charipickers are experts in hiring and managing a contingent workforce. They can help you plan your HR strategy so you know exactly what help you need and how to hire the right people for the job. Learn more here.