You might have heard of the 'thriving gig economy' in recent years. It's aligned with the growth of freelancers. For business owners, this presents a great opportunity, regardless of the size of your company.
If you've been thinking about hiring a freelancer but haven't been exactly sure how to do it, we've got you covered.
We're going to highlight what you need to know before you start the process.
Figure Out Your Needs
First things first, what exactly do you need your freelancer to do?
Will they help get your social media channels off the ground, create blog content, act as your company bookkeeper?
Whatever the answer is, you want to start with a clear idea of both your needs and the scope of the job you want them to do. The last thing you want is to hire someone and then get stuck at the next step, that's a waste of your time, and theirs.
Determine Your Pay Scale
In many instances, small businesses hire freelancers because they can't afford to bring someone on in that position at a full-time rate.
So a freelancer provides flexibility. You get to work with an expert and not worry about those extra benefits a full-time employee requires. Plus, many freelancers work remotely so there's an opportunity for you to embrace that too.
You can put some of those savings toward your freelancer budget. If you aren't sure exactly what to pay to do some research. Explore job boards that are offering similar roles or ask people in your network so you can set competitive rates.
Create a Contract
Just because you're hiring a freelancer it doesn't mean the working arrangement is casual. Always get a contract prepared for the work you do with them, just as you would with any other independent contractor.
Here's what you want to consider in your contract:
- The scope of the project including the statement of work, exactly what they will do for you.
- How, and when, they'll get paid.
- Deadlines or milestone dates, especially if they align with payment schedules.
- Any non-disclosure or privacy requirements and who owns any intellectual property created.
- What to do in case of conflict or an unfinished project.
There are tools you can use to generate a contract online, but it's never a bad idea to chat with your lawyer and make sure your bases are covered.
Develop an Onboarding Process
Your job doesn't end with the 'you're hired!' call to the freelancer. In fact, you're probably going to have a bunch of things you'll need to set up to ensure working with the freelancer goes smoothly.
Start by documenting the process. Go through the steps you'd like the freelancer to do, even cover the simple stuff like logging into the system. Write it all down.
Use this as a standard operating procedure to not only onboard your freelancers but other new hires or interns too.
Create Your Application
When it comes to hiring, from a full-time employee to a freelancer, your goal is to attract the best talent you can.
A big part of that ties into your job description and application. A lot of employers get stuck because they are too vague about what they are looking for or they haven't figured out what they want the employee to do.
If you've followed the tips we've laid out in order, you'll already be ahead of the pack by avoiding those mistakes.
Put the Word Out
Ok, now you're ready to officially start the hiring process. It's time to put the word out.
Post your application up on your local job board sites like Andrew Hudson's job list here in Colorado. Include bigger national sites like FlexJobs if you're hiring remotely.
Don't forget to ask around locally or on your social media too.
Understand the Impact on Workers' Comp Insurance
Most of the time, hiring a freelancer as an independent contractor won't have any impact on your workers' comp insurance in Colorado.
But, if you have any questions about Colorado workers' comp insurance as you start building your company, get in touch with Cake today.
You can get a quote online in as little as 5 minutes.
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