Benefits of Freelancers

Benefits Of Freelancers

Hiring freelance staff can be a flexible, cost-effective way to import skills and fresh perspectives into your business, while freeing you to focus on other areas of development. It can help your organisation to be more competitive and to complete projects faster, without permanently adding to your overheads.

If you have a short term project that your business is understaffed to tackle, then hiring freelance staff could be the perfect solution.

Why Use Freelancers?

  • Hiring freelancers can save valuable time spent interviewing, since hiring permanent staff requires a much lengthier process, including several rounds of interviews
  • Your business will be more agile and able to respond to changes and challenges in your marketplace far more rapidly

Finding the right freelancer for your organisation need not be a hit and miss affair. Begin by carefully specifying exactly what you need and consider the following issues:

  • What is the precise role of the freelancer in this project?
  • Will they be able to deliver by set deadlines?
  • Which of your staff will they need to interact with?
  • What guidance will they need?
  • What guidance will be available?
  • Ensure that you have the necessary budget allowance available
  • Make sure that their experience matches your needs

It is important to look for evidence of a track record that demonstrates experience that meets your needs for the project. This way, you should be reassured that the freelancer will get up to speed quickly. Most freelance staff are highly capable, since they have built up a history of varied short term contracts in a variety of contexts.

Cost Decisions

As with many things in life, you usually get what you pay for. If one freelancer is significantly cheaper than another, yet appears to offer similar services, ask yourself why. It can be a false economy to pay below the market rate and you need to be sure that you are hiring the professionalism and experience you need for an end product you will be delighted with.

Potential Downsides

Employers need to enter into relationships with freelancers understanding both the positive and possible negative aspects. Here are some points to consider:

  • You need to manage freelance staff differently, since they are not necessarily intimately acquainted with or motivated by your vision for the company
  • They don't build the same depth of working relationships as long term employees, so may need to be sensitively educated regarding certain values and practices
  • They may not go the 'extra mile' in their work, since they don't have a long term interest in your business

Developing the Freelance Relationship

Despite their experience and specialism in a particular area, it is important to review a freelancer's work at each milestone of your project to ensure that it meets (or hopefully) exceeds expected standards. Don't wait until the end to discover you wanted something different or better.

Seek to maintain a good relationship with freelancers when projects come to an end to pave the way for possible future projects. You may want to engage this person again – in which case, next time it will be as simple as booking them in – or you may want to employ them full time.

Contact COREcruitment to speak to one of our specialist consultants about opportunities to strengthen your business with freelance staff. Talk to us about:

  • Temporary jobs
  • Interim management jobs
  • Project management jobs
  • Freelance jobs
  • Short term contract jobs