24 December 2009 | Buyer Advice | admin
Buyers Tips
With the widespread use of internet, freelancers are sourced from across the globe. Jobs are provided from every country in the world. When a job has to be completed, the freelancers required for the job can be searched from local writers. This can be done by placing advertisements in the local freelancer’s forum or by placing advertisements in the local news papers and magazines viewed by the freelancers.
Now there are lots of portals and websites catering to job providers and freelancers such as uFathom. It is now much easy to find best talents from anywhere in the world. The details of the job, samples and requirements are posted in the site requesting freelancers to bid for the job.
When posting a job, the title has to be descriptive. If a freelance writer is required for writing an e book about birds, it is not enough to give the title as book writer. If the title is provided as Write an E book on birds, the freelancers with appropriate experience would bid for the job. In case the job is not detailed it may not be understood in proper terms by the freelancers. In case the job provider is not sure what to request, it is easy to search the internet and acquire appropriate information and knowledge and then provide the necessary details.
The details of the job should be clearly stated to convey all the job requirements to the freelancers. The details of the post should not leave any doubt in freelancers’ mind and also it should not convey the wrong requirement. The job provider has to think very well to answer all the possible questions of the freelancer to provide the requisite details.
The job post should have details like special software skills required, and the length of the articles. The numbers of words of article should be mentioned. Job platform like Mac, UNIX and Windows etc must be clearly stated. Sometimes the programming language in which the job has to be programmed is missed in the requirement. It is a crucial element to land on a qualified bidder for successful completion of job. If the job has to be completed in certain time duration it has to be stated clearly. The language in which the project has to be completed say French, German etc must be specified.
The copy right details have to be mentioned clearly, whether the copy right is full copyright or internet rights as per the job providers requirements. Also the details of payment like advance paid, miles stone payment etc., have to be specifically stated. A sample can be provided to the freelancers for easy understanding of the job. If the time needed to complete the job is specified by the job provider, it has to be reasonable or the job can be split in several parts and several freelancers can be sought to work simultaneously.
The job requirement posts are viewed by the freelancers and bids are offered. It is very important to select the right candidate to complete the job. Profile of freelancers who had bid for the job should be analyzed. If the freelancer is highly experienced and handled similar jobs earlier he or she can be chosen. It is a question of discretion to decide if the requirement needs expertise or beginners can work on the project. Sample job provided by the freelancer and the time needed for completing the job reveal the talent of the person and the final work that can be expected.
To determine whether the bidder reads through the entire job post, a question or a phrase is provided and the bidder is requested to provide the phrase or answer along with the bid. Even though this appears to be a simple method, this one invariably lets the job provider know whether the freelancer has read the entire post or the bid is an autobid.
Payment for a job is determined by the importance and complications of the job involved. If the freelancer is experienced, amount needed by him or her is also high. If the freelancer is not experienced, the amount bid is generally low but if the job is of importance the job provider has to think well before awarding the job. If possible a very small portion of the job can be provided and the freelancer’s skill can be tested. If the job provider is satisfied with the job, the other parts of the job can be provided to the freelancer. If many freelancers with good experience had asked for more time, providing more time will ensure quality work.
When a job is completed to the job provider satisfaction, job provider leaves a positive feedback comment. This is one of the important points to consider before awarding a job to a freelancer. This indicates that the freelancer has a track record and credentials. If the freelancer has positive comments from previous jobs done he or she can be awarded the job. For simple jobs and jobs that do not require special skills. Freelancers with no feedback can be chosen for a low cost turnaround for simple and easy jobs such as data entry, copy paste and converting PDF to Word jobs.
There are no hard and fast rules to apply when selecting a freelancer. As each job is unique and the job provider has better idea about the job, he must be able to use common sense as situation demands and decide on selecting a suitable freelancer.
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