The Benefits of Using Freelance Project Managers

Editorial Team

Because of the digital age, more and more businesses are starting to hire more freelancers for jobs that would usually require the responsibility of a regular rank and file. Even upper operations positions such as project managers aren’t such a big expense for businesses anymore because of freelancers. And today, we’re going to focus on why even big web designers, e-commerce, telecommunication businesses and others hire freelance project managers.

Although it may be quite difficult at first to adjust to this trend as a business owner, you will come to realize that there are so many advantages to hiring a freelance project manager to run your campaigns for you.

1.      Independence

If you don’t want your project manager to be bugging you every now and then, then you should definitely hire a freelance project manager. Because of their experience with working for different bosses, they’ve been extremely trained to work alone with little to no assistance. The usual scenario is once they are hired, give them clear cut instructions on what to do about a certain project, and they should be able to carry it out. As opposed to when HR hires someone and you will be more or less baby sitting someone new in the office. No project has the time for such adjustments nowadays.

It is such a blessing for busy CEOs to have freelance project managers who they only need to talk to when updates or meetings are needed. Millenials, specifically, no longer like micro managing and the generations before that have adapted to this style as well. Gone are the days when bosses nit pick on every single output of a project manager. As long as goals are being met and things are effective plus, of course, nothing illegal is being done, then you’re good.

2.      Good Work Ethic

Did you know that people who are hired to work on a certain project as opposed to those who are full time employees turn out to have stronger work ethics? And this is a general observation for all relationships and interactions that are expected to be short. When a person knows that he only has one chance to make an impression, he does so in such a way that he gives it his all. Admit it, when you’re being set up for a blind date without the security of a follow up, don’t you put your best foot forward? Yes, it’s the same principle applies with work.

Moreover, because they will mostly be working remotely most of the time, they know that there is a tendency for them to be under the microscope so they ensure to create outputs that are flawless.

3.      Per Project Pay

Freelance project managers are paid by the project and not really included in your 9 to 5 payroll. This means that as an employer, you’re not required to pay for benefits such as healthcare. That alone can save you a lot of money. They also work from home for the most part which means that they don’t consume office utilities such as electricity. They pay for their own internet connection, their own food and generally, their comfort will be at their own expense. This is why employers should pay freelancers for their work accordingly. If you want to ensure that your project is completed on time and within budget, it’s important to be fair and transparent. By taking the time to understand their rates and expectations, you can create a mutually beneficial relationship that will lead to better results for everyone involved.

Some bosses would argue that contract labor freelancers would take longer to finish a project. While this is true, it can all be avoided by a clear employment contract on the onset of the hiring. Let’s say for example that it would usually take 6 months to finish a certain project for your company. You simply need to be detailed about the fact that if they don’t finish it within 6 months, it’s either they don’t get paid or they get fined. That way, you can be sure that they will do their best to meet their deadlines.

After all, you wouldn’t hire anyone without a good track record, right?

4.      No Long Term Commitments

In relation to what we’ve mentioned earlier, because your freelance project manager will only work for a certain project, you are not in any way obliged to hire them again for another project or keep them longer if you don’t want to or don’t need to. It saves you that awkward conversation of firing someone or reinstating a contract that you don’t want to keep active.

5.      Impressive Track Record and Aptitude for Managing

If ever you do decide to hire a freelance project manager, you’ll see how impeccable their portfolio is. Most of these people are smart enough to have worked for different industries and yet excel at each one of those. This shouldn’t be so much of a surprise though. It takes a certain aptitude to be able to call oneself a project manager. There is a skillset required.

Freelance project managers are very tech savvy because they’ve learned how to use different applications across all industries. In fact, if you take a look at a few profiles right now, they probably know a lot about every in demand skill in the market. They can do graphic design, they can do back end website work, they can do sales and marketing, they can even create content for you – it’s like the perfect employee you’ve always dreamed of.

The most important skill you will probably want to know is that they know how to manage their time wisely. Because they’re paid per project, they don’t waste time on doing things that won’t promote progress to a project. In fact, they find the easiest way to plan out and execute projects so they won’t need to spend too much of their resources. This doesn’t mean that they’re lazy, it just means that they’re effective.

