How to Hire an Independent Contractor (2022)
When you start a business, you are probably looking for an independent contractor to help you deliver goods or services for your business.
Hiring an independent contractor is one way to expand your workforce to get the job done. Now the big question here is; How do you hire an independent contractor?
Hiring an independent contractor is a good thing as it will help you fill in the gaps you don’t already have the expertise to fill. Additionally, they help you meet your daily requirements and milestones, which in turn affect the success of your business. As a result, an independent contractor helps move your business forward by filling one or more roles within your business.
How to Hire an Independent Contractor
In our previous post, we discussed steps on how to start an independent contractor business. But if you have a business, consider hiring independent contractors for your business to help you get things done that you can’t handle.
So here are 8 easy steps to hire an independent contractor.
1. Define contractor projects
Before you even approach a potential contractor, first define and analyze the role they will play in your company. Ask yourself questions like:
✔ Do you really need an independent contractor?
✔ If so, in the short or long term? and
✔ Can one contractor make it or do you need several?
After that you can now evaluate the qualifications of the contractors.
2. Determine the contractor’s qualifications
Now that you are certain that you need a contractor, now determine the type of qualifications you need from a contractor. Of course, you must divide your qualifications into three main categories;
✔ Education & Certifications,
✔ Work experience
✔ Work schedules
Remember that every task is different; some may require higher qualifications than others; Therefore, the appropriate classification of each requirement will help you find the right candidate.
Now to the next step!
3. Define the job description
It is important to determine what you need an independent contractor to help you with and write them down. Remember that strong and clear job descriptions will save you a lot of time and help you attract the right candidate. Having meetings with 10+ different contractors that don’t meet your needs is disappointing and time consuming. So, to save yourself, you need to create a clear job description that highlights everything you need a contractor for.
A clear job description should include:
✔ Order details
✔ The required credentials
✔ Working time
✔ The ideal contractor you would love to work with
✔ Your company profile (short description of your company)
✔ Payment details
4. Search for suitable candidates
Image source: pexels.com
With everything ready, now all you have to do is venture into the wilderness to look for the ideal independent contractor to help you solve your business needs. Depending on the role and your business needs, you may choose to search for potential candidates in places such as:
✔ Freelancer websites like fiver, Upwork, freelancer etc.
✔ On Google (just do a Google search), or
✔ By word of mouth
5. Compile a list of the best applicants and start screening
While creating a final list of suitable candidates, you’ll need to remove some contractors who don’t fit the mold before making the final evaluations. To ensure you complete this step appropriately, you will need to refer to your qualifications and job description to ensure you select the best applicants.
Be aware that what an applicant presents as part of their qualification may be too high for your budget, below required standards, or attractive but not practical. Verify their skills by researching their previous jobs and reaching out to their references to learn more about their skills and professionalism.
Therefore, when making the list, make sure that all the set requirements are met to ensure you choose the perfect contractor that fits your intended profile.
6. Evaluate their pricing
After compiling the final list of top applicants, solicit bids from each independent contractor. Therefore, before this stage, it’s important to have a rough copy of what each contractor might charge for their services. This will help you compare the actual price to your estimates.
Before entering into negotiations, make sure you meet with them first to discuss more details in person. At that point or after, you can start pricing or finalize it if you agree with their offerings.
7. Invite top applicants for an interview
After you have reviewed all offers and selected the best applicant, you can now start the interview. Use this meeting to:
● Ask important questions and get to know them well
● Assess their skills and compare them to your research
Basically, you have to be prepared to ask them an important question to lock in their abilities.
8. Award the project and prepare an independent contractor agreement
Start by renewing the offer, but remember that this doesn’t make the offer official; rather, it is typically a verbal offer. This includes things like pricing, roles to fulfill, contract length, and final expectations.
Once your selected Independent Contractor accepts the offer, you can now proceed to prepare the Independent Contractor Agreement. This agreement becomes a legally binding document that makes everything official once all parties involved have signed it. If you don’t know how to create an independent contractor agreement, you can use this independent contractor agreement template.
bottom line
Overall, it’s important to note that an independent contractor works as a contractor, not as your employee. A freelancer works as a self-employed person or freelancer. Therefore, some rules that govern your employees in your company do not work for them. So, if you know how to hire an independent contractor, it’s also ideal to discuss some important things that will regulate your cooperation. This will help avoid unnecessary inconveniences or differences.
In general, before hiring an independent contractor, make sure you define whether it is best to work with an independent contractor (self-employed) or employee.