There are numerous benefits to hiring independent contractors and freelancers, propelling the growth of the global gig economy. In the current climate, the widespread shift to remote work is further contributing to this trend and remote work is quickly becoming the new norm.
Remote workers bring honed skills and new ways of thinking to the table, contributing to solution-oriented success. Furthermore, hiring remote workers saves companies money on in-house entitlements and overhead.
Even with the worldwide spread of COVID-19, larger companies are still seeking remote workers via online marketplaces and remote opportunities are emerging, specifically in the fields of customer service, IT and software. A recent study be McKinsey & Company reported that while 60% of SMBs have reduced spending, 30% are optimistic that post-COVID-19, the economy will recover to the same growth or grow even quicker within 2-3 months after the outbreak is under control.
As we are in the midst of a worldwide shift to remote work, now is a great time to make your move if you are considering hiring remote employees. There are, however, several things to keep in mind to ensure that you find and keep the best talent.
Here are some helpful tips for hiring remote workers that will contribute to the health and growth of your business.
When attracting top talent, make sure to include specific details and requirements to help qualified candidates decide that they want the position. Try to express your company’s culture to give a fuller view of what they should expect.
Writing the best job description in the world won’t help if freelancers and contractors don’t read it. Place your remote position strategically to get traction and draw attention. Utilize social platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, including asking employees to share with their networks.
One option is to go through freelance marketplaces that connects millions of skilled experts with freelance jobs and contracts. You could also post job descriptions on job sites to locate the best international talent, or go through a staffing firm. The steady growth of the gig economy means you have access to a vast pool of talented individuals, and many are looking at job sites for new projects.
Once you have collected some resumes and work samples from a range of qualified candidates, it’s time to narrow down your choices. Evaluate applicants in a clear and transparent way, making sure to loop in any stakeholders. If you are choosing candidates in cooperation with a remote hiring team, use a project management tool like Asana or Trello to keep everyone looped into the hiring pipeline.
After you’ve done an initial screening and have your top picks, invite top candidates to ‘face-to-face’ interviews. Video calls are a very good way to get to know candidates better and evaluate how they communicate. Freelancers and international contractors need to be able to communicate effectively from a distance and meeting this way will give you a feel for who you will be working with. Plus, the process will likely reveal whether the freelancers have other skills vital to successful remote teamwork, such as flexibility, responsiveness, and punctuality.
If you feel like you need more information and a better idea of how a candidate will perform, consider assigning a short sample assignment. The benefit of this is that it will give a fairly clear picture of how the remote worker will perform, cooperate, communicate, and deliver. Effective collaboration is key for remote teams, so a test project is helpful in evaluating this. Of course, the test should be short and easy to complete.
Skilled international contractors and freelancers will likely have a body of previous work that you can check out and references from clients. Take some time to speak to references, read reviews, and look over their work. Once you’ve done your due diligence, it’s time to make an offer to the right candidate. Make sure you are clear about compensation to avoid any misunderstandings and have everything in writing, including any tax compliance or legal requirements.
Once you’ve closed with the right remote worker for your project, make sure you set the tone with effective onboarding. Clearly layout any expectations and responsibilities, describe work processes and communication channels, and explain how the business is structured so that your remote hire can undertake their work with confidence and clarity. Being clear and transparent contributes to building more cohesive remote teams, and that means better productivity and value.
Retaining talent is as important as hiring talent, if not more so. Keep your lines of communication open and review performance along the way so that freelancers and contractors understand expectations and receive feedback (hopefully positive) as needed. Touch bases with video meetings, if possible, so that remote workers have an opportunity to work with the team. Break down silos and grow your business with expert workers from around the world.
Possibly the most important way to attract and keep great remote talent is to make sure you pay freelancers and international contractors in full and on time. Payoneer offers a global payments solution to keep your business running smoothly by ensuring remote freelancers and contractors get paid as easily globally as they would locally. Keep up with payments, taxes, and more with Payoneer’s cross-border payments.
The global gig economy has been steadily growing for years, and the current global lockdown has propelled it even further. With more and more highly skilled, expert freelancers and international contractors available for remote work, recruiting talent is vital to the successful and sustainable growth of many SMBs. From posting the right job ad to paying remote workers on time, these tips will help you find and keep the right people for the job.