6.      The Perfect Way to Test a Future Employee

A lot of people who have climbed the corporate ladder successfully started out as freelancers. As a business owner, one of your responsibilities whenever you have a freelance project manager under you is to keep an eye on their performance and track their progress. That’s what evaluation sheets are for.

These kinds of data will be useful in the future especially if you see fit to hire them for your company. For instance, a job for a permanent project manager opens up. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to hire someone who has done the job remotely before already as long as they’re up for the challenge of being tied up to the company for a longer period of time. At least, this way, you already have a clear vision of their overall knowledge about the company and their understanding of the core values you hold.

7.      A Pool of Options

We can’t deny the fact that the advancement of technology was a turning point for a lot of industries. Because of the connection that we all have now, it’s been easier to have a wider reach with regards to growing our target market as business owners. But more importantly, the internet has paved a way for employment. The remote job market is ever so growing and if you haven’t joined in on the trend yet, you should. Because the remote freelancer world is going to offer you a pool of options.

Big companies like Sykes, Johnson & Johnson’s, Amazon and others have started hiring remote works. According to a study, the average person saves 4,000 US dollars by working from home. That’s a big number right there. No wonder why intelligent employees are now all freelancing remotely. That being said, if you do spend time in searching, you’ll hire someone really smart. We’ll get to that later.

At this point, all you need to realize is that you should consider hiring someone who lives miles away because the person that you’re looking for might actually be in another city or even another country and there’s definitely no harm in that because it has worked for many companies in the past.

Searching for a Freelance Project Manager is So Easy!

As mentioned earlier, there is a pool of options for your company. If you post a job opening for a freelance project manager in your area, you are going to yield less applicants because you are limited with the location requirements. What you need to do is go to a freelancer remote website and post a job there to see how many people apply.

As the industry of remote workers grew over the past few years, more and more websites became secure and safe for employers. You don’t need to worry about a freelance project manager not doing his job properly because there are certain sanctions to those who don’t stick to their commitments. Websites can bar them from ever getting a job because they can be blacklisted. And believe you me, it’s hard to rank up on those websites so they definitely won’t do anything to mess up their records.

A remote website would let you register as an employer and then give you a few stuff to fill out before you can start hiring. They will require you to upload business permits and the like to prove the existence of your company. You might even be scheduled for an interview which is great because this is also your opportunity to ask questions. Many times, you will be asked to deposit an escrow to ensure that you can pay your freelancers which is totally understandable because these websites want to protect both their registered employers and employees.

Once approved as an employer, you may start looking for profiles to send direct invites to or you can just upload your job posting for everyone to see. You can start scheduling interviews for resumes you favor and then by the time you know it, you have a new freelance project manager in your team. Who knows, you might even end up hiring content creators, writers, web designers and the like.

Outsourcing websites are very transparent with the pool of people they have. You can navigate through someone’s profile and easily see their past work experiences, how past clients viewed their work, reviews, and even a section where you can view their portfolio. It’s all very convenient, really. That’s the reason why outsourcing websites take a portion of the freelancer’s salary so they can maintain top of the line services.

Hire A Freelance Project Manager Today

Sold but don’t know where to start? Start slow!

Take a look at your smallest or simplest project that needs managing and try to hire a freelance project manager for that. Choose something that doesn’t pose so much risk if it fails just to keep your worries at bay.

Prepare a set of instructions and let him know what is expected of him CLEARLY. After hiring, go have a meeting right away and prepare visual aids. Explain to your freelance project manager how a similar project in the past worked so they have a better idea of how to execute your plans for this one. If you have trust issues, then let them start by committing to a schedule of at least 5 hours a day of tracked work. This means that you will be able to see their screen while they are working. A lot of employers require this especially if it’s their first time to work with a freelancer so don’t worry about offending them. They’ve probably got time tracking applications installed on their computers as well.

Additional tip: Don’t forget to ask about their hardware. It’s one thing to be skilled at something but if your hardware will be a hindrance to the quality of your work then it’s going to brew a lot of predicaments. Before even hiring anyone, check if their computer is fast, if they have all the software you need, let them do a routine speed test from time to time and ask them about their contingency plan just in case they lose internet connection. You are free to provide the tools that they need as the employer because this will motivate them further for sure.

Communication is the key to success when it comes to employer-employee transactions like this.