The advantages and disadvantages of using freelancers

Lack of understanding

Some businesses might not understand the kind of work that freelancers do. Much of the news to do with the gig economy and freelance working is directed at the likes of Uber or Deliveroo, and businesses may not understand that the term “freelancing” applies to many different types of work.

Businesses also might wrongly have the idea that freelancers are unreliable due to not having supervision, or could do the work and move on.

To break down this barrier, you could provide your employer with a contract outlining an agreement for the work that you will be undertaking. This will give your employer the peace of mind that they will receive an end product or output. You could also ask for feedback upon completion of the project. This gives you a chance to reflect on your work and use positive feedback to get more work for yourself, but it can also make your employer feel like there is more to the relationship than the end result.

Investment in internal resource

Some companies prefer to have staff they can invest in to make them an asset to their business in the longer term. A business owner may feel that a freelancer won’t know enough about their company to make an impact with any work that you produce. Before approaching a customer, find out about them and see if you can learn a little about their industry to show that you can be beneficial to them.

Uncertain of quality of work

Another common assumption is that a freelancer’s work might not be as good as a full time employee. However, freelancing is just a way for people to work that allows more freedom, so a freelancer will usually have just as much experience as someone who works full time, and may even have more experience in working with a range of clients.

Make sure that you have somewhere that you can show off your portfolio of work, whether this is online on a website or social media channels or a physical version of your work, such as a brochure.