5 Things to Look for When Hiring Independent Talent

Hiring independent talent to complement a full-time workforce is an increasingly popular strategy among companies today. With 72.7 million people working independently, there’s plenty of talent to choose from. However, finding the right person who possesses the necessary skills and aligns with your company culture or working style can be challenging. Here are five tips to help you narrow down the pool and find the best talent to meet your needs.

1. Use a Marketplace to Find Skilled Talent

There are many ways to find independent talent, such as asking for referrals, working with a staffing agency, or posting on your company career site, just to name a few. One of the most effective ways to engage with talent is using an online marketplace. A marketplace connects hiring managers with independent contractors directly on an online platform, eliminating the need for a third party like a staffing company.

Independent talent creates a profile that highlights their skillsets, work experience, and their career goals. They can search for and apply to available roles as well. On the other end, managers can evaluate candidates that applied to their position or use the platform to search for and reach out to talent. Talent marketplaces are a great choice because they are designed specifically to connect independents with your company.

Check out: MBO’s marketplace platform

2. Review Their Professional Portfolio or Website

Once you find a candidate you are interested in, review their work by looking at their professional portfolio or website. A website or resume should outline the timelines and durations of past projects they’ve worked on, so you can get a better picture of their experience. Keep an eye out for specific results, achievements, or awards they list on their profiles.

A professional website or portfolio should also list examples of work they’ve completed. If a contractor doesn’t have examples of their past work available in a public space, reach out to them and ask if they would be willing to do so.

3. Ask About Additional Skills or Certifications

Just like traditional employees, independent contractors are always working on updating their skills to stay on top of their game. If there’s a specific skill or certification you’re looking for, be sure to include it in your job posting and ask potential candidates about it. Even if a candidate lacks the exact credential, they may have pursued similar ones. The fact that they’ve taken action to build their professional resume shows a desire to grow their career and skillset.

If you’re focused on a specific certification that a strong candidate lacks, consider evaluating this skill through other means during the interview process. For instance, you might provide a short assessment for the contractor to complete, offering deeper insight into their capabilities.

Up next: Hiring Soft Skills for Future Success: Creativity 

4. Talk to Referrals

Referrals can give great insight into a candidate’s work. If you’re deciding between a few final candidates, ask for referrals as a way to learn more about each person from an outside perspective. Ask the reference about their relationship with the contractor, how long they worked together, and what sort of projects they worked on.

Be sure to ask about communication style, work ethic, and any other relevant factors. Speaking with a referral can help you verify skills, identify potential red flags, and gain insight into what it’s like to work with the candidate on a daily basis.

5. Use an Efficient and Effective Onboarding Process

While onboarding is the last step in hiring a new independent contractor, it plays a vital role in shaping their engagement experience. A simple and efficient onboarding process is not only important to talent, but it can also mean a lot to your company from a compliance perspective.

An onboarding website that provides independent talent information about engaging with your company is a great place to start. These tools and resources might include initial self-assessment surveys, documented roles and responsibilities, background checks, and automated payment options. Collecting this information upfront and simplifying the process for contractors will help your compliance team determine self-employability, enabling everyone to start work more quickly.

Check out: 7 Ways to Onboard Contractors Easier and Faster