Hiring a research-adjacent freelancer to come in and work on your project can be an absolute game-changer. Although there will be a certain amount of work involved in finding the right person and setting them up on your system, once you have them on board it can fast-track your progress. Here are the top 5 reasons why bringing in an independent professional is time and money well spent.
1. Access specialist knowledge or skills
Freelancers are masters of their craft. You could spend days trying to edit a video, design an infographic or plan a training session – or you could just hire an expert and get it done for you! They might seem expensive sometimes, but you’ll get a better result in a faster time, with less stress for you. Independent professionals might also be able to access software, kit, or other resources that are not available in your organisation or would be expensive to buy.
2. Get an external perspective
Independent professionals can cut through the noise and see what is really important. They will also be working across many similar organisations so can see how you fit into the big picture. It also brings a fresh pair of eyes to spot things you’ve been putting up with for so long that you can’t even see them any more. And often an independent consultant can surface things which colleagues are thinking, but for whatever reason, are too nervous to say out loud.
3. Manage short-term workload stress
Temporary support is ideal when you have a surge in workload due to an event, deadline or challenges like staff absence. Freelancers can help keep things on track. And this support is flexible and cost-effective. Although their daily rate might be twice that of an employee, you don’t pay freelancers when they are not working, there’s no long, drawn out recruitment process and there’s no obligation to keep them on after the end of the contract.
4. Generate excitement and boost motivation
If you are struggling to get colleagues engaged then sometimes bringing in an external supplier can reinvigorate the process. An external trainer or consultant can often get people to do things that an internal colleague probably couldn’t. People will turn up to hear a guest speaker, when they might not bother otherwise. It creates a sense of occasion which might be the magic dust you need to get everyone in a room and talking to each other.
5. Get that niggly job done
I know you have too much to do and not enough time to do it. There are probably a few things that keep slipping to the bottom of your to-do list. Imagine if some of those jobs could just be lifted off your plate and finished without much effort on your part. That’s where independent contractors come in. Generally freelancers don’t get paid if they don’t get the job done, and it’s remarkable sometimes how motivating that can be! They will happily take jobs off your plate and just get them done.
More pointers on working with freelancers
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