Many people would like to find a freelancer to outsource some of the minor tasks that one is doing. From thefreedictionary.com, a freelancer is a person who sells services to employers without a long-term commitment to any of them. So when we talk about finding a freelancer, it is not limited to finding someone who works online eg freelance graphic artist, freelance blogger, freelance online marketer etc.
Depending on the task you want to outsource or what you want to have done, there are different paths you can take to find a freelancer to help you. The most obvious route would be to advertise in local classifieds, although this will work for some, you could be overwhelmed with so many responses that you just don’t know where to start.
To find the right freelancer, you need to know what you want to do, as this will help narrow your search. Here are several ways to help you find the right fit:
Online freelance marketplace
The internet is a great tool for finding the right freelancer, be it a virtual assistant or a seasoned professional. If location is not a deciding factor, I suggest looking at the following websites:
- Elance and oDesk – Both sites are very popular sites for finding online freelancers ranging from data entry to online administrators. While the sites are great, they do have their limitations, such as allowing freelancers to bid on work online, which would undermine the quality of work done.
- Getacoder – Similar to the sites above, but if you are looking for freelance programmers or coding jobs for a website, I suggest you check out this site first.
- Taskarmy – User friendly website as the concept is like going to a supermarket and buying what you need. Pre-approved freelancers only post their experience and services and all you have to do is select and pay for the service you need.
- Fiverr is a fun site for crazy ideas. Although you won’t do much for five bucks, it’s good for a few moments of attention. A new service I recently saw is tattooing your message on the vendor’s body.
- Taskrabbit – This is a good site to find someone to run errands on your behalf. Errands can range from buying your groceries to picking up and assembling your Ikea furniture. This is still limited to some locations in the US.
approach someone personally
For certain freelance jobs that you know what you’re looking for, you can approach someone personally or ask friends for recommendations. An example, if you need a photographer for an event, visit various websites and approach these guys personally. Or let’s say you like a certain website and want something similar done, you can contact the owner of the website and ask for the contact details of the artist who designed her website.
College or university students
Let’s say you want someone to do some market research or study some statistical data for you. You can go to your local university and talk to the Guidance/Career Guidance Office and ask for permission to advertise your project. This could be a perfect project for a business or marketing student who might appreciate the idea of getting some experience.
Finding a freelancer sometimes takes practice and there are different approaches to different tasks. The bottom line though is that when you want to find a freelancer, you need to be clear about what needs to be done, how you want it done, how long you want it done, and how much you’re willing to pay.