If you have your own business and there is a specific project that you need done, how do you go about finding the right person to do it? In the past there has always been the traditional route of hiring permanent staff but today more and more people are choosing to work with freelancers because of the benefit that freelancers provide. How should you go about finding a freelancer who has the necessary skills you need, what should you look for and where should you be looking.



One of the easiest places to find a freelancer these days is on freelance jobs boards such as freelanceworkexchange.com, elance.com and guru.com. To find a freelancer on these websites you will need to start with your project description. The more specific your project description is, the more likely you are to find the right person for the job. Your project description should be well written and should include exactly what you are looking for, if you have a time frame you will need the work done in and what this time frame is as well as any requirements you are seeking from the freelancer.

Once people start responding to the project you posted you should carefully consider each application as you would if you were hiring permanent staff. Take a look at the wording of the proposal as well as details that may be available regarding feedback about this freelancer, how much they have earned, etc. There are unfortunately a number of freelancers bidding for projects on these boards who do not know what they are doing but this is usually evident from the first project proposal. If possible take a look at some other proposals they have submitted to the website. Freelancers who do not know what they are doing are more likely to submit exactly the same proposal for each project, although the price may vary, the wording will remain the same. Professional freelancers know how to adapt their proposal to each individual bid that they place.

Another very important factor in most cases is the portfolio of work. If you are offering an administrative position this is sometimes harder to provide examples of work for and a portfolio may not be as necessary but if you are looking for a freelance writer, web designer, artist or a number of other fields then a portfolio should be vital. Take a look at their portfolio and consider whether they are offering the type of work you are looking for. If the person has a well presented portfolio that displays the kind of work you are looking for then you are a lot less likely to encounter problems with them down the line or have to require too many revisions from them.

Try sending them a couple of messages before deciding if they are the ones you want to choose for your project and see how quickly they reply. Good freelancers should be easily contactable. If you prefer other methods of communicating with your freelancers then you should include this information in your project description and ask your prospective freelancers how they will be able to communicate with you. Communication is a vital aspect of any working relationship and perhaps even more so when working with a freelancer.

The easiest place to find freelancers is using freelance jobs boards, however when using these boards there are a number of things you will want to look at when choosing your freelancer. The first thing you should consider is the proposal itself along with any reviews, feedback and details of amount earned. You should also take a careful look at their portfolio - are they offering the kind of work that you want your freelancer to do? Lastly, once you have eliminated a couple of prospects through the above methods try communicating with some of your prospective freelancers, make it clear that you are still selecting a freelancer but see how quickly they respond to your messages as communication is vital for any business, particularly when working with a freelancer. If you follow these steps when choosing your freelancer you are more likely to find a freelance partner that is able to offer work of a high standard and give you what you are looking for.