That’s what happens when you hire A players.
In order to find freelancers for your project team, you need to write a really good job spec that motivates quality contractors to apply.
There are five simple steps you can follow that will ensure you attract A grade applicants. If you write a very open ended job spec you will get a huge number of under qualified people bidding on the job. This will simply waste your time and theirs. There is a better way.
- Set an Objective
Explain to the prospective applicant exactly what will be required of him. Write what the objective is in your job ad. Say, ‘I want someone to design a website which will entice people to opt into my email list.’ Or, ‘I want some articles written purely for SEO reasons. They will be used just to get back links.’ Or, ‘I want a business card designed that I can give out at networking events.’
- The Job Description
This is a clear definition of exactly what you want the virtual team to do. ‘I want five articles written of five hundred words each’, for example.
- Contextualize the Job
If you have a business and you are finding freelance work asking for a number of articles to be written for your business, tell the prospective freelancer what websites they are relating to. Give him some context for the work he is going to be doing for you. If you are asking for a business card, tell him what website the card will be relating to, give him some reference points.
- Give some Specific Examples and References.
Give some examples of similar material that you like. You may like to get some screen capture software and take screen shots and say, I like this website and this element here. If you give them some visual guides of what you like, this makes a big difference to the quality of the work you get back. You need to be as specific as possible.
Often the employer blames the freelancer for not providing work to a satisfactory level. Yet it may be the fault of the employer, because he simply has not been sufficiently detailed in his brief about what is expected. Some things he may simply expect the freelancer to know, but it is always wiser to be explicit when you find freelancers, thus avoiding any confusion at a later date.
- Use the Self Selection Method
This is a great little trick to know. At the bottom of your online application form, put three unique questions. These can be related to the work or can be completely unrelated, such as what did you have for breakfast. Those applicants who don’t answer these questions have de selected themselves automatically. They do not have the attention to detail that you will be requiring for your job. The answers that are given to these questions will also give you a good insight into the character of the freelancer who is applying for the job.
Use these five steps in your job ad and you will find freelancers from whom you can make your final selection.
Want to know more strategies on finding A players for your business? Join us at our fan page at Facebook.com/SEOMastermind today.
