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Why Hiring Freelancers Can be a Better Option

August 4, 2014 by Ed Becker

Why Hiring Freelancers Can be a Better OptionWith the cost of hiring an employee being 1.5-2.5 times their annual salary and the cost of keeping that employee ranging between 18-26% of their annual salary, it is no wonder why many companies are outsourcing their work to freelancers or private contractors. Most industries have a variety of tasks and positions that can be freelanced out. These can be long or short-term projects, or full time positions, that are offered to privately contracted persons rather than employees on payroll.

Benefits of hiring freelance

  • Freelance workers can be hired as needed, for short or long term projects
  • Hired for specific skill sets
  • Less expensive
  • Flexible work schedule conducive to business needs
  • Require very little training, projects get completed faster

It is estimated that roughly 1/3 of Americans are freelancing, the equivalent of about 42 million people. It is predicted that by 2020, freelancers will make up 50% of the full time workforce. Many highly skilled individuals are leaving the rat race of corporate worlds to become independent. Freelancers have a wealth of skill and experience that companies can truly benefit from.

Tips for hiring a freelancer

  • Start with small projects until you get used to working with a freelancer
  • Request and review samples of their work
  • Keep lines of communication open and frequent
  • Give detailed instructions to alleviate confusion and revisions
  • Hire for quality, not for a bargain

Best projects to outsource

  • Writing jobs- web content, SEO, blogs, etc.
  • Design projects
  • Social media management and marketing
  • Marketing
  • Web design and Programming
  • Administrative tasks, Virtual assistants

There are many tasks and projects that can be handled remotely by freelancers. If your work cannot be done virtually, you may need to hire locally for some projects. The costs associated with hiring an employee compared to hiring a freelancer are much lower. Additionally, you should be able to find highly experienced freelancers for your specific project. If you find that you have to outsource a lot of work, you may want to compare the costs of hiring a freelancer and hiring an employee to ascertain which one would be cheaper in the long run.

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