Congratulations, you need to hire a freelancer! The time has come in your business where you need an extra set of eyes, ears, and hands.
You have not quite reached the point of needing full-time assistance, but you are able to use project-based help. Finding a qualified freelancer who will handle your baby (business) with care can be extremely difficult. Not only are you trusting someone with your business needs, but you are coughing up your hard-earned dough. You don’t want to waste your time and funds on just anyone.
To ensure you find the right freelancer fit, here are ten questions to ask before you say “You’re hired”:
What type of projects have you worked on before that are related to mine?
While interviewing your freelancer, try and keep the conversation on your project and the specific skills you require to complete the job. Have her/him speak to those needs. If they can’t, this should be a red flag. You are not looking for someone who is just transitioning into this type of work. Next!!
Are you able to commit to this project from start to finish?
There is nothing more annoying than bringing on a freelancer who two weeks later has to quit due to “other work obligations.” Like, really!!! Some freelancers chase money, which isn’t a bad thing, but when it comes to their work effort, they just want a quick buck: Let me do this real quick, in a short period of time, get that money, and take off. They aren’t thinking about how you may not want to be turned into quick work and that your project may take the full amount of time you’ve estimated. Because of these freelance hustlers, always only put down a deposit, never pay the full cost in advance.
How can we ensure a successful project working remotely? Are you receptive to answering emails/texts in a timely fashion?
One of my biggest pet peeves EVER is someone being unresponsive to emails or texts, especially when it’s business related. You are obligated to respond in a timely manner. For me, a text message or email, if sent during business hours, should be responded to that same day. No excuse why you should have a client waiting 24 hours for a response; especially if it’s a 1-2-3 answer. And if it isn’t, at least respond back to say, “I’m looking into this and will get back to you.” Definitely find out upfront how good they are with responding.
Tell me about your previous project: any challenges, and how were they handled?
Try and get the freelancer to speak about obstacles they were faced with while working on a project (e.g., missing a deadline, having a disagreement with a client, etc.) and how the freelancer responded and dealt with it. You should be able to tell if the freelancer is speaking the truth, beating around the bush, or flat-out lying. Either way, check their references!
What would you do first if hired for this project?
For a professional and skilled freelancer this question will be relatively easy to answer, because he/she is prepared with ideas and knowledge on what your project’s needs are and how he/she will assist on that matter.
Does your current bandwidth allow you to work on this project?
This goes back to question #2. Find out more about what their current schedule is; do they work full-time and have side projects? are they a full-time freelancer with three other projects? Dive deeper into this to see where your project would land on the freelancer’s plate.
Are you comfortable signing a confidentiality agreement?
This is a standard formality that no freelancer should have an issue with. If so, end the interview immediately.
Related article: Building a Successful Business with Judith Jacques
Are you Google savvy?
You have no idea how many people I had to train on how to use Google Hangouts and Google Drive. Working on a project remotely will require file sharing and possibly other communication methods outside of the phone and email. Whatever your technology needs are on the project, write them down and go over each one to ensure your freelancer has the skills to not only complete the task but to share and communicate with you on your terms (what works best for you—to make your life easier).
What questions do you have for me?
Pretty standard question, right? Give your freelancer the opportunity to ask you specifics about the project. If he/she does not have any questions, recap the project needs, your expectations, and when you are looking to make a final hiring decision.
In closing, do you get a good vibe from the freelancer and potentially would like to move forward? Then speak about the compensation and payment terms.
If you’re uninterested I wouldn’t mention compensation, as they are not getting the job anyway. Lastly, ask for two to three references and actually call or email them to verify work was completed and their opinion on not only the work but the freelancer’s personality and attitude toward working on the project and the project itself. This will tell you a lot about who you are signing on to work with.
Good luck on your search.