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Managing Freelancers

Finding and Motivating Independent Workers

Most freelancers work offsite.

It's a common scenario: Your company is planning a series of brochures and articles that will go out every three months. The problem is that your current staff doesn't have the level of expertise needed to create these. However, the amount of work involved isn't nearly enough to justify hiring a full-time writer for the project.

So, how do you get the expertise you need, when you need it? Simple. Hire a freelancer!

Good freelancers can be worth their weight in gold. Freelancers are typically experts in their field, they're flexible, and they're often much more cost-effective than hiring full-time people to do the same work.

But how do you find a freelancer who delivers quality work? And how do you manage freelancers, and keep them motivated, until the project is finished?

In this article, you'll learn about the benefits of using freelancers, and you'll also learn how to find a good one.

What Are Freelancers?

A freelancer is a professional who is hired to work on a specific task or project. This could be a writer who creates copy for the new company brochure, or a graphic designer who creates a new print ad for the company's latest product.

Many freelancers are paid on a fixed-fee, per-project basis, but some work on an hourly basis.

Freelancers typically differ from contractors in two main ways. First, freelancers tend to work off-site, often from a home office. And second, unlike contractors, freelancers usually work on projects for several different clients at any one time.

Freelancers offer a range of work, including creative (such as graphic design and copywriting), skilled (such as computer programming), and less skilled or administrative (such as bookkeeping or secretarial support).