When such a circumstance arises, which it often does, it can become a difficult task to weed out the rest of the freelancers further to select the expert who is a perfect fit for your company. 

There are various ways to go about executing this task, but the tips shared in this article are your best bet if you want your desired business result. 

With numerous freelancers offering their services on various outsourcing platforms, it isn’t unusual to come across some freelancers who do not have the required skills to complete assigned tasks. 

Assigning tasks to such half-baked freelancers can be very frustrating and usually end up being a regrettable mistake and a complete waste of time. 

Therefore, you must always evaluate the portfolio of each prospective freelancer before shortlisting the one which is ideal to avoid costly hiring mistakes. 

For example, if you want to hire a web design expert and have narrowed your search down to a few dozen candidates. Properly scrutinizing each web designer’s portfolio will allow you to measure the level of their expertise and gauge their competence. In a situation where there are a few contending freelancers online who display similar skill or qualities, then further shortlist the freelancers whose dossier is relatable to the prospective task.  

New clients can use the information retrieved from reviews, to ascertain the competence of prospective freelance experts, settling for the freelancer with the most positive reviews. 

Reviews also help a highly-skilled freelancer to attain a reputable status on the freelancing platform, which makes it easy for them to earn the trust of prospective clients. 

A web designer, for example, with many positive reviews is sure to get more job prospects than those with poor reviews. With most freelancing websites using reviews as a metric to rate every freelancer on their platforms, it is nearly impossible for a freelancer to get work without a stream of positive reviews consistently.  

You should eliminate freelancers who do not provide much detail in the proposals accompanying their bids even if their portfolio and reviews suggest that they are competent. You need only passionate experts who will be committed to the project as much as you are, and a freelancer who can’t take a few minutes to craft an engaging proposal properly won’t be able to display such commitment. All the skills and expertise in the world won’t mean anything if the freelancer is lazy and unable to match the level of passion and professionalism that your critical project demands. 

Other things you should be on the lookout for when skimming through multiple proposals on the freelancing and outsourcing websites include the relevance of the proposal to your task as some freelancers have the habit of using generic proposals that apply to a variety of freelance jobs posts. 

Mundane anomalies like grammatical errors, using the wrong name to address the proposal as well as the failure to adhere to bid instructions can also be used to eliminate freelance candidates when the competition is intense, and you’re running out of grading metrics.  

Believe it or not, if an unqualified freelancer is going to suffer a gaffe during the process of applying for a freelance job post, it is most likely going to occur during an interview. Since the circumstance and the environment of the interview don’t leave room for the use of well-researched responses, it is practically impossible for a freelance imposter to last for the entirety of the interview without making multiple errors. 

When taking an interview for freelancers from any of the top freelance websites, you must make sure that you ask the important questions about the project. 

Using the web design project example again, you need to ask the prospective freelancers about how they intend to create a web platform that will suit your needs as well as the tools that they plan to use to complete the project.