“Mom, I’m in big trouble.” The young man fidgets nervously in his chair.
“What’s wrong, Johnny?” As she stirs a pot on a stove, the woman glances over her shoulder at the man.
“My company has a few projects that we desperately need to accomplish.”
“So just hire someone.”
“We don’t want to take on any more permanent employees but none of our current workers have the skills to complete these projects.”
“Johnny, it sounds like you need a gig worker.” The woman puts teabags into two teacups and adds a scoop of sugar, a pinch of salt and a dash of oregano to each.
“A gig worker, eh? Do people really do gigs?”
“It’s a good thing you came to me, Johnny. I’ve been a content marketer for years, so I work with many freelancers.” The woman pulls a cell phone from her purse, and taps the screen to navigate the internet. “There are a lot of independent workers out there. In fact, MarketWatch says here that there are 78 million freelancers making money outside of the traditional workplace. Gig workers drive for Uber or Lyft, rent out their homes to guests through Airbnb, sell on Etsy or eBay, create graphics for logos, and write content for business and organizations.”
“That all sounds great, Mom, but how exactly do you find and hire the perfect freelancer out of 78 million candidates?”
“Sit down, son, and I’ll lay out it seven easy steps.”
How to Hire a Fabulous Freelancer in 7 Easy Steps
The woman retrieves the pot of apple juice and milk from the stove, and pours the contents over the teabags. After returning the pot to the stove, the woman sits down, draws in a deep breath and begins.
1. Focus on the scope of work
Write down everything the gig worker will need to know to complete the project. First, determine the specific job or task you want the gig worker to perform. This makes it easier to decide whether you will need to look for a writer to create content or for a webmaster to post it to your website, for example.
2. Summarize the goals, responsibilities and timeline for the freelance position
Gig workers are not mind readers unless you hire me, of course, because your mother always knows exactly what you need. Otherwise, create a contract that details of what you expect the freelancer to perform, the expected date of completion, and the amount you will pay for that work.
3. Use technology to find someone as fabulous as your own mother
Fire up that computer or smartphone to source, screen, qualify and manage your freelancer. The best freelancer talent marketplaces use artificial intelligence (AI) to help you find the perfect gig worker for nearly every task your organization performs, from bookkeeping to marketing.
4. Create casting calls or other opportunities for freelancers to pitch their skills
Various talent marketplaces have a page where you can detail your preferences in the workers you seek. Let them discover what a great son you are!
5. Appoint someone in your organization as the official contact person
Determine which internal team member will train and manage the freelancer, answer questions and secure payment. Be ready to provide reliable contact information to the gig worker. As your mother, I am always available to control every aspect of this process.
6. Prepare to compete
Gig workers are in high demand these days, and many freelances are working for multiple clients at any given time. To attract the best workers, you might consider beefier pay and longer deadlines.
7. Streamline the onboarding process
To maximize their earning potential without charging you more, and to help you meet your deadlines, freelancers need to jump right into the project at hand without the lengthy orientation process that permanent employees go through. Streamline the onboarding process by providing your freelancer with a short project description that includes only the information they need to complete the task.”
“Thanks, Mom. Now I know what I need to do to hire qualified gig workers at my company.”
“No problem, Johnny, I am always glad to help. But I noticed you didn’t touch your tea.”
“Mom, I have to say… you may know how to hire gig workers, but you make the world’s worst tea! For more information, I believe I will contact WriterAccess. They have a small army of freelancers just waiting to hear from me!”
Lynn H has been a professional writer, providing exceptional content online and offline, for nearly 20 years. In that time, she has penned thousands of articles for doctors, universities, researchers, small businesses, nursing organizations, sole proprietors and more. She writes everything from blogs to white papers; her specialty is putting complex scientific concepts in simple terms. She specializes in medical writing, creating informative and engaging content for professionals in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, medical manufacturing, chiropractics, optometry, emergency care, plastic surgery and others.
