Turbocharge Your Team with Expert Freelance Hires
Every manager knows the drill. Budgets are smaller, deadlines tighter, but the list of deliverables keeps growing. You’re under increasing pressure to get more done with less time, money, and resources. Hire freelancers to boost productivity and team morale without incurring all the costs of a full-time hire.
Table of contents
- Gain Expertise and Get Projects Done with Flexible Freelancers
- Freelance Hires Help the Bottom Line, Here’s How
- Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring Freelancers
- Today's Hottest Freelance Hires
- Agile, Scaled Teams Are Great Anytime, But Particularly During Uncertainty
- When to Hire Freelancers Vs. Full-time Employees
- How to Manage Freelancers for Maximum Returns
- The Secret to Finding the Pre-vetted Freelance Hires
Gain Expertise and Get Projects Done with Flexible Freelancers
With the constant evolution of technology and the workplace, companies are choosing to hire freelancers as a talent management strategy. Hiring freelancers is a smart solution that allows you to stay flexible when it comes to headcount and the natural ebbs and flows of workload.
Freelancers are accustomed to the gig lifestyle and many are experienced at working from anywhere, being on-boarded remotely, and delivering against expectations as proven self-starters. Plus, freelancers bring the soft skills needed such as adaptability, communication, and distributed collaboration to hit the ground running and be successful.
Freelancers are likely to be motivated to deliver excellence on time because it’s in their best interest to exceed expectations. A good reputation means future bookings. Contracted talent offers you the flexibility to add experience and expertise as needed, without the extra cost and time associated with hiring and managing full-time employees.
Read more about the benefits of a flexible freelance approach to talent management.
Hiring Freelancers Helps Your Bottom Line, Here’s How
Companies who hire freelancers often seek a smart solution for accessing high-demand skills when they are not ready or able to make a full-time hire. Freelancers are a great way to control headcount and related costs while filling a team gap or getting mission-critical initiatives accomplished.
Relying on freelancers is a way to manage personnel budgets because freelancers do not incur the added costs of full-time hires such as annual salary, benefits, training, employment insurance, payroll taxes, retirement contributions, and more.
Freelancers are paid for the hours they work, and that’s it. For companies motivated by economic and timeline constraints, freelancers help you get things done in the fastest time at the least cost.
Learn how companies use a freelance strategy to stay fiscally fit here. If your company is interested in increasing your bottom line, talk to our freelance recruiters and learn more today.
Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring Freelancers
If you’re considering hiring freelancers on your own, here is some advice:
Beware of the lowest rate. Sometimes paying bottom dollar gets you what you pay for: low-quality output that requires revisions or additional freelance help to fix what went wrong.
If you do find a candidate that seems to be in the right price and work quality range, don’t forget that team and culture fit are important considerations too. And to further ensure a successful engagement, make sure you and the freelancer both have the tools and processes in place to support the collaboration. To understand better what to consider when you hire freelancers, read more advice here.
Today's Hottest Freelance Hires
With the constant evolution of technology in the workplace, hiring a skilled freelancer is becoming a preferred choice for employers.
When speaking to our clients on a day to day basis the current top in-demand freelancers are:
- Social Media Managers
- UX Designers
- Email Marketing Managers
- Project Managers
- Graphic Designers
- SEO specialists
- Ecommerce Managers
- Content Creators
- Performance Marketing
Creative, digital and marketing freelancers continue to be the most in-demand hires across industries.
If you're looking to scale your digital, marketing, or creative team, hiring freelancers is a solution that will save you time and money and provide you access to specialized experts.
Agile, Scaled Teams Are Great Anytime, But Particularly During Uncertainty
During prosperous times and periods of uncertainty, an agile workforce strategy that blends full-time and freelance hires is how the smartest companies successfully fine-tune their talent needs to business demands.
Hiring freelancers as you go and as initiative deliverables mount is how managers scale resources when headcount additions aren’t possible. But even when full-time hiring budgets are approved, freelancers are useful to keep projects moving forward and unburden a multi-tasking team as the full-time search proceeds.
Having a freelancer on board also allows the manager to test the open role in action, adjusting the expectations and requirements based on real-life results. And sometimes the freelancer is a perfect functionality, team, and culture match. Many of 24 Seven’s freelance hires convert to full-time employees for our clients.
Just-in-time freelance talent can turn out to be your just-right new full-time teammate when you’re ready to add permanent members. Learn why hiring freelancers might be the right strategy for you.
When to Hire Freelancers Vs. Full-time Employees
If you have an opening on your team, you may be wondering if you should move forward with a freelance hire or full-time employee. You're not alone. Our freelance recruiters at 24 Seven often coach clients through these very questions as we develop their hiring plans.
No matter the position, you should assess your needs first, weigh all your options and then make sure you have access to the best talent available.
Some benefits of hiring freelancers include:
- Affordability – Right off the bat, you are not responsible for large overhead costs
- Flexibility – You are not locked into set schedules when it comes to assigning tasks, so things can get done quickly and efficiently.
- Specific Skills – If you need a very specific task completed — for instance, SEO or SEM work — hiring freelance experts is the best way to go
Sometimes a sound strategy is to use freelancers to keep projects moving forward while you search for the perfect full-time hire. At 24 Seven our freelance recruiters call this our Total Talent Formula.
To learn more about the benefits of hiring freelancers vs. full-time employees and to figure out which strategy is right for you, click here.
How to Manage Freelance Hires for Maximum Returns
Companies hire freelancers as a just-in-time resource to address specialized talent gaps on teams. They are an extra set of hands to get projects done when to-do lists keep growing or full-time headcounts shrink. But to make sure these contributors are engaged members of the team, mindful management of your freelance hires is key.
Freelancers are most productive when they have a clear understanding of project scope, deadlines, and overall expectations.
When managing freelancers, establishing set work times, work/life boundaries, and open communication is critically important, as is providing all the tools the freelancer will need to track their progress and correspond efficiently with project stakeholders.
Freelancers bring a focused expertise that enhances the team they support. When a company decides to hire freelancers, managers should treat them as an essential team member who deserves the attention and consideration that any employee would expect.
Fostering a mutually respectful working relationship pays off in goodwill and future efficiency. Freelancers who have a positive experience with a client will often request that 24 Seven keep them top of mind for future work with that employer.
Managers should remember that a proven freelance re-hire equals faster ramp-up time and greater productivity with each retainer. Get more freelancer management tips here.
The Secret to Finding Pre-Vetted Freelancers
If you’ve decided that now’s the time to hire freelancers, you might consider working with a freelance recruiter that specializes in placing vetted, specially trained professionals for gig work. Here at 24 Seven, we pioneered the freelance talent concept, and have a tech-forward, seamless approach to identifying, matching, placing, and onboarding candidates based on each client’s goals and culture.
When you hire freelancers through a recruitment agency like 24 Seven, we’re the employer of record. We shoulder the burden of employment, from benefits to onboarding, payroll, and candidate communication. To learn more about working with a freelance recruitment agency click here.
Get Paired with a Perfectly-matched Freelance Hire, Partner with a Freelance Recruitment Agency
24 Seven has made it incredibly simple to bring on highly-skilled, pre-screened doers just when you need them. With our vast connections, hiring specialized freelancers is speedy and efficient. Our expertise means that you don’t need to wade through thousands of resumes, profiles, or portfolios when you hire freelancers. And our high-touch approach means our freelance candidates are vetted and prepped before every assignment, so they're ready to hit the ground running with experience out of today's hottest startups and leading brands. Partner with our freelance recruitment agency and find the talent your company needs!
Connect with one of our expert freelance recruiters now!