Freelancers are a growing part of the employment landscape, now making up 35% of the workforce. With 55 million freelancers standing by to take on your project, you may be able to get the best quality work for your business by looking outside of your regular employees. In fact, you might even be able to do so while saving money compared to making a full-time hire.
Finding a quality freelancer used to be a challenge, but marketplaces are popping up online that help you find the most qualified workers for every trial your business faces. From marketing to data analysis, there is a freelancer out there that might be the perfect fit for your needs. Start your hunt for the perfect freelancer at one of these great sites.
1. UpWork
UpWork is the largest freelancer marketplace in the world and was formed by the merger of Elance and ODesk. Whether you are looking to hire a US Based professional or a bargain freelancer in India or Philippines, you can find that freelancer on UpWork.
Narrowing down the best freelancer on UpWork can be tough thanks to so many options. However, if you can be very specific with your job requirements, setup a few filters to keep out non-English speakers and brand-new freelancers, you can narrow your list down to the most qualified candidates with very little effort. Just keep in mind that on UpWork, as in many other parts of business, you get what you pay for. Sometimes it may be worth spending a few more dollars to get the most qualified and experienced candidate for the job.
2. Fiverr
Fiverr rose to fame as a marketplace where you could hire someone to do wacky tasks for you for just $5. While you can still hire someone to create a video singing happy birthday to your significant other in a bathing suit or imitating the voice of The Pope, this marketplace has grown to include high-end professional services as well.
I recently found an editor to produce a series of videos for me at a fair price, but well over the $5 introductory level. If you are looking for creative projects with a quick turnaround, Fiverr is a great option to find the right talent for your needs.
3. Freelance.com
Arguably the best named website to find a freelancer, Freelance.com is another top marketplace to connect with freelancers. While you can hire freelancers through this service, the standout feature that makes Freelance.com unique is FreelanceOne.
The FreelanceOne service brings everything you need to manage a team of freelancers under one roof. If you are worried about compliance, ensuring you can classify workers as freelancers, and managing contracts and payments, FreelanceOne has you covered.
4. Cloudpeeps
Large marketplaces are great for finding a freelancer for a one-time project, but if you want someone who has been vetted, has specialized skills, and can commit to a job that lasts a few months or more, you may be best off with a smaller, more specialized marketplace.
Cloudpeeps is one such marketplace and a great place to connect with freelancers from a variety of backgrounds. While it is heavy with writers and graphic designers, you can just as easily hire a financial analyst, consultant, or administrative assistant.
5. Growth Geeks
Another niche marketplace, Growth Geeks focuses on helping businesses hire digital marketing experts of a variety of backgrounds and specializations. Growth Geeks claims to vet out the top 1% of marketers and offers packages to help your business grow online.
Some top gigs include social media growth strategies, SEO support, content creation, and business lead generation.
6. Craigslist
Craigslist might make you think twice, as it is also home to much less savory content and its popular marketplaces for housing and used goods, but Craigslist is still a great option to find workers to help you fill business needs locally.
You may get some irrelevant responses to your posting, but a well-crafted description may lead you to a great fit for your business at a bargain price. After all, most Craigslist postings are free!
7. 99designs
Getting the perfect logo or design locked in is both a subjective and frustrating process in many cases, but it doesn’t have to be. With 99designs, many graphic artists compete for your business in a design contest.
Start by choosing a package, answering some questions about what you have in mind, and posting your contest. Then sit back as dozens of designs come in. Eliminate designs you don’t like to pick a favorite, or poll your friends or audience to bring them into the process of choosing your next design.
Breaking Down Hurdles to Hiring Freelancers
Freelancers are estimated to make up a full 50% of the workforce by 2020, so the freelance trend is not going anywhere any time soon. If you are looking to get help growing your business without the commitment of hiring full-time, freelancers are a perfect fit for you.
This article was originally written on October 9, 2017.
Great information, Eric! Definitely sharing it to our followers!