15 Tech Leaders Discuss The Qualities They Look For In Independent Contractors

It’s been stated that each firm is a tech firm at the moment—which implies there’s a widespread want for expert tech professionals throughout industries. With an ongoing scarcity of accessible tech expertise, competitors to deliver on certified full-time workers is fierce, so many tech leaders flip to unbiased contractors to fulfill one-time and short-term wants.

Regardless that a partnership with a freelancer could solely final a couple of days or perhaps weeks, it’s nonetheless essential to rigorously vet anybody you usher in to work along with your workforce. Under, 15 members of Forbes Know-how Council every share one must-have high quality they search for in an unbiased contractor and why it’s so essential.

1. Good Communication Abilities

Freelancers have to be dependable and good at speaking. They’re an extension of your corporation, they usually typically come at a better value than employed workers. Due to this fact, they should ship a buyer expertise that matches, if not exceeds, the way you wish to ship a mission. Communication is vital to success—how they impart throughout your preliminary engagement will display how they’ll work together in the course of the mission. – Daniel Lewis, Qmulus Options

2. Accountability

In a phrase, I’m on the lookout for accountability. This consists of accountability for producing work that’s of the required high quality, accountability for making certain they perceive the necessities, accountability for delivering an correct completed mission in a well timed method, and accountability for including to the workforce. – David Marley, Comply Trade

---

Forbes Know-how Council is an invitation-only group for world-class CIOs, CTOs and expertise executives. Do I qualify?

---

3. Self-Consciousness

One of many key components for us is self-awareness. An unbiased contractor have to be self-aware in terms of their skills, their different ongoing initiatives, timelines and any challenges that may come up alongside the way in which. They need to be capable of verify, “Sure, I can ship it on time.” Typically, an trustworthy “no” will get you the subsequent job down the road and improve your fame. – Antonela Zubak, viahub

4. Established Processes

Contractors ought to have a really well-established course of for gathering expectations on duties and speaking their progress. A query that will get at their proactivity on this regard is, “How do you deal with an ambiguous ticket?” Passive contractors will likely be flustered, however good candidates can very simply articulate their collaboration course of and communication fashion. – John Kuhn, Integral

5. Easy Onboarding Processes

Hiring freelancers is each an artwork and a science. When hiring, watch for a way they interact with you in the course of the contracting course of. What you might be anticipating is how they go about estimating their workload, the strategy they take, the deliverables they create and the concepts they provide you with. In the event that they make your thoughts spin within the effort to get a contract signed, they’re a “no-go.” Search for individuals who can take a few of the work off your plate. – Chaitra Vedullapalli, Ladies in Cloud

6. Stability

It’s essential for an unbiased contractor to have some degree of stability when it comes to the initiatives they undertake. Leaping ship too typically or being a “jack of all trades and grasp of none” can generally be a hindrance in case you’re in search of to be employed for short-term work. Typically, purchasers are on the lookout for somebody with a deal with a couple of issues relatively than somebody who grabs any mission that comes alongside. – Bhavna Juneja, Infinity, a Stamford Know-how Firm

7. A Nicely-Rounded Talent Set

The freelancer’s ability set must be the door opener. The following issues are how a lot work they will deal with and the way dependable they’ve traditionally been. Lastly, it’s all the time about tradition and angle—they have to be a match with the prevailing workforce. Constructing belief via supply and relationships, whilst a contractor, is vital. – Brian Berger, Cytellix Company

8. Prepared Availability

Know-how freelancers have to be available, notably in the event that they’re supporting operations or a “go-live.” I’ve discovered that it’s essential to set expectations for when the freelancer is anticipated to be “on-line.” I’ve labored with freelancers who’ve had too many consumers, which may make responsiveness problematic. – Glenn Landmesser, RiseNow

9. An Wonderful Observe File

A key high quality required when hiring an unbiased contractor is a superb monitor report of delivering the kind of answer being requested. To that finish, search for somebody who’s keen to offer an inventory of purchasers as references. – Mark Schlesinger, Broadridge Monetary Options

10. An Appreciation For Collaboration

It’s essential to companion with an unbiased contractor who values collaboration. This sole high quality is probably going indicative that they’re pushed to know your wants and can talk any points alongside the way in which. On the root of this are good communication abilities, which differentiate a real expertise partnership from mere outsourced assist. – Mike Lefebvre, SEI

11. Expertise And Flexibility

There are lots of key qualities when trying to find an unbiased contractor, however two all the time stand out for me: expertise and adaptability. Expertise is key to make sure I’ve confidence of their means to ship the work. Flexibility is critical to make sure the avoidance of a dogmatic strategy and a willingness for them to align with our tradition and methods of working. A mix of those two qualities in a contractor breeds confidence in future success. – Mark Brown, British Requirements Establishment (BSI)

12. Specialization

Specialization is likely one of the components to search for when onboarding freelancers on your tech initiatives. Relying on the kind of initiatives you might be hiring for, it’s a good suggestion to examine if a freelancer has constructed a distinct segment and whether or not it matches the ability units you might be on the lookout for. – Chintan Shah, Brainvire InfoTech Inc.

13. Mutual Belief

Ideally, the contractor into consideration has already labored with us and proven the required abilities and experience. In any other case, we’d begin with a testing interval to evaluate their capabilities. We would like somebody we will belief to get the job achieved on time and for honest compensation. – Oscar Segurado, ASC Therapeutics

14. Character And Ardour

Character is totally essential. A freelancer is of their place for a cause—they’ve chosen to not be tied to a single job. You have to ensure that there’s some degree of ardour for the initiatives they are going to be engaged on with you in order that it’s not only one job amongst many. If their character and keenness match, they are able to contribute in a useful method. If not, bear in mind that you could be be “simply certainly one of many.” – WaiJe Coler, InfoTracer

15. Being A Quick Starter

An distinctive freelancer will display a capability to “hit the bottom working” as they interact with the group. There are lots of aspects that make a freelancer a match to handle a sure want, but when they’re unable to make a right away impression on the state of affairs, their match for objective is diminished. In interviews, we search for examples of the place they’ve demonstrated such an impression. – Emmanuel Ramos, OZ Digital Consulting