5 Signs You’ve Bagged A Top Freelancer

One of the pleasures of remote working lies in sorting the best from the rest, in places you never expected to find them. The freelancing community will be stumbling over itself to collaborate with you, no doubt about it, but only a select portion of people will be truly top-drawer, turning fantastic projects in consistently.

Looking for signs that you’ve struck up the dream project manager/freelancer relationship? Well, look no further, as we detail the five characteristics you should recognise in any worker striving above the norm…

1. Excellent research skills

A brief is important, granted, yet it shouldn’t be the entire universe of your freelancer’s conceptual approach. Millions of articles, reports and statistics lie at their fingertips, so there’s little excuse for not doing independent research when the time calls for it – at least, if they want to stay on your go-to contact list. The work just won’t be as good if the freelancer doesn’t gain wider industry knowledge annexing from their assignment.

2. A prompt attitude

Deadlines are fairly unwavering for the majority of clients. A savvy freelancer knows that time management is at least half of what you’re paying them for; there’s no use in delivering a smart, polished project a few days late, as business timescales don’t allow for such lackadaisical thinking. Anyone who’s prompt – even a couple of days early on occasion – should be climbing to the top of your pile.

3. Irrepressible creativity

This is a big plus point, as creativity can manifest itself in all sorts of ways, a tentacular force roaming over every aspect of an assignment. From a sharp, colourful eye for design to solving an issue with an out-of-the-box countermeasure, freelancers might shock you with their inventiveness. Industries that are firmly entrenched in creative goals, such as film production or online marketing, will be searching for this anyway, yet it’s worth remembering that an imaginative spirit can walk anywhere in life.

4. A willingness to be flexible

As much as you want freelancers to have a clear aim in mind, they may also flex around a brief, suggesting a few additions that the client might like or turning something around in very short order, if necessary. Since a project can be reshaped on a whim, they have to realise that a schedule can look very different from the beginning of a given day to the end of it. Few complaints, when a project suddenly swerves in another direction, point towards a keeper.

5. Using free project management tools

It only makes sense to take advantage of the latest digital innovations when freelance work is stacking up. Project management software, like Skwish, is here to organise, delegate and approve work in your schedule. Remote workers with the right tools are more reliable and proactive, giving you peace of mind that your project is always under control.

Project managers should never be aloof with those who treat them well. Your freelancers are the key to long-term business success, so don’t forget to acknowledge this when they’re going above and beyond for you. Otherwise, the best of them may spread their wings elsewhere, seeking earning potential that belies their standards.

Throw Skwish in the mix, however, and you’ll be well on your way to a rock-solid freelance team, where the brightest spots will shine…