Recruitment in the Gig Economy: Key Tips You Need to Keep in Mind
The manner in which people work is always shifting. For instance, not too long ago, remote work was fairly uncommon. Now it’s becoming the norm in many instances. The same can be said for freelance work. Trends indicate more and more people are freelancing, rather than taking on full-time jobs with individual employers. This has led to today’s rising “gig economy.”
Recruiters need to understand how finding strong talent in the gig economy differs from traditional recruitment. Obviously, some processes will remain consistent. For instance, if you’re trying to fill a C-suite position or similar role, it helps to coordinate with executive search firms. They can help you more easily find the right candidate for your organization.
However, working with an executive search firm typically isn’t necessary when hiring a freelancer for a temporary role. It is likely many organizations, including yours, will be hiring such workers to a greater degree in the future. When hiring gig workers, you should keep the following tips in mind. They’ll help you adjust your recruitment tactics accordingly.
Make Sure the Job Requirements Are Explicit
When hiring full-time employees, the company usually has the time and money to train them, immerse them in the day-to-day operations of the organization, and provide them with any tools and resources they need to complete their work. Companies also have a greater ability to enforce certain rules and expectations in these instances.
That’s not always the case when hiring freelancers. For example, freelancers may need access to certain technology, such as a smartphone, in order to do the job that’s expected of them. Because they’re only going to be working for your company on a temporary basis, the company might not be providing them with one. You thus need to confirm anyone you hire already has the necessary tools that you can’t offer.
A supervisor also might need to contact a freelancer during normal business hours. However, many freelancers set their own hours. Don’t assume freelancers will work according to the same schedule as your salaried employees. If freelancers are going to be required to be available at certain hours, make sure the job description explains this.
Quite simply, when hiring freelancers, companies don’t have a leisurely introductory period in which to acclimate them to the company culture and overall standards. That means any requirements and expectations must be communicated clearly from the start.
Streamline Your Onboarding Process
The above point highlights an important truth you need to keep in mind: to some degree, employee onboarding will always be necessary, even when hiring in the gig economy. You still need to help freelancers better understand your company and what’s expected of them. Depending on your approach to hiring freelancers, the organization might also provide them with access to resources they should know about.
Thus, you need to review your current onboarding process to determine ways to streamline it. For instance, your current onboarding process might include a tour of the office. That typically won’t be necessary for a freelancer. You can instead offer a video tour, or dismiss with the tour altogether.
This will enable you to focus on more important aspects of the process, such as training freelancers to use a software you commonly use. Of course, you also need to find a way to provide freelancers with an effective onboarding experience remotely.
It may take some time to make these changes. You’ll also likely need to continue refining your onboarding process as you identify which tactics do and do not work. However, the results (improved freelancer engagement and performance) more than justify the time investment.
Clarify Payment Terms
Freelancers enjoy many benefits not afforded to typical office workers. That said, they also need to address certain unique drawbacks. For instance, most nine-to-five office workers know they can expect a consistent paycheck every week or two weeks. This makes basic life tasks such as creating a budget fairly simple.
That’s not the case for freelancers. They are often paid in a variety of different ways from a variety of different clients. Some clients require them to send invoices regularly. Some have their own payment schedules. Some pay them when they complete certain project milestones, while others only pay when the entire project is completed. Additionally, they may pay through a range of methods, including checks, direct deposit, PayPal, and much more.
Managing one’s personal finances in this type of situation is obviously challenging. That’s why many freelancers only take on gigs when they confidently understand how much they will be paid, how they will be paid, and when they will be paid. You need to ensure these terms are made clear during the recruitment phase. This is key to attracting talent.
You may not feel these points are relevant to your business. Perhaps you’re not currently participating in the gig economy. However, trends indicate you will be. These tips will help you prepare accordingly.
