Hiring trends: Freelancers

[Kalyan]

Hiring trends: Freelancers

Companies are on the lookout for highly motivated workers.

Everyone – companies, newspapers and politicians - are making us believe that the times ahead are bad! And sure that might be so. But for the self employed lot – this credit crunch has never been a better time to be a freelancer.

As Aaron Russell, freelance web designer, says in his blog – "When companies begin to lay off staff, it is often the freelancer who benefits when they step in to complete the work that starts overflowing."

Freelancers are best equipped to survive the recession, or so they claim. In our discussion with few freelancers we tried to find just that.

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

Counter opinion

The current crisis does doesn't seem to be a favourable time for all freelancers. Reena Rai, freelance reporter for an online portal, believes that clients come to her for the value of her service and this has nothing to do with the current financial situation.

"It's the visibility I have created for myself over the years that is keeping me in good stead," says Rai.

Aruna Chandaraju, freelance writer with many well known publications, thinks the situation might be a bit of both – a body of work created over time as well as the effects of recession. "However," she says, "most companies are not outsourcing jobs to me because they have downsized in anyway, but rather because of their policy of allotting work to freelancers."

"In fact some publications," she continues, "have altogether stopped commissioning work to freelancers' and in this scenario it's the attitude and clarity of ones goals that will see them through."

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

The greener side

Software programmer, Srikanth K, is a happy man. "I didn't think recession could do me good. After the company I was working with closed down, it was exasperating to find a full-time job. I was doing a few - what I then thought were - oddball jobs as a freelancer while still actively seeking a full-time job. But as would be, freelance work has poured in and is now my preferential method to work," says Srikanth.

For another logo design freelancer, Raja S, this recession has brought great bounties to his business. "At every down turn there is always someone in an up turn looking to capitalise. Although business itself hasn't slowed down for me, client payments have.

The point I wanted to make was that I have been getting a lot of work from new (rather fly by night) debt consolidators and loan assistance type businesses online, mainly in the US," he says.

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

Reasoning factor

Clients and companies are no doubt looking for cheaper outlets. The main reasons for freelancers seeing prolificacy is due to increased networking through the web. Rob Cubbon, freelance graphic designer based in London, says, "I am increasingly outsourcing parts of jobs or whole jobs to contacts I have made through my website and it's been working very well."

A simple law of economics enumerates the multiplicity in market spending. Companies are increasingly realising that and the importance of it during the bad times. "Maybe this advice has hit home and certain organisations are trying to find reliable freelancers for various projects," says Rob.

With options for increased networking, clients can draw easily from a pool of talented freelancers - thus allowing their business to take larger and more complex tasks.

LimeExchange.com, a portal redefining global outsourcing, provides a platform to freelancers and clients to meet and avail each others services. "In general terms freelancers are cheaper than agencies and will therefore get more work when budgets are tight," surmises Rob. "Also most businesses are looking for creative ways to get the same amount of work done with fewer labourers. That's why we're seeing such an increase in freelancers," adds Tripthi Lachungpa freelancer web designer based in Gangtok.

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

In demand

Technically speaking we are still not in a recession situation. Some near-sighted companies, they say, are tightening their marketing and advertising budget.

But it was reported a few weeks back that two of the world's biggest advertisers, Unilever and Procter & Gamble, would not cut their marketing budgets. Many other companies which have understood the reasons for spending during recession will not shy either. Why? — Shirley, Economics teacher at a well known college in Bangalore, explains, "Recession is a good time for reigning marketing share. Ideally during a downturn most companies will slash their advertising spending. Few farsighted companies that spend can steal their market share."

However, where most companies would be mincing is in hiring big agencies. They will employ freelance designers and marketers rather than using an agency.

"Freelancers are inexpensive and can be chosen from among a hundred experts as opposed to an agency where you can only choose one who is in their employ," adds Bhakthi Shridhar, another freelance designer based in Bangalore. With cost cutting on the rise, most publishing companies are actively looking at freelancers, than hiring full time employees.

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

Stay put

While full timers have the luxury of a confirmed pay checque at the end of the month – it leaves them little liberty to work across variety. This is where freelancers gain, especially during recession.

Roshan Shah, freelance writer for a host of travel magazines says, "Apart from writing for some magazines, I'm also lending my skills with an organisation nearby that takes young children rock climbing and on nature outings."

Tripthi now offers her expertise even in writing content for the web. "I have hired another friend for this as some clients look for a complete service package. So now I accept the work, assign it to someone else and charge the client more than what I pay them," she explains.

Freelancers have to certainly think out of the box. Yet another Delhi-based freelancer photographer Deepak Bal has adopted a similar strategy: "This year to stay afloat I'm adding more services to my original skill. By providing photos with the stories I write, I'm able to increase my per article income."

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

A 'win' situation

Firstly, freelancers are psychologically prepared to be out of job. For a full timer, loosing a job amounts to loss of self esteem, which affects their ability to gather themselves and start from where they left off.

Since freelancers don't make job their goal per se, they are either better equipped to branch out or even comfortable doing nothing.

Freelancers are known to work on many contracts during their careers; this keeps them on a constant look out and abreast with the latest news. For Aruna when a certain publication decided they no longer needed her services, she had to merely look out for "those publications which still required my services," she says.

As freelancers have established social contacts – seeking out to people who require their services becomes easy. This is in direct contrast to what a full timer does - neglect networking.

source : economic times

[Kalyan]

Freelancers are always multi tasking. During recession this habit becomes a survival mechanism.And not to undermine the most important reason - that of 'working at ones convenience' – freelancers are self-employed in the first place. They work at their time, and with their rules.

Being a freelancer at this point gives them an advantage over a "company" as they have fewer overheads, which most clients are looking to crunch on.

Freelancers know how easily they can loose a client and therefore adopt uncompromising professionalism. Most companies and clients seek only this.

And at this hour when agencies are way expensive freelancers chip in with their expertise and deliver at a cost way below that of the agency.

source : economic times