Why recruiters should hire more ex-freelancers

Due to the freedom and independence that freelancing provides, some recruiters are hesitant to hire them as full-time workers. While there is some stigma around freelancing, independent workers actually have many assets that could benefit the companies they serve.

Around the year 2000, full-time status reached its peak with the overwhelming majority of workers in salaried positions and only 10% of workers employed as freelancers. Since freelancers often have different opportunities, aspirations, and benefits than salaried employees, recruiting them can be a foreign experience for many recruiters. Also, freelancers sometimes don’t want to make the shift to salaried employment, even viewing it as a failure of their own abilities or goals as independent workers.

In the last two decades, the number of self-employed workers has increased, but not exponentially, with the biggest change being the increased flexibility that exists today between the different statuses. Employees and self-employed people no longer categorize themselves as rigidly as they might have in the past, as many workers often move from one status to the other, or even do both at the same time. It can often feel like a Catch-22, as employees often seek the autonomy that comes with independent work, while freelancers would like the security that salaried work provides. In many companies today, teams are often made up of individuals with varying statuses. In short, the work is becoming more fluid and the boundaries we used to know are starting to blur.

In short, both current and former freelancers are as qualified as salaried employees, and it would be a shame for companies to limit themselves when candidate pools are already small. Moreover, these workers have actually needed to acquire more skills than the average salaried worker in order to navigate the uncertain world of freelancing. Unfortunately, some recruiters are still wary of “atypical profiles” who move from one status to another, and worse, HR professionals often fail to see the bigger picture, which is that workers from all different backgrounds and statuses will bring their own unique skills and qualifications to a role.

Freelancers and recruiters: building bridges

Even though freelancers are independent, they can be loyal to their clients and often collaborate with companies for much longer than salaried employees. In the past few years, for certain profiles like IT professionals, it has become easier to simply depend on freelancers rather than to recruit someone internally. Each service rendered represents an opportunity to discover a new profile and build a bond of trust and mutual respect. In fact, it is not uncommon for these freelancers to receive permanent offers from satisfied clients, which freelancers often accept.

However, HR often gives too little consideration to these “atypical” profiles. For example, when an employee leaves a full-time position, it is not uncommon for them to start freelancing for their former employer. However, it’s not as common the other way around, for a freelancer to be given a permanent role. So, does it really make sense to perpetuate the perception that hiring a freelancer as a salaried employee is rare or unique?

Becoming an employee again after being independent for a few years is in no way a failure. As Nina Ramen writes on LinkedIn, “In a few years, I might become an employee again… It’s just that I believe that returning to employment is not a failure. Salaried employment has advantages that entrepreneurship does not have (and vice versa). Returning would not be a failure, it would simply correspond to a change in needs. Needs that I will make sure to satisfy throughout my life.”

Communication between freelancers and salaried employees generally remains limited, because the departments that need freelancers are not communicating with HR, and vice versa. Some companies have even created roles such as “Chief Freelance Officer” in order to make this connection, but most often, it is the individual departments themselves who act as a bridge between the freelancers and HR to obtain the resources they need in their teams. There is no standard procedure for budgeting and recruiting freelance work, and the process is often difficult. Isn’t it time to imagine some new kinds of “worker pathways” that include freelancers and salaried employees alike, to be better able to recruit and develop talent regardless of their status?

Benefits of hiring a former freelancer

In the 21st century, there is a significant overlap between employees and the self-employed, which says a lot about changes in the modern workplace. The fact remains that carrying out or having carried out work as a self-employed person allows you to acquire many valuable skills such as:

• Storytelling: they learn to sell themselves regularly, highlight their skills, and stand out in a competitive market. Storytelling is a powerful weapon to tell their professional story in a captivating way, which allows them to attract and retain customers.
• Continuing education: they understand the importance of constantly staying up to date in their area of expertise, which pushes them to continually develop their skills.
• Innovation: while not solely reserved for freelancers, it’s still true that they acquire a fine sensitivity to market trends and developments, which allows them to adapt quickly to changes.
• Management: they master essential skills, such as budget management and understanding accounting, which allows them to effectively manage their finances and guarantee the sustainability of their business.

In short, recruiting them means recruiting versatile and skilled workers who do not need to be micromanaged! While they may be uncomfortable in bureaucratic organizations at first because they are used to making their own decisions quickly, it is precisely these qualities that companies need if they wish to become more agile and innovative. There is a misconception that these workers are more “fickle” or that they lack loyalty, but nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing indicates that the turnover of individuals with freelance experience is higher than that of those who have only done salaried work.

Some recruiters also think that former freelancers will not be “submissive” enough and that after having had independence they’re incapable of “bending” again to the hierarchical organization of a company. These fears are certainly exaggerated. After all, freelancers must also bend to the wishes of their clients and live up to their various expectations! Even if there were some truth to these preconceived ideas, are they not especially well-suited to working in a changing and uncertain world? Rather than worrying about their possible departure or insubordination, why not recognize the benefits of questioning the nature of your relationship with a company and working to develop your own employability?

Now that you can see the benefits that freelance workers can bring to your organization, here are some tips to boost their recruitment:

• Reassess your standards: only looking for a candidate with the “right” diploma and 4 years of experience is the first obstacle to the recruitment of unique profiles, including former freelancers.
• Create a network of freelancers: share content, plan events, and make rituals. Like any network, maintaining links with freelancers who have worked with you will pay off.
• Ask your freelance networks for referrals: they can recommend relevant profiles to you, or spread the word to other freelancers looking for full-time opportunities.
• Give managers the autonomy they need to recruit the best profiles: don’t hesitate to make a job offer to a freelancer. You might be surprised by what they have to offer!

Translation by Nicky Charles Peters

Photo: Welcome to the Jungle

Follow Welcome to the Jungle on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to get our latest articles every day, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter!