Hiring a freelancer can be a great way to access specialised talent, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. But finding and hiring the right freelancer can be a challenge. In this article, we will provide you with tips to help you find and hire the right freelancer for your business.
Determine your needs: The first step in finding the right freelancer is to determine your needs. This includes defining the scope of the project, the skills required, and the timeline. Only once you have a clear understanding of your needs can you start your search for the right Laravel engineer.
Find freelancers: There are many platforms available for actually hiring freelancers, such as Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer. These platforms provide access to a large pool of freelancers, and they offer features such as ratings, reviews, and escrow services to ensure that you find a quality freelancer and that everything goes smoothly. Using these platforms can also help you avoid scams.
One problem with these platforms though is that they’re not very niche, so you’ll find lots of people who aren’t Laravel engineers and your job/project ad will be competing against lots of other work. In many cases, you may want to reach out directly to select individuals rather than posting a job ad somewhere and waiting for all the applications to come in.
And reputation goes both ways! If you’ve not used these platforms before, it can take some time to build up enough reputation to be taken seriously.
If you’re regularly hiring a more than a few engineers on a freelance basis (for example if you have seasonal shifts in workload or your business is going through a huge growth phase) you could reach out to recruitment agencies who specialise in providing services for finding and hiring contractors.
But in many cases, it’s better to try to find individuals through your existing networks - family, friends, Twitter, LinkedIn - as they will usually come with a good recommendation.
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🔥 Try searching [Veliance](<https://simonhamp.notion.site/Veliance-The-Rebellious-Laravel-Freelancer-Directory-97ee1bd078e54c2b9c060a60d012cf5b>) using the filters at the top of the directory. You can search by skills, country, time zone and more!
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Review portfolios: When you find someone that you are interested in hiring, be sure to review their portfolio before reaching out to them. A portfolio will provide you with examples of their work and give you an idea of their skills and expertise. Pay special attention to those who have already had some experience in your industry or have completed projects similar to yours.
Conduct interviews: Before hiring any freelancer, you should always conduct at least one interview to assess their skills, experience, and work & communication style.
This doesn’t need to be too aggressive or technical. The goal is to make sure they’re who they say they are and can do what you need them to do.
Try to do it via video conference (or at the very least, a phone call) as this will save time and expense whilst maintaining many social cues. During the interview, ask questions about their experience, skills, and approach to work. This will help you determine if the freelancer is the right fit for your project and team.
Set clear expectations: Once you have found the right engineer(s), it is important to set clear expectations. This includes the scope of the project, the timeline, and the deliverables. Clearly defining expectations upfront will help ensure that everyone delivers quality work that meets your needs.
Agree on payment terms: Before hiring! This includes the hourly rate or project fee, the payment schedule, and any other fees or expenses. It is important to have a clear understanding of the payment terms to avoid any misunderstandings or disputes. Ideally, get this written down - it doesn’t necessarily need to be as formal as a long-winded contract, but at the very least it’s clearly spelled out in writing what was agreed (and the agreement - acceptance of the terms - should be in writing too) before work begins.
Communicate regularly: Communication is key to a successful freelancer-client relationship. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress, address any issues, and ensure that the project is on track. This will help ensure that the freelancer is meeting your expectations and that the project is completed on time and within budget.
These shouldn’t need to be every single day (especially for an experienced freelancer) and shouldn’t take too long - aim for no more than 15-20 minutes. You probably don’t want/need them to go into lots of technical detail. Try to stay approachable to keep lines of communication open, even when things aren’t going to plan.
Finding and hiring the right freelancer requires time, effort, and careful consideration. These are just a few tips to help you find a qualified freelancer who can assist you with your project(s) efficiently and effectively.
Remember:
<aside> ❗ talentsignals.com (posted on HackerNews 2023-03-04) also provides quick access to a few popular methods you can use to search for Software Engineers in a specific niche.
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