From Offshore Outsourcing World
How do you go about finding the best consultant?
In a word: online.
Sure, word of mouth may be reliable (it's certainly more comforting), but different projects require different kinds of attention. A consultant who did a good job for a buddy may have problems dealing with you!
It's always better to take a hands-on approach to hiring. You will have better luck finding a good consultant yourself, by looking through the Internet.
Consultants willing to be hired by overseas employers usually gather in Net-based communities like forums, message boards, mailing lists, in which they can share ideas and network for better chances of employment.
If you're only looking for individual freelancers, it would be good to know where solo fliers hang out. On the Internet, there are so many comfortable familiar specialized communities in which prospective consultants could gather, like writing forums and message boards for programmers and digital artists; these places would be excellent locations for strategic "help wanted" ads.
Visibility is assured and there is a high chance of landing a professional worker who is open to criticism, improvement and growth.
Hanging around in Web-based communities also gives an employer an in-depth look at how prospective employees view their profession.
But if you seek a legitimate consultation outfit, a corporation or a professional group ready to sign long-term contracts for large-scale projects, there is a better place to look: freelance markets.
"Freelance markets" are actually web sites that make it easier for entrepreneurs to contact consultants who meet their specific project requirements - a sort of professional online community where members can browse and reply to job postings, advertise their services, and bid for project commissions.
Among the most popular freelance markets to date are Elance, Guru.com and ProSavvy.
It's not only offshore consultants that use these freelance markets -- even onshore consultants invest in paid accounts, to gain some priority in the placement process!
This is how it works:
Some freelance markets will allow you to browse through their posting directories for free. Most, however, will require you to sign up as a member first.
Membership will be necessary for contacting consultants eventually.
Signing up for membership in freelance markets is usually free for employers or entrepreneurs, but not for consultants. Consultants are expected to pay an initial setup fee, or a membership fee paid at a regular basis, which allows them to keep their account with the site.
This payment system provides a basic assurance that consultants are legitimate. Some freelance markets may apply additional authentication methods, for maximum security in screening new consultants.
Paid membership for consultants comes with an array of useful services, like access to predefined project templates, archives of past postings, and first notice of all posted projects. Most freelance sites also provide valuable industry resources to both member entrepreneurs and consultants, in the form of Web-based subscription-only articles, or regularly emailed newsletters.
In short, membership is free, but subscription is an even better deal!
Freelance markets aren't always general, which is to say catering to all types of consultants and entrepreneurs. There are also specialized markets that allow you to search by profession or location.
For example, Rent-a-coder focuses on consultants offering coding and software development services. Filipino Freelancers is a market catering to freelancers based in the Philippines, and employers seeking to hire consultants from this specific country.
Different markets will present different methods of interaction between entrepreneurs and their prospective consultants. Invest time and money in this endeavor: try out more than one service and see which one you will end up being most comfortable with.
The Internet is there to make things easier, after all!
Next: How Do You Strike a Bargain?
Additional Reading:
The Top Freelance Markets Today:
Sample Specialized Markets: