Engaging freelancers can be beneficial for both companies and candidates. While organizations can take advantage of better talent, greater cost savings, and improved productivity, freelancers appreciate the flexibility, autonomy, and better work-life balance that often come with remote work.
Around half of U.S. workers already work remotely to some degree—with this number expected to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, engaging freelancers require a different approach, as you’re not just looking for the right skill sets but also for suitability in a remote working environment.
By adapting your hiring practices to assess remote talent better, you can reap the benefits of having a wider pool of freelancers to choose from while simultaneously reducing operational costs.
Here are five remote hiring best practices to improve your methodology and get the best results:
- Be clear about expectations when hiring remote talent
- Establish an interview process for hiring remote talent, take the time to do it, and don’t deviate
- Practice strong communication when hiring remote talent, and establish communication etiquette preferences
- Assign a specific full-time worker to focus on recruiting the top remote talent
- Evaluate and modernize your technology to scale your remote team as needed
1. Be clear about expectations when hiring remote talent
One of the worst things you can do when posting a job is to be too vague with your needs. What you can do for an optimal outcome is clearly define the expectations in the description, including the scope and context of each project or role, and ask them to provide transparency into the time they anticipate needing to complete the task.
Providing a budget range is also helpful in attracting top talent, as many freelancers will appreciate knowing if it matches their needs upfront. If you are unsure how to budget for a project, ask yourself what is needed, how much experience or skill it takes to get the work done, and explore similar projects.
Include in your project post the specific skills you are hiring for, such as software documentation, data entry, project management, or bookkeeping. Using specifics can help the right talent find your job or help you track down a great remote worker profile to invite. GoDaddy, for instance, scaled its web design team by looking for specific skills on Upwork.
2. Establish an interview process for hiring remote talent, take the time to do it, and don’t deviate
When you are in a pinch to meet deadlines and revenue goals, you may be tempted to quickly build a remote team and forget about the importance of an interview process. While engaging freelancers on a platform differ from a traditional interview, you can still develop a process that allows you to end up with the best worker for your needs.
Your process could include reviewing submitted samples or portfolios, having the freelancer take a skill test, and allowing them to virtually meet current team members to see how well they mesh.
Another step may be to include specific follow-up questions or a scheduled call or video call to discuss the needs in greater detail. Be upfront about your time expectations and deadlines, and ask your potential new collaborator to be realistic about what they can accomplish.
Request sample work where applicable, so you have tangible proof of similar jobs they have completed in the past.
3. Practice strong communication when hiring remote talent, and establish communication etiquette preferences
Establishing strong communication with your freelance team members is critical as you begin to launch a collaboration with a remote team. Especially if there is a new freelancer who has additional questions, being available to answer these can help the project move along more quickly and successfully.
Overcommunication is often preferred to under-communication. If you are unsure if you should share a detail, go ahead and share it. You are working with new personalities and possibly different generations, so defaulting to overcommunication will ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
To empower your communication a step further, you can establish your contact preferences. For example, you can specify that an individual worker can send an email to reach you anytime, but you will only respond during standard business hours. Freelancers typically set their schedules and may work after business hours or on weekends, or they may be in a different time zone.
While this could mean important work is getting completed while you sleep, a remote worker will appreciate knowing when is the best time and method to contact you.
Having a designated spot to check for project updates on your own time is another form of communication etiquette that can deliver a smoother-flowing project.
Additionally, having a designated check-in time set forth at the beginning of the project can help tasks stay on track. Upwork gives you an option to set milestones for certain jobs, so you can create a few check-in points to make sure things are getting done correctly. This approach can prevent confusion and benefit both parties.
4. Dedicate resources to recruiting the top talent
It can be helpful to dedicate specific resources to making recruiting a top priority. For example, an in-house professional can build relationships with a remote team, which can be a plus for future needs. Most individuals will appreciate the human connection component, and having strong professional relationships may also mean your remote team builds loyalty to you and your company.
Knowing which pools of talent may be best for ongoing or upcoming assignments can prepare you further, and streamlining this process can increase overall productivity. Furthermore, having one point of contact will make it easier to communicate project updates.
5. Evaluate and modernize your technology to scale your remote team as needed
While embracing this modern approach to getting work done, your technology may need to catch up. Be willing to evaluate what you are currently using to see if it is truly the best fit to cover all your collaboration needs. There is numerous software available that may work more efficiently when adding a remote team, such as work management platforms, communication channels, and video conferencing systems.
Investing in Upwork Enterprise is a great way to streamline your digital recruiting and hiring process. Our on-demand remote platform helps connect you with the top talent from a large pool of remote workers. This means faster growth, with less effort spent on recruiting and hiring. We also provide a customized talent cloud, so once you have freelancers you trust, we make it easy to rehire them.
Find the top remote talent
To find the best remote talent, explore our platform which has been connecting the top talent with organizations for years. We have freelancers for almost any type of project who work quickly, efficiently, and get the job done.
Because remote workers are generally more productive, you may find that you can accomplish your project goals quicker and with a smaller budget than expected. One example is how GoDaddy was able to launch a program three times faster using freelancers on Upwork.
