How To Find Good Freelancers

Businesses often find that freelancers are preferable to employees. For one thing, they can work off-site at their own home or office. They require minimal supervision, are responsible for their own taxes, and can be replaced at a moment's notice. Alas, not all freelancers are of equal quality. Some are more talented, diligent, or reliable than others, and which ones you hire can make all the difference. If you've decided that freelancers are the way to go, it is imperative that you uncover the best ones you can possibly find.

Following are several ways to hire good freelancers while weeding out bad ones.

The first step is gathering a good-sized list of freelancer candidates to choose from. For that, we'll head over to vWorker.com and Craigslist. The way it works on vWorker is that you (the one looking for freelancers) post the description of a job you want done. In that description, you are free to describe both the job itself and the type of people you are looking for to complete it. Then, freelancers can "bid" on your job by stating an amount they are willing to work for. You are then free to hire whichever one(s) you want. On Craigslist, there is no bidding. Simply post the job you want done and/or look for people who are advertising themselves as freelancers.

The right kind of college students make excellent freelancers. From your standpoint, it's the best of both worlds: You get someone who is educated, but not yet established with a degree or career. A motivated student will usually be thrilled to work from home on projects that speak to his or her interests versus working at coffee shops or grocery stores until graduation. As an added bonus, students tend to be happier with lower pay than someone who already had their degree would be. But remember, not just any college student will do. You want students who, despite their age, are already disciplined enough to work in an unsupervised manner.

The best freelancers tend to be people with long-standing and pre-existing interest in the type of work you need done. Let's say, for instance, that you need someone to write articles for a financial blog. Let's also say that you find two candidates: one who genuinely likes financial topics, and another who "seems" capable but has no real interest in finance. All else equal, the first candidate is the ideal choice. For one thing, you will spend far less time coaching or educating them. Moreover, someone who is enthusiastic about the task at hand will usually do a better job than someone who is just trying to get paid.

The sharpest and hardest-working freelancers are not likely to be available for "one and done" projects. Rather, they generally prefer to obtain steady work from a select few clients. Thus, if you truthfully do have long-term work available, this is a point in your favor. When writing ads on vWorker or Craigslist (or anywhere else), indicate that you envision working with whomever you hire for a long time to come. Be sure to also note, however, that the availability of long-term work is tied to quality. Use disqualifying phrases such as "I am a stickler for grammar" or "rushed work will not be accepted" in order to drive poor applicants away.

Once you have a handful of candidates, it's time to run them through the maze. As quickly as possible, dispatch a test assignment to each freelancer you are considering. The task should be challenging enough that a truly motivated candidate will have to demonstrate his commitment and abilities in order to finish it. If you are hiring a graphic designer, ask them to redesign a semi-important page on your website. If you are hiring a writer, ask them to write about a topic that is do-able but not laughably easy. How they perform under the weight of immediate and unfamiliar expectations will go a long way toward revealing their talent and work ethic.

Finally, it is important that you unambiguously set forth your expectations as a client. This can be as simple as a quick talking-to prior to hiring or as serious as asking freelancers to commit to a written code. Copywriting legend John Carlton once elaborated "The Professional's Code", which states:

"You show up where you said you'd be, when you said you'd be there, having done what you said you'd do."

He also noted that this is, in his experience, one of the toughest lessons for freelancers to learn. In any case, you must communicate your expectations in the way of deadlines, commitment and quality. Good freelancers will take constructive criticism in stride. Be wary of anyone who reacts volcanically to the mere suggestion that they commit to high standards in advance.

About the Author: Eric Flores is a freelance writer for Adobe. Adobe software, such as video software, and services revolutionize how the world engages with ideas and information; anytime, anywhere, and through any medium. On their website you can find a PDF to Word converter as well as many other tools.