So, where you can find freelancers?
LinkedIn (and ProFinder)
LinkedIn is the virtual hometown of all professionals! Regardless of what service your business needs, you can find someone who has experience in the social network. The biggest bonus of LinkedIn is that you will be able to see not only the employment history of the person, but you will also get a personal feel for them. Profiles on LinkedIn often feel more natural and less “salesy” than those in other job boards. Apart from the traditional way, LinkedIn also offers a ProFinder section (also known as the Services Marketplace), which lets you search for and browse experts in many fields. Simply search for what you are looking for and countless profiles of open to work professionals will appear! There you can request a proposal and outline your project, get in touch and agree on the terms. The payment happens outside of Linkedin, and they don’t get a cut from the price! Try it out here.
Your network
This is arguably the most valuable resource you have when looking to hire new people. It may come from LinkedIn, from channels relating to your industry, from volunteering groups, from friends and family – regardless, getting a personal recommendation for a professional is often the best way to get peace of mind and avoid people who may look great on paper but will prove trouble down the line for you and your business. Furthermore, people in your network can be experts in something you don’t know and may give you advice that leads to you making a helpful change to your hiring process! Worried that your network is not advanced enough? Just remember that if you only know 20 people, and if everyone in your network knows 20 more people, that’s 400 people you can contact! So don’t get discouraged and always check with the people in your network before making a hire.
Job boards
This is often the most common way of sourcing talent. Job boards like Indeed, FlexJobs and Toptal shine with their abundance of talent (often featuring millions of freelancers) and cover the full spectrum of solutions – from budget options for bootstrapping a business, to expert workers for excellent results. These boards allow you to research different freelancers by checking their ratings and reviews, and also interview them to check if they are the right fit. This process also helps you to get a personal feeling for the expert, so you are not limited to trusting their digital persona when making a hiring decision. If you are in the market for hiring IT freelancers, we have already covered job boards for the purpose in this article.
Platforms and collectives
Freelancers may be independent, but they love coming together in supportive communities. Many platforms gather expert freelancers and focus on upskilling and organising workshops, webinars and meetups. Some platforms are based on locations, like The Indie List, which focuses on the Irish freelance ecosystem, while others are based on an industry – like Distributed, who work with IT freelancers. Approaching platforms for your hiring needs will provide you with a better structured experience, more targeted freelancers, and easy access to support from the platform. Platforms like freelancermap, Gigged.AI, Linkus, Distributed and MBO Partners are experts in connecting recruiters with freelancers, and trusting their experience will lead to a more friendly and positive hiring experience.
Communities
Freelance communities are often independent collectives of freelancers who share experience and opportunities. You will often get a colourful mix of different occupations, which can be useful if you are recruiting multiple people. The best thing about them is the collaborative spirit they share, meaning that even if you can’t find the best person for the job, you will often get a recommendation instead. And most communities are absolutely free, so if you are hiring on a budget, this option combines both cost-effectiveness and a curated and supporting mix of professionals. If you’re curious about freelance communities, you can join the Freelance Business Community here!
Recruiters or recruitment agencies
If you’d rather get an expert to help with your hiring needs, then turning to a recruiter or a recruitment agency can be the best course of action. As with freelance platforms, you will not have to go through the hiring process alone. The difference here is that you will have a dedicated person who will make sure that you not only get the right professional for the job, but will solve the compliance and administrative challenges that may come your way. The downside is that you will have to be prepared to pay a premium for the service (as opposed to the platforms mentioned above, which usually only charge a small fee). This can be a great option for HR managers who are more hesitant towards turning to the independent workforce and are after a peace of mind that they will get professional support throughout the process.
Regardless of what channel you use to onboard new talent in your team, you still need to take compliance into account! Legislation for independent workers is growing stricter year-on-year, and if your business is lacking in compliance, you can face a large fine. Consulting with lawyers, accountants, or companies like Charipickers and CXC Global, who are specialised at helping you get the maximum benefit from embracing the independent workforce, is a necessary step for success!
Happy hiring!
