How to Outsource - 3 Big Outsourcing Tips

By Alan Saltz


Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Wondering how to outsource work to a freelancer and how to find freelancers, either in the United States or abroad?

You're not alone.

Outsourcing work to freelance workers, or virtual workers as some refer to it, doesn't seem like an easy thing to. Especially the first time you do it.

For most people wondering how to outsource, a lot of questions come to mind:

1. What kind of work do I outsource?
2. Who should I hire?
3. Where do I find freelancers?
4. How do I hire a freelance worker?
5. How do I communicate with my freelancer?
6. How do I make sure my projects are being done correctly?
7. How do I know what I'm paying for?
8. How do I pay a freelancer?

It was questions like these that prevented me from outsourcing for a long time. I really wish they hadn't. Now that I know how to outsource and have actually gone through the process, I can see tremendous value in it - in the form of significant time and cost savings. It's also not nearly as difficult as I anticipated.

Here are 3 helpful tips to help you find freelancers and get started outsourcing.

1. Look to ONLINE freelance hubs.

I used to think that job boards and classified sites like Craigslist were the best places to find freelancers. I was wrong. I discovered that these were great ways to get lots of resumes... but ultimately I had no idea who these people were, or what I was getting myself into. People who looked great on paper proved to be awful in reality. It was an expensive mistake.

Then finally I came across what I'll call "freelance hubs" - websites like oDesk and Scriptlance - whose SOLE purpose is to unite employers with freelancers all over the world.

These websites have thousands of programmers, writers, web developers, artists, and other freelance workers ready to take on projects. Beyond just a resume, you can see the projects they've taken on, how many hours they've logged, tests they've taken, language proficiency, and (perhaps best of all) REVIEWS from other companies who have hired them.

So before you outsource work, you can have a high level of confidence in the workers you choose.

That's a lot of benefit.

It's also great that these sites can help you learn how to outsource effectively, by streamlining steps in the process such as hiring, team management, and payment.

2. Start SMALL.

Seriously, outsourcing is much less difficult than it may seem.

What IS overwhelming is trying to outsource a major project, with lots of moving pieces, before you've gone through the process once. Besides, every freelance worker is different. So it pays to see how well you work with someone, and how they run projects, before you worry about figuring everything out yourself. The smaller the project you start with, the less pressure you'll feel to micromanage and the more relaxed you'll be. It's a great "learn as you go" experience.

3. Have a Well DEFINED Project.

Before you get started, make sure you have your project well planned out. Know what you want to do. Know the skills that are necessary to complete that task. Know the scope of the project and the time you expect it to take.

The better you know what you want, the easier it is to find someone to complete the task, and the easier it is to communicate what you want done. A well-defined project also meshes your expectations with your freelancer's, paving the way to a smooth and successful completion.

Also, by the time you have a larger project to outsource, many of your initial questions will be answered already. For example, you may already have a worker you trust, you'll know the best way to communicate, you'll know how payments are made, etc.

Conclusion

Outsourcing may seem like a difficult task, but it really does get easier as you go through the steps. When you start small, you reduce the risk of wasting time and money, and you improve your chances of finding someone you can work with for a long time to come.