It is common to make mistakes if you are human, but while it is okay to make mistakes, some might be very costly to recover from. This is true while you are outsourcing projects to freelancers. Where money is concerned, mistakes will prove to be hard to improve from.
When you see that it is time to scale up your business, then do so by hiring freelancers, since it is unwise to employ a different employee every time you have a new project at hand. So, here are some tips to avoid making some mistakes that could prove to be very costly.
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1. Full payment at the start of the job
This has to have the most significant no that you could have on the list. Freelancers work harder than any employees just for the fact that they would get paid handsomely for all their hard work. It is like working your way towards a dream you finally are close to achieving.
Most people make this mistake when hiring for the first time. Instead of making full payment at the start, set up a payment plan that is agreeable to the both of you. You will see people earn a 25% payment at the beginning of the jobs, then another 25% throughout the length of the project and finally at the end of the position, pay the rest of the money.
2. Perfectly describe how you want the job to be done
Another common mistake that new outsourcers do is that they provide vague details to the jobs that require doing. While it is the freelancer’s job to complete the project entirely, it is your job to explain it to the freelancer exactly how you want your project to be done.
For example, if you want software and have selected a good programmer, you may find that the completed product is not what you wanted, even when the programmer as a 5-star rating. This may happen when you put in a title “Make a Software” and give vague “Make a software” description. While the title is outstanding, the story is to make sure that your freelancer knows precisely what you want. If you want your software to tell you the time in English, put that in the description so that he does not make the software say time in Bangla!
Remember, the freelancer is not always at fault; sometimes it is wise to look at the job requirements yourself before you hand it over to the freelancer.
3. Do not be afraid to spend money
If you want a quality job done, then you HAVE to spend money. No professional freelancer will do your work at lower rates, lower rates of pay will usually get you desperate freelancers or freelancers who are just not dedicated enough to what they do.
Also, do not look for freelancers who are “Jacks of all trades and Master of none” reduce the cost of your project. A skilled freelancer will work on a project much better than a freelancer who is not an expert on any subject.
You also need to pay your freelancer the amount of money that was decided in an acceptable range of time. If your freelancer is talented, then he will want the same amount of dedication that he shows on YOUR project. If you do not do so, then you will lose a valuable freelancer, and your project will also not be up to the mark.
4. Avoid setting an unrealistic deadline
No matter how talented a freelancer is, he will require a certain amount of time to complete your project correctly. The keyword here is ‘Perfect,’ anyone can work on your project in a short amount of time. However, a perfect completion requires extensive research that you just cannot do without a reasonable amount of time. Remember, if you want a job to be done with quality, quality will take time.
If you are new to outsourcing and you do not know a time that is perfect for your project to be done, then look at freelancers who offer their service in similar projects. Take all the times that are posted and calculate an average. That will be your expected time to complete the project.
5. Do not fall for low payment asking freelancers/agencies
Remember that no expert will be willing to freelance at a low paying rate, it is usually the sad ones that set a low-paying standard. Freelancing is not a charity, it is a business, and in business, there is no charity.
You will find many freelancers like this in the market and even some agencies. However, none of them will give you the quality of work that a high-paid freelancer can. It is wise to be wary of freelancers that set low ask rate; you will know that these are new freelancers on the market and are desperate to establish themselves.
6. Do not fall out of contact with your hire
Communication is a vital part of outsourcing and freelancing. As an outsourcer, you must check the progress of your project promptly. Keep in contact with the freelancer and ask him about the problems he is facing and ask to view the progress that is made.
This way you will know exactly what is going on with your project and if there are some things that you want to be done and changed, you can say so. Doing so will not require a review later, and that may go to a rework which is both expensive and time-consuming.
Hopefully, these will help you avoid common mistakes that outsourcers usually make that, later on, hamper the quality of work. All of these have one thing in common. You have to be an engaging client to your freelancer, but be sure that you are friendly and serious about the job at the same time. You will soon see that all the mistakes that you will not make now will help you a lot and you will see a significant reduction in expenses.