Best Sites to Find Online Freelancers and Virtual Employees
Best sites to find online freelancers and virtual workers.
Let's face it. There will come a time when you can't just do everything on your own. If you are a one-man entrepreneur or a micro business owner, you are constantly pulled in different directions. Like a magnet forced in repelling directions, you feel canceled out and so is your productivity.If this has happened to you in more than a few occasions, then it's time to call for help. And know that you are not alone.
Many solo entrepreneurs resort to recruiting freelancers online, not only because of budget reasons, but because of the flexibility working with freelancers bring.If you have read the book "The World is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman, you'll notice that for many chapters he's harping on how globalisation has spurred outsourcing to other countries. I agree that it's an impetus of change in "levelling the playing field" where hiring staff tends to be practiced by bigger, more mature businesses.
Also, an article in INC.com explains there are more resources than ever to find freelancers and that this could be the future of work. Whilst nowadays you can pretty much outsource any job, below is a list of jobs most commonly outsourced to freelancers:
Graphic / Logo Designers
Mobile Developer / Designers
UX/UI Designer
Web Developer / Designer
Writers
Accountants & Consultants
Sales & Marketing Experts
Customer Service Agents
Virtual Assistants
Admin Support
IT & Networking Support
Data Science & Analytics
Translation
Engineers & Architectures
Legal
Websites you can outsource work to virtual workers
As an entrepreneur, if you are ready to explore the world of freelancers, here's a round of some of the best sites to find online freelancers and virtual workers.
Upwork
Previously known as oDesk, Upwork recently joined forces with Elance to establish itself as one of the largest freelance communities with over 9 million registered freelancers and virtual workers.
Guru
With over 1.5 million members and over 1 million jobs completed, Guru is a great site to showcase your past work experience and offers a job-matching feature to ensure you don’t miss out on any good work opportunities.
People Per Hour
This is a great and easy-to-use platform, focusing on freelancing with the option of paying per hour or on a fixed budget. It's a great platform for finding web projects so if you are a web designer, SEO specialist, graphic designer etc., peopleperhour is worth checking out.
Freelancer
Unlike most other platforms for online work, Freelancer allows freelancers to compete with each other in contests to prove their skills. Freelancers need to be competitive and confident in their expertise so the quality of work is continuously striving for excellence.
Toptal
Toptal has a distinctly different approach than the other platforms on this list, boasting an exclusive network of top, seasoned freelancers. As a freelancer, passing their screening process gives you unparalleled access to top projects with great clients (JPMorgan, Pfizer, Zendesk, Airbnb, etc.) and with fair compensation (no low-bid contests).What about you, have you used a freelancer before? Share with us your experience by leaving a comment below.
