With the invention of the internet and the endless and ever expanding list of business tools it has come to support, virtual workers have become a very important part of the job market. As one would expect, a good number of business savvy entrepreneurs saw the potentials that this opening held and quickly invested in it, giving rise to freelance sites like Elance and oDesk. The result is an abundance of workers from all over the world, fully prepared to do everything on your behalf, even make your morning coffee if that were possible through the internet.
Many businesses – startup and established – have opened their arms wide and embraced this new frontier of easy staffing, and for good reason; freelance hiring is advantageous in many ways. If you are still in doubt or have not given thought to hiring freelancers, then read on to find out five reasons why you need to move with the tide.
- Freelancers handle their own expenses. You do not need to buy computers, peripherals, or software for a freelancer. Usually, the freelancer stocks up on the best of these as he knows they increase his chances of getting the job. This means that you essentially hire someone with the environment needed to perform your job, without spending a dime (in most cases) in getting the environment ready.
- You only pay for work done. You do not pay for sick days, vacations, prenatal absence, postnatal absence, and all other possible reasons for absence, real and invented. Freelancers are paid a fixed hourly rate, or a fixed total amount for job delivery, meaning if they don’t work, they don’t get paid. That is usually all the motivation a freelancer needs to do the job and do it well.
- You get access to people with a wide range of talent. There are people who are good at many things by nature, and there are those who simply had to learn many things and get good at them as part of the job description. Many freelancers fall into the second category. For the same reasons a freelancer would stock on needed equipment’s, freelancers also stock on skills and knowledge; the more you know, the more likely you are to get a gig. This fact turns out to be very advantageous to employers. When selecting freelancers, you can choose those with all the skills you require, and with readily available proof that they provide each dollar’s worth on all skill sets claimed. Of course, there are times when you need someone with a very specialized skill, and freelance sites are not short on such providers either.
- Freelance staffing does not require commitment. Whether you need a quick design or administrative task performed, or a long-term customer service agent position filled, there are many freelancers eager to work for you, and, of course, take your money. If a position is no longer needed, a simple, kind message to the provider is all that is required to end the contract with no hurt feelings. Naturally, the word “freelancer” indicates the provider is not tied to any job.
- You can get cheaper qualified help. It is sad to see employers who require a provider with experience in Corporate Law, Accounting, Business Writing, and if possible some ground experience at NASA and the FBI, all for $1 an hour. That’s not the kind of cheap labor being discussed. However, an hourly rate that would be impossible to live on in some places could afford a pretty comfortable life in others. As such, freelance staffing provides you with people from all around the world with great talent, who are permitted by their circumstances to charge less for each hour, or job.
Of course, there is a host of other reasons why freelance staffing could help your company, such as less taxation, and there being no need to pay for and furnish extra office spaces. If you are yet to tap into the online talent market, you may want to give it a try. There are many freelancers out there with the exact skills you require, eager to fill your human resource needs.
By: Mesheal Fegor
Sales & Support Engineer
http://skillsdbpro.com