The Best Tools for Finding, Hiring, and Collaborating with Freelancers

When working with freelancers, you can’t just pop down the hall to get an answer to a question. Companies that hire freelance and remote workers may be working with people in different cities, states, and even time zones. That adds new challenges to communication and collaboration, not to mention finding the right people for your team. Luckily, as the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, with 4.7 million Americans working remotely in 2019, tech companies are coming up with solutions to the challenges facing distributed teams.

If you’re looking to add freelance and remote workers to your team, these are the top tools to invest in.

Finding Qualified Freelancers

Most online job boards are organized by geographical location, making them of limited use for recruiting remote employees. Instead of sticking to the standard job boards, however, try these websites for finding freelancers for your team.

• Upwork, Freelancer, and PeoplePerHour: These freelance marketplaces let freelancers bid on projects submitted by companies. While it’s a great way to find affordable freelance help, the large volume of freelancers can make it challenging to find the right fit.
• Fiverr and 99Designs: Designed for one-off projects that prioritize fast turnaround, these on-demand marketplaces are best for very short-term arrangements.
• TopTal and Hired: When you’re looking for the best person for the job and don’t want to sift through hundreds of applicants to find them, these vetted freelance platforms are the right choice. Expect to pay a premium for high-quality applicants, however.

Screening and Interviewing

Once you’ve compiled a shortlist of candidates, it’s time to find the right fit for your company. These tools allow you to interview and screen candidates no matter where they’re located.

• Google Hangouts and Skype: Phone interviews are outdated. Video interviews make it easier to connect with potential hires and avoid the awkward interruptions that happen when you can’t see each other. While there are more robust video conferencing tools out there, Hangouts and Skype have the benefit of being widely used.
• SkillSurvey and Crosschq: Take the tedium out of reference checks with these tools that automate reference checks so you get the information you need with less hassle.

Communication and Collaboration

For most companies, the biggest challenge isn’t hiring freelancers — it’s working with them. Adding remote workers to the team can be tough for firms accustomed to in-house employees, but these tools take the frustration out of collaborating with freelancers.

• Transcribe: Tired of spending precious time typing meeting notes to send to your freelancers? Take advantage of automated speech-to-text transcription tools to quickly send call and meeting notes to your distributed team.
• Asana, Trello, and Basecamp: If your freelancers are collaborating with in-house staff on projects, project management software is a must. There’s a wide variety of project management tools on the market, but these three are the most popular with remote teams.
• Slack: Slack is the leading communication platform for modern offices thanks to its robust features that include text, voice, and video chat. However, if you’re looking for an alternative to this paid tool, there are a few free options available.

Time Tracking and Invoicing

Now for the final piece of the freelancer puzzle: paying them. These tools will tell you how your freelancers are spending their time and simplify the process of sending and receiving invoices.

• Harvest and Toggl: With features that allow freelancers to track which projects they’re working on, these time-tracking tools offer a comprehensive view into your freelance crew’s productivity.
• Square: With features like recurring invoices, one-click estimate approval, automated payment reminders, and the ability to integrate with a wide range of business tools, Square is the best way to streamline invoicing whether you’re on the sending or receiving end.

Just as it’s challenging to pick the right freelancers out of the talent pool, it can be tough for businesses to find the right software and apps for managing their remote workforce. There are a lot of remote team management tools on the market and new options emerging every day, but thanks to this shortlist, you can quickly identify the best tools available for the job ahead.

Image via Unsplash