Looking for a freelance writer? Here are 5 qualities you should be looking for

Looking for a freelance writer? Here are 5 qualities you should be looking for

Looking for a freelance writer? Finding the right person to create interesting and engaging content isn’t always easy. With potentially thousands of freelancers hoping to win contracts on freelance sites, and hundreds of responses to your online ad, how will you choose? And when you do, how do you know you’ve made the right choice? 

To find the answers to these questions, you need to know what to look for in a freelance writer. But what are the qualities you should look for? Read on to find out!

Look for quality

Consider who is going to see the content that your freelancer creates. Bloggers? Potential clients? Your employees? Or someone else. You need to bear in mind that quality is everything, so when you see examples of their past work and come across pages that are littered with spelling mistakes and cringe-worthy grammatical errors, warning bells should start to ring. You also need to look out for plagiarism too, as copyright infringement could seriously damage you and your business. Check out scribbr.com if you’re looking for a reliable plagiarism checker (as well as a really cool and free to use APA citation tool)  The quality of their work should compliment your business and the messages you’re trying to convey, nothing should ever be compromised. 

Reliability

Finding the perfect freelancer is great, but if they suddenly disappear when you need them the most and they won’t return your calls or reply to your emails then you’ll instantly regret your choice. Reliability isn’t always easy to gauge from an application, so consider looking at their professional profile on LinkedIn and checking out some reviews. See if you can get in touch with previous employers to get an insight into their reliability.

Punctuality

Do they have the capacity to have their work completed on time? You’ll be giving them strict guidelines to work to and knowing that they’ll have everything ready on time will be a huge weight off your shoulders. Consider testing prospective freelancers during the selection process and get them to write a couple of articles within a certain amount of day. 

Professionalism

Do they respond to your emails in good time? Are they polite and courteous when you get in touch with them? They might be working closely with other members of staff who will allocate them work, so do they show the same level of consideration to your employees? The best way to get an insight into their professionalism is to meet them in person. Have conversations, introduce them to members of your team and see how they respond. Again, previous employers, reviews and general connectivity will be a helpful insight. 

Humble 

It sounds a little peculiar, but a humble freelancer would be an absolute asset to you. Not only because it means they’ll be able to take constructive criticism well and be able to adapt and change their work without too much fuss, but they’ll also be satisfied with a job well done and be happy to maintain their current working standard.