5 tips for startups hiring freelancers online
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Start-ups and Freelancers are no less than soul mates. A venture just embarked upon and an independent talent searching for work in his area of expertise, are simply pursuing each other. But that said, Start-ups do need to find a freelancer that is just meant for their work. Freelancers can be found in abundance in today’s times, but it is up to you as a start-up to hire the best-suited one for your job. So, let us take a look at the points that you need to keep in mind before hiring a freelancer:
• The Talent Hunt: Let’s start with searching for freelancers. And what better a place could be than the internet for this job. Websites like Flitlance, Upwork etc. have a good database of talents from all kinds of domains. You can look at the descriptions of each and choose the right one for you. Alternatively, you can also use your network to do this job for you. Ask your friends, colleagues etc. to recommend you someone for your work. Whatever you do, make sure you contact the guy personally through emails, calls or face-to-face to make sure he is the one you need.
• Experience and Skills: More experienced freelancer may come expensive but he certainly know the work better. A fresher might be more adapt
able to new technologies but might not have the required experience to work on it. Thus, it is up to you to choose the one that you believe can do your job.
• Defining the Job:Transparency is an indispensable element in any business. Before Hiring a freelancer, you need to make clear what is required of him. Not only the job but the schedule, the deadlines etc. all need to be defined beforehand. You mig
ht also want to explain your project’s scope if necessary.
• Take Care of the Legal End: Remember, he’s not a regular employee, he’s an independent freelancer. You need to legally state that as a business owner you are the sole owner of all his work done on your project. Moreover, you also might want to prohibit him from working on similar projects for your competitors to protect your assets. Thus, a proper legal contract is necessary to make sure he agrees to your terms. It is advisable to consult a legal attorney f
or the task.
• Know Your Taxes: As we stated earlier, a freelancer is different from a regular employee. He might have a business of his own, or might be just an independent contractor. Whatever the case may be, you need to take care of the taxes you may or may not need to pay for him. For example, there are some payroll taxes that need to be paid by you on behalf of your regular employees. Same might not be the case with the hired freelancers. Thus, a homework on your tax laws is necessary before you hire a freelancer.
Hiring the right freelancer is necessary for your project in more ways than one. Also, just because they are hired talents you cannot go easy on them. Their work needs to be monitored to make sure its quality and accuracy with your requirements. For more information on freelancers and freelancing, feel free to follow us.