Top Questions To Ask Before Hiring a Freelancer
Posted: Friday, May 22, 2009
by J.R. Pittman
http://www.yesfreelance.com
In most of our freelance articles for business owners, we recommend interviewing your potential freelancer much like you would an employee. However, the fact remains that freelancers arent employees; situations can and will arise that normally wouldnt in a traditional employer/employee atmosphere.
For instance, an employee only needs to know enough to do their specific job. A freelancer, on the other hand, must know more about your company than an employee, due to the fact that they will be 1) working on their own and 2) generally unable to ask questions on an hourly or daily basis.
1. First and foremost, ask for references. If the freelancer has a portfolio youve already seen samples, but you need an email or phone number from at least three clients. Once you have those references, make sure you contact them; dont just assume they must be good because you have them. Instead of focusing on the quality of work the portfolio already shows it -, focus more on whether the freelancer was timely, difficult to work with and if they provided updates on a regular basis.
2. Ask how they prefer to work. Many prefer to work on their own and give weekly updates, while others prefer to be able to contact the business owner at any given time. Whether their answer is right, all depends on how you prefer to work. How do they contact the business owner (phone, email, instant messenger)? Are they willing to work with you to meet your needs in work, contact and hourly preferences?
3. Do they use contracts? Whether you like the idea of contracts or not, they are an essential part of freelance/employer inner workings. Not only does it allow both of you to trust each other a little more, a contract will also give the freelancer something to look at when they need to make sure theyve fulfilled their obligations. The answer here should be yes, and the contract should be in depth.
4. How would they deal with the project if they had a question and were unable to reach you? This is definitely important. Some freelancers will make their own decisions in this situation, while others will put the project on hold until they can reach you, or work on a different area of the project if possible. Depending on the level of precision needed in the project, making decisions on their own can be disastrous. Make sure their answer matches your needs.
5. Do they allow revisions and, if so, how many? On average, a good, professional freelancer will get the deliverables right the first time. However, the possibility always exists that there will be issues when they originally turn in the project. The answer should always be yes, and one to three revisions depending on the project should be expected.
The process of hiring a freelancer can be as involved as hiring an employee. However, the quality deliverables and quality worker you'll get in return far outweigh the time spent. Good luck, and good hunting for the best professional to meet your needs!
Copyright 2009 - 2010 YesFreelance - Article may be reproduced, in its entirety, as long as copyright, resource box and links are retained. J.R. Pittman is currently a freelance writer for YesFreelance, and has several years experience as both a freelancer and a business owner hiring freelacers. YesFreelance.com offers business owners a platform for hiring skilled freelancers on a project-by-project basis.
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