Hire a freelancer

What are the steps?

1. Create an Employment Agreement

A Freelancer is a person who works for themselves, rather than working full time in a company. Normally, they work on a contract basis and get paid after the successful completion of work.

A Freelance Agreement is a short-form contract between a freelancer and a client which sets out simple terms governing the services to be provided, the contract period, the service charges, the payment terms, and which party will own intellectual property rights in the works created.

Need to draft one now?

How do I hire a freelancer?

Most companies hire freelancers for project-based work that is not permanent. These independent contractors allow companies more flexibility in that there is no long-term commitment and the company is not obligated to pay for benefits such as sick pay, holiday leave, or health insurance and retirement.

Hiring a freelancer requires meticulous planning because it will directly affect the performance of the company. These are the things to consider before hiring any freelancer.

1. Setting up your budget: It is very important to set up your budget before hiring a freelancer. Estimating a budget will help you to know more about the fair market rate and paying your contractor fairly will increase the overall efficiency.
2. Clear Job Description: A clear job description will help you to hire the right freelancer for your job. This might include roles and responsibilities, skills needed for the job, working hours, and deadlines to complete the tasks, and a description of your organization.
3. Choose the right platform: There are many platforms from which you can hire a freelancer. Choosing the right platform for hiring will eliminate the risk of fraud and inappropriate freelancers. Some of the most popular freelancing platforms are: Fiver, Upwork, LinkedIn and Simplyhired.

When Should you use a Freelance Agreement?

A Freelance Agreement provides transparency and sets the expectations of the services to be provided.  This way, both parties agree to a common scope of work.  Finally, using a Freelance Agreement confirms that the contractor is not a full-time employee of the company.

The following types of services are but a few examples of when this agreement will come in handy:

1. A software company hires a designer to design a new site
2. An agency hires a photographer to take pictures for a new campaign
3. A sales executive is placed on retainer to help with business development activities

Client case study

Richard Hobbs from Brand New Vision uses Zegal to hire a freelancer.