3 Mistakes Bloggers Make When Hiring Freelancers
Bloggers and online entrepreneurs, what if I told you that you’re probably making three big mistakes when it comes to hiring freelancers?
And that by making minor tweaks to the front-end of your hiring process, you can actually change the quality of candidates you attract.
Now you should probably also know that I am right there with you — and have made all three of these mistakes when I hired my first freelancers (keep reading for all the gory details).
And the reason I say these are big is that these particular mistakes can cause really big problems down the road. Really big. As in, hired-the-wrong-person big.
And no one wants that.
So, let’s dive right in.
Top Three Hiring Mistakes
The three mistakes that I most commonly see others making all revolve around the job posting.
And because the job posting is at the beginning of the process, if you mess up there, it’s a domino effect for the rest of the hiring process.
Let’s walk through this.
If you don’t nail the job posting, it will affect whether the right people apply. If the right people don’t apply, you won’t be interviewing the right candidates.
See where I’m going?
You might end up hiring the wrong person.
That’s how important the job posting is. And it’s a common step where bloggers and online entrepreneurs can get tripped up.
Most job postings fall short in three specific ways. They’re too vague, they’re overinflated, and they expect too much. Here’s why.
Mistake #1: Job Posting is Too Vague
Facebook groups for bloggers and online businesses are riddled with super vague job postings. Have you seen them?
This is an actual job posting I saw: Looking for a virtual assistant native English speaker, must be based in Australia, but could be based anywhere. Thanks.
That was it. I’m not kidding.
That is not a job description. Having good English communication skills can definitely be a qualification for a position, but it shouldn’t be the only qualification for a job.
And I’m not sure you could get less clear about where the candidate should be based out of. Australia or anywhere. Should we just say Earth?
So what should you include in a job posting? Here’s my first tip for you.
Be Specific in Your Job Posting
The two most important parts of a job posting are the responsibilities and the qualifications. What do you want them to do, and who are you looking for?
Freelancers want to consider whether they want to do those things and if they are the right fit for you.
In other words, are you looking for them?
They’ll use your job posting like a checklist. If they can check off most of the items, they're going to apply. So you need to give them enough detail that they can do that.
This is so embarrassing, but on my very first job posting — back in 2016, before I really had a solid understanding of what high-performing freelancers are looking for — I put a notice in a Facebook group that I was looking for a virtual assistant who was “sparkly and reliable.”
I think we can all agree that “sparkly and reliable” are neither responsibilities nor qualifications.
Use the Appropriate Job Title
The other piece of advice for you is to align the job title with the responsibilities.
When I was looking for a virtual assistant to write and edit, I should have been looking for a writer or an editor. Sure, there may be VAs out there who are good at writing and editing, but they most likely aren’t positioning themselves as professional writers and editors.
If you really want a high-performing freelancer, it’s easier to find them if you use the right job title.
Mistake #2: Inflating the Job Posting
The second common mistake bloggers and online entrepreneurs make with the hiring process — and one that I’ve made as well — is inflating the job posting. Trying to make the job sound like more.
This is usually done by using big words and confusing sentences. And I’ve noticed that it happens for a few reasons.
Sometimes, the business owner feels uneasy about outsourcing the things they don’t like doing or aren’t good at.
Other times, they think the job doesn’t sound impressive enough to attract the best, high-performing freelancers.
I’ve also noticed that bloggers or online entrepreneurs tend to overinflate job postings because they are looking at what big companies are doing.
For example, when a billion-dollar company like McDonald’s posts a job — any job — they're going to get hundreds of applications. That means McDonald’s can do whatever they want in their job postings.
Spoiler alert, I'm not a billion-dollar company. If you aren’t either, we can't look at what those companies are doing as best practices for our job postings.
Be Honest About What the Job Is
There are incredibly talented freelancers out there who are good at the things you aren’t good at and eager to do the things you don’t want to do. They want to contribute their skills and talents to your business.
There is no need to make the job sound like anything other than what it is. If you’re honest about what you need done, the best people for that role are much more likely to find the posting and apply.
Use a Job Posting Template
Back when I was a career coach and hiring for my own business, I put the section about me and my business first. Because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. Because that’s what the Fortune 500 companies I worked with did.
Now I know a freelancer’s primary concerns are the job responsibilities and qualifications, so those go first.
Every single time I post a job, I follow the outline on my job posting template. You can use this, too. It’s super easy to follow. You can put the sections about you and your business toward the bottom. That way, freelancers can still learn about you if they want to. But the part they will be most interested in — what they will be doing — is right at the top.
Mistake #3: Expecting Too Much From One Person
The third mistake that I see so many entrepreneurs make in the job posting (and I have made this one, too) is expecting too much from one person.
The best freelancers are highly attuned to whether the job title, responsibilities, and qualifications align. And they can tell if you're expecting one person to do five jobs.
If you're trying to have one person be your social media manager, personal assistant, business manager, writer, and graphic designer, freelancers are less likely to apply.
Why?
Freelancers tend to be specialists. Their skills and talents are typically within a specific area, such as social media, or writing, or graphic design.
And if they have been freelancing for a year or two, they usually know what they are good at and what they want to do. And what they don’t.
If your posting has too many unrelated responsibilities, it is unlikely a good freelancer will apply for the position.
Remember, I’ve done all of these. When I hired my first virtual assistant, I also really needed an editor. And someone to build amazing sales pages. And help with business development, manage my editorial calendar, create graphics, stay up to date on social media trends … the list could go on.
Hire Specialists
The advice I have for you here is to hire specialists. Sure, some freelancers are generalists, but, in general, they tend to have a more narrow specialty.
If you are specific in your job posting, your responsibilities section will read like a checklist.
The more you align people with their specialties, the better results you’re going to get — and the happier and more productive they will be.
You Don’t Have To Do It All. Let Me Help You.
Another thing I see online business owners doing is trying to take on the entire hiring process themselves.
And I understand why. As entrepreneurs, we excel at many things because we have to. We are used to doing all of it. Well, I am here to tell you, this is one task you do not have to take on yourself.
Helping entrepreneurs find high-performing freelancers is what I do. So, let me help you.
Remember when I mentioned my job posting template? It’s what I use for every. single. job posting. And you can have it. For FREE!
You can start using it right away to create a job posting that will attract the talent you need to grow your team.
