There are a lot of freelancers out there. Here are the best websites to use in order to find your next hire.
Freelancers can present your company with a valuable opportunity: the ability to select a person with exactly the right skill set for a specific project, and who is available whenever the need arises. But finding the right person can be challenging. There are a lot of different sites where various talent pools congregate and, as with any employee, there's a wide range of skills and abilities. After all, not every skill set is the right fit for every project. So where should you turn when looking for the people you need, when you need them? And if you're searching on a hiring site, which one is best? Below, 11 members from YEC suggest checking out the following sites. Each platform has its own draws, ranging from the ability to hire local to the advantage of easily checking reputations before engaging someone.1. Craigslist
If you need to hire a freelancer in your area, don't look past Craigslist. As the quality of applicants will vary greatly, just make sure to set up some sort of prerequisite to weed out those who don't meet your standards. Requiring applicants to take a pre-screening test or to provide a portfolio is a great way to narrow it down. Making a test using Google Forms is easy and free.- Kyle Goguen, Pawstruck
2. Dribbble
If you're specifically looking for designers, Dribbble is the best place to look. Most top-notch designers post their work on the site and, if they're open for gigs, you can contact them directly through Dribbble.- Ben Lang, Spoke
3. Facebook
I have actually found Facebook to be a great hiring tool. It helps to have my staff post to their personal pages and then sift through potential candidates who respond. That way, my staff already has a potential relationship with that person, making it easier to judge their fit within the company. It makes the vetting process a lot easier and much more personal than traditional job postings.- Justin Lefkovitch, Mirrored Media
4. Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com is a great website for finding and hiring freelance talent. They have a very large database of freelancers in many categories, including web design, web development and data entry. The interface is easy to use, and I have only had good experiences with the freelancers from there.- Diana Goodwin, AquaMobile
5. Guru
Guru is a top pick for me because I've found so many talented individuals on there for marketing and content writing. They make it easy to find and work with freelancers, as well as facilitate payment and tax forms.- Drew Hendricks, Buttercup
6. iFreelance.com
iFreelance.com has the most diverse freelancers from around the world, and the largest selection of talent. That makes it easy to find freelancers.- Angela Ruth, Due
7. LinkedIn
I like the idea of my connections connecting me to other potential workers. Many of them use freelancers too, and are willing to share those who they have tested for me. This makes me feel better about hiring them because they come as referrals through my LinkedIn network.- Cynthia Johnson, Ipseity Media
8. Remote.com
Remote.com is a great freelance site to reach talent all over the world, with more than two million freelancers signed up across all types of specialties. They also pre-qualify the talent, so you know you are getting the cream of the crop.- Andrew O'Connor, American Addiction Centers
9. University Job Boards
College job boards are great for finding interns and freelance talent. Many students are looking for part-time work, and are eager for work experience. Depending on the role that you are trying to fill, post at different universities that are known for training students in that field.- Adelyn Zhou, TOPBOTS
10. Your Own
Add a "We're Hiring" page to your website, and share it with your newsletter list and via social media. It's our single best source of new hires by a long shot.- Richard Kershaw, WhoIsHostingThis.com
11. Niche Sites
Lots will recommend Upwork as the leader (and rightfully so). But for many roles, niche sites work better. For designers, I prefer a visually intense portfolio site like Sortfolio. Or even approaching people on DeviantArt with freelance offers. Other specialty marketplaces are just better at vetting, like Toptal for developers or Paro.io for bookkeepers.- Corey Northcutt, Northcutt Inbound Marketing
