Freelance Recruitment from Home: Have You Found Success in This Journey?

Hi Friends,

There's a lot of buzz about freelance recruitment opportunities, i.e., work-at-home options for recruiters. While there is much interest in the topic, I have not really heard many success stories in relation to the same. I am sure we would all gain from the experiences/insights of successful freelance recruiters. This would also provide encouragement to those contemplating taking up freelance recruitment assignments.

Thanks and regards,
SD

Yes, friend. It is one of the future strategies in the HR field that is going to happen and is already happening. By 2020, most of the work (IT - non-critical projects, ITES, and software solutions) will be done by freelancers, part-time workers, and even other non-core functions.

With regards,
Valbooj

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and am thoroughly impressed with the kind of knowledge sharing happening here. I am an IT recruiter with over 4 years of experience in IT recruitment and around 2 years in customer service. I was working with a leading recruitment company and am currently considering the option of working as a freelance recruiter. I would like to understand the process of working as a freelancer. Also, what would be the terms and conditions if I were to work as an associate. I'm currently based out of Bangalore.

Looking forward to your advice.

Regards,
TalentLead

First of all, thanks Sujoy for bringing up this topic. This is close to my heart because I started my career as a freelance recruiter only before I went on to have my office. As far as the success rate in freelance recruitment is concerned, it is more or less the same as that of regular recruitment activity. But there are certain things one must pay heed to before starting any freelance recruitment assignment.

1. The person who is going to start as a freelancer must have money in his/her pocket to keep going for at least a period of 6 months. For example, when I decided to start, I gave myself 2 years and I had enough funds to keep going.

2. Don't be beaten by the "It's easy, I will do it anytime" bug. Freelancing means that there is no one to supervise you, and thus self-discipline becomes very important; it's even more important than when you are working in an office setup.

3. Make sure that you have a designated place, even if it is tiny, which is kept solely for your work purpose. Making calls from your bed while lying down will not bring any tangible results.

4. Be prepared to persist even when the results are not encouraging. As they say, "Rome was not built in a day."

5. Finally, there is nothing like easy money. So, don't take up freelance recruitment if you want to make easy money. It's actually very challenging. It will take a lot of time, dedication, and commitment.

To sum it all up, all freelancing activities are not fruitless. Today, more than 60% of my recruiters are freelancers, and they are making good money. But it definitely takes time, contrary to what is often claimed on various websites promoting different kinds of freelancing opportunities.

If you have any doubts about freelancing recruitment, you can ask me for help at [Login to view].

Regards

To add to what has already been said, based on my limited experience working with freelancers:

a) Consistency is very important. Do not approach this with an attitude of "let me try it and see"—be very clear about why you want to be a freelancer and keep that reason always in mind.

b) Even a freelancer needs to be committed. Only when that commitment shows in efforts will you start seeing results.

c) As a natural corollary to the above, work with maybe one or two companies at most. More than that, and you are spreading yourself too thin, in my humble opinion.

d) Recruitment now is a "Fastest Fingers First" game. If you receive a requirement and do not respond within 1-2 days, perhaps freelancing is not for you.

e) Of course, it is very important to work with the right people who have requirements they understand well and can effectively communicate that understanding to you. I don't believe it is possible to do so in a purely virtual environment beyond a certain point.

f) It is also important to aim for a mutually ethical and honest relationship. If you have doubts on that front, you are wasting your time.

We have had some success—only with those who take a keen interest in the requirements we share with them. We have clear systems in place to monitor such interest, efforts, and results, all of which contribute to the rewards.

If you are in or near Delhi and have strong reasons to explore a freelance recruiting opportunity, please contact me at [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons] in Delhi.

Best of luck!

Hardeep

While many points have already been covered by @TEAMGROUPHR and @HARDEEP, I just want to mention our experience so far with freelance recruiters.

Freelance Recruitment: Key Insights

#1 "Work at Will" is not present in recruiting. You must pick up the phone and answer politely whenever it rings! It's only a "Work from Home" option. A very good option for female/male HRs on long-term leave who still want to stay connected with their career (win-win).

#2 Freelancing is a performance-based job, i.e., sharing expertise. In other words, employers give this option to reduce costs without compromising quality, whether your agreement is pay per month or per closure (revenue sharing). Results are a must to continue with you.

#3 Finally, freelancing is rewarding for performers! Yes, highly skilled recruiters who know how to get numbers will earn 2x, 3x, or even 5x of their regular office job. If you still need any details, feel free to ring me at [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Good luck.