Collaborator Criteria: Key Skills to Look for When Hiring Freelancers

Working with freelancers can be an amazing experience, and it can also be a nightmare. You may have found yourself in this situation one or more times in your life: you have a great concept for a project, you hire a freelancer, but things go sideways. It’s important to know that this doesn’t have to do with talent per se, as most freelancers have all the skills needed to do the job.

This is why our interactions with freelancers can be so stressful, because it’s rarely about hard skills, but more about how they operate, communicate, and think. The best collaborations between clients and freelancers happen when there is mutual understanding and a shared sense of ownership.

In addition to the hard skills needed to do their jobs, there are soft skills that are essential for smooth communication during projects. This includes the ability to think on one’s feet, communicate with all stakeholders, and keep a positive and inquisitive attitude. Read on to learn more about these real skills every freelancer must have.

The Modern Freelancer Landscape

Freelancers bring a new perspective to the table. More businesses are utilizing their services, especially in creative fields, tech, and digital marketing. Whether you’re looking for a designer who is an expert in Photoshop photo effects or a coder who can master the ins and outs of Java, it’s all about finding that one collaborator who can help you finish the task at hand.

On top of that, every freelancer should also have all the usual soft skills. The solution to every problem doesn’t always lie in code. You also need initiative and communication to keep your fingers on the pulse of things. But with more remote workers and the recent boom in the gig economy in the post-pandemic world, the talent pool is larger than ever, especially with businesses looking both locally and internationally for that perfect match.

Freelancers are a dime a dozen, and sometimes these “workers of many hats” take on different responsibilities depending on the role. These benefits are great, but when there are that many freelancers out there, it’s important to set a checklist and make sure you’re finding the right match.

Core Technical Proficiency

Strong technical skills are non-negotiable. Time is money, and companies need efficient freelancers – not people who need to learn as they go. Designers should be proficient with tools like Photoshop, freelance marketers need to use content management systems, and developers need fluency in relevant coding languages like Java and Python.

Core technical proficiency is foundational to other soft skills. Companies benefit from hiring freelancers who stay updated on industry tools because they rarely need training, provide consistently good service, and adapt to new challenges.

Creativity and Problem-Solving

Creativity differentiates an adequate freelancer from a fantastic collaborator. Creativity isn’t just about choosing colours for designs or having an impressive vocabulary. It’s also about problem-solving and taking initiative, finding innovative ways to meet a brief, looking proactively for ways to solve problems that arise, and adapting to different platforms.

Creative freelancers think outside the box in ways in-house team members cannot. Because freelancers work with many clients, they can uniquely draw from their different experiences and workflows to deliver great outputs.

Communication and Collaboration

Communication is key. Freelancers must be good listeners, understanding your brand identity, goals and expectations. When they are unsure, they should be unafraid to ask clarification questions and take direction. They should also be willing to reach out for feedback, to notify the team about impending delays, and provide clear reports to supervisors.

Look for freelancers with proven experience collaborating with multiple members of in-house teams. This helps to avoid misunderstandings, prevent missed deadlines, and ensure smooth transitions of leadership.

Reliability and Professionalism

When it comes to hiring a freelancer, reliability is just as important as creativity. Even the best work loses its value if you don’t get it back on time. Your next collaborator should meet deadlines consistently.

If they work for multiple clients, they must have the skills to handle competing priorities without sacrificing quality. Professional freelancers will adhere to the demands of their contracts, invoice promptly, and be transparent about their capabilities and timelines.

Adaptability and Continued Learning

Industries evolve rapidly, and freelancers need to stay current on the latest developments, whether that’s software updates, legislation, or new industry standards. However, adaptability isn’t just about making large-scale changes – freelancers should also be able to adjust to changes within an individual project based on feedback.

Ask potential freelancers to share about a time when they had to adapt to a new platform or branding style unexpectedly to determine how quickly they can pivot.

Cultural Fit and Shared Vision

Ideally, your next collaborator will align with your company’s brand values and aesthetic vision. This is particularly important if your company serves a specific mission as a not-for-profit organisation or values-based business. Outlining how you’d ideally like your freelancers, contractors, and consultants to mesh into your corporate presence can help you prepare a quality framework for determining the potential for each shortlisted professional to develop a strong cultural fit within your business.

It’s always helpful for freelancers to get what you’re doing and why – a shared vision for the company’s end goals helps prevent misaligned outputs and helps your professional relationship remain strong and sustainable.

Soft Skills That Make Freelance Projects Thrive

In conclusion, a collaborator with the right technical and soft skills can add significant value to your company in today’s economic landscape. Here’s what to look for during the freelance hiring process:

• Freelancers should have mastered the tools most used in their industry – Photoshop for designers, coding languages for coders, and CMS platforms for writers and marketers.
• Freelancers should be creative problem-solvers, taking initiative to work out kinks in their workflow and finding innovative ways to meet the brief.
• Freelancers should be great at communicating, understanding your needs and clearly voicing their own.
• Freelancers should deliver their work reliably and handle their priorities with the utmost professionalism.
• Freelancers should have a proven ability to adapt to major industry changes and pivot to accommodate more minor changes within a project.
• Freelancers should ideally be a good cultural fit for your company, sharing your vision for projects now and in the future.

With these criteria in mind, finding a top freelancer for your next project should be a breeze!