Hiring contract workers

Remote work has been a boon for workers and companies alike. Whether hiring contract workers for a full-time position or a part-time contract job, the ability for people to perform their role remotely provides flexibility and access to resources previously unavailable to hiring managers. But, can access to talent become too easy?

Upwork and Contract Workers

One of the tools many companies use when hiring contract workers and manage them remotely is Upwork.com. For almost any type of office, professional, or business service, there is a worldwide resource of potential hires. A hiring manager can post a position at any time and have dozens of responses within a day. Some are not at all qualified; others are a great fit.

Since UpWork charges contractors to apply to these positions, it is not to a contractor’s advantage to go for everything they see. So, when hiring firms receive a lot of junk or perhaps no replies at all, what might be the cause? For firms in and hiring in the United States:

Unrealistic Expectations & Compensation & Descriptions

Going through the listings on UpWork, it is not uncommon to see postings that contradict themselves directly or implicitly. The compensation, experience level, and job description should all match. When they don’t, applicants may see only those areas that resonate with them while missing the signals that it is not a fit.

Experience Level vs. Compensation

When posting a job, hiring companies provide two things, among others. 1) Proficiency level and 2) compensation. When the proficiency/experience is set to “Expert” and the compensation is $15 – $20/ hour, these two don’t match. An expert (in the US) in just about any field will receive much more compensation than is listed. The question then becomes, which is more important, the experience or the budget?

An expert will not apply for this role. A newbie or intermediate (maybe), will see the compensation and be willing to accept it. But, they won’t have “expert” level experience. Also, checking the box that says “will pay more for experience” is disingenuous when the base compensation is too low.

Understand the compensation range for the position’s requirements and align your posting accordingly.

Experience Level and Job Description

It is very common to see an experience level of Intermediate, while the job description includes (often starting with), “Expert in…”. The motive for this type of disconnect is unclear. However, one is that setting the experience level lower than needed lets the compensation level be lower without looking too terrible to start with. And, let’s face it, people like to think of themselves as experts even if they are not.

This mismatch will encourage people with too little experience to apply. If the compensation is low and a real expert is needed, this approach will reduce the number of qualified applicants.

Disingenuous Job Descriptions When Hiring Contract Workers

This is a good one because it is usually paired with a fixed-fee compensation. In short, the description is something like “need an easy fix that won’t take much time,” “a simple, fast job for someone who knows what they are doing,” or some similar phrasing before elaborating on the actual task. The fixed-fee is usually something double-digit or even low double-digit. This plays into the ego of the contractor and is tempting for its “make a fast buck” approach.

However, it is incredibly disingenuous. Clearly, it is not easy or simple, as it requires specialized knowledge. Otherwise, the person hiring would do it themselves. Leave out the part where you downplay the ease of the fix and simply describe the job needed.

Need an Expert in Everything Description

When a hiring manager doesn’t truly understand the knowledge and skills of the positions for which they are hiring you will see one job, many expertise. You will see something like “looking for an experienced remote receptionist. Must also have 3+ years of bookkeeping, be an expert in Photoshop, have certifications in Google Ads, and be a resource for CAD software.”

A person may be an expert in a field and have competencies in related areas. This is not uncommon. But, job descriptions that call for expertise and deep experiences in many fields (even related) are simply unrealistic.

If you only have time and resources to hire one person, prioritize, placing the core requirements on a single skill set while listing the others as a plus. In reality, you should make the time to hire discreet expertise as you will likely spend more time managing deficiencies in the one person hired than managing several people competent in the various fields.