Define Your Needs Upfront
Locating the right Freelancer for your project can seem overwhelming, especially if you don't know where and how to begin. The first step when searching for a Freelancer, versus a full-time employee, is knowing where to look. The second step is accurately describing your project needs.
Most Employers can navigate their way across the Internet to job sites like Guru.com that cater to Freelancers. Once there though, many people struggle to define their project needs well enough to post a successful project description.
Sweat the details
Although you may have a general idea of what you need — a web page designed, a network set up, or a business plan written — you may be fuzzy on the details relating to your project. The fine details ultimately determine the success or failure of the posting. And, more often than not, it's these details that are lacking from project postings.
Before you post your project, you should gather as much information about your needs as you can. If you need a website for your small business, use the internet and look at the websites of other small businesses. What text do they contain? How many pages are included? What information do you like? If you are able to do so, ask friends or colleagues who recently had a website designed and see what they did. What questions did their Freelancer ask them in order to complete the project? Did they dictate when the website was to be started and completed? Did they detail the company vision and the use of the site to give the developer an idea of the look and feel of the website? You can also contact a web design firm, although their rates may be more expensive than those of a Freelancer, to get an idea of the pricing involved, information required, and time frame needed.
The questions may vary per project, but there are basic elements to each project description. Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to post a thorough project vision, present a good Employer image to the Freelancers and receive higher quality quotes.
- Skill category: In which skill category and subcategory will you find the Freelancer? Guru.com is divided into skill categories and subcategories. An Employer seeking a grant writer would select the subcategory "Grants & Proposals" under the category "Writing, Editing, & Translation." An employer looking for a data entry Freelancer would select the subcategory "Data Entry" under the category "Admin Support."
- Project title: What is the title of your project? It's best to list a simple, straightforward title, since Freelancers will see the title of the project before they see any other information. Titles such as "Project Manager" and "Photographer" grab the Freelancer's attention and tell them exactly what the project involves. Titles such as "greenfrogs.com" may cause them to pass over the project, believing it has nothing to do with their skill set.
- Project description: What is your project description? This is the most important part of your project posting. Here is where you will describe everything about your project. A precise description will give the Freelancer a better view of your needs and enable them to produce a quality quote for your project that includes a cost and time estimate. Project descriptions should include:
- What work is needed,
- Some background on your organization and the reason for the project,
- When the project must be started and finished, and
- The size of the project, i.e. five webpages, 10,000 words, or three photographs.
You can also use the project description to describe your common business practices, such as your payment terms, acceptance policies, and your desire to use Guru.com's SafePay service. With SafePay, your payment protection is guaranteed.
- Attachments: Do you have any documents that will help explain your project? Guru.com allows Employers to upload files to augment their project descriptions.
- Budget: What is your estimated budget for the project? Guru.com requests that you enter an estimated total project budget when posting your project. This estimated amount will give the Freelancers a clear idea of the payout in relation to the work requested.
- Additional skills: Will your project require any secondary skills? If you are seeking someone with a primary skill in metal sculpture, you may wish to select clay and wood sculpture to locate a Freelancer with a broad range of sculpting skills.
- Field experience: Do you require industry-specific experience? When posting a project, you can select a desired industry to notify experienced Freelancers of your desired background.
- Location: Do you have any location requirements? Depending on the project, Freelancers can be recruited locally, regionally, nationally, or globally. If you need the Freelancer to work at your location or participate in project meetings, it's best to search for a Freelancer in your local or regional area. If you have a project that can be completed remotely and allows for e-mail and telephone communication, national or global Freelancers are better choices.
- Interview questions: Do you have any questions that will help you prescreen the candidates? When posting a project, you will likely receive upwards of 30 quotes. To help you sort through the quotes you receive and make some initial determinations on candidates, compose a list of questions that will enable you to determine the skill and interest level of the candidate right away. Questions such as "How would you approach this problem?" and "What is your experience developing marketing plans for small companies?" will enable you to gauge how the Freelancer may be able to help you. A question such as "What are the approximate total cost and time estimates to complete this project?" will give you an idea of each Freelancer's pricing and time frame. These questions will also allow you to classify the Freelancers into those you wish to learn more about and those who do not fit your needs.
You would never think of buying a car without knowing the desired model and make, engine size, car type, gas mileage, and cost. When you walk into the auto dealership, ready to lay money on the line, you want to know what you are buying and what it's worth. It's the same with the Employer-Freelancer relationship. You are paying someone to complete a service. In order to get the most out of that service, you should research and fully understand what you are paying for before entering into an agreement to pay. Having this information in hand will not only allow you to post a detailed project description, receive more accurate bids, and source qualified Freelancers, it will make you an educated consumer. |