Outsourcing your work tasks to other people can be tough. It takes time to find the right person to work for you and complete your work efficiently. That’s why it’s so important that you take all the steps necessary so you end up with work you’re proud of.
According to Statista, the global outsourcing market amounted to 85.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. More and more businesses and website owners are choosing to outsource parts of their work so they can focus on other things and increase their revenue. Outsourcing is cost effective and improves your business growth because it allows you to get more work done in a short amount of time.
If you want to outsource your work tasks, here’s how to get started.
Know what to outsource
First, it’s essential to decide what kind of work you need outsourced and what tasks you’ll continue working on yourself. If there’s a bigger project or task that needs to be completed and it holds a lot of importance, it’s probably wise to keep those for yourself. You only want to outsource work you’re confident can be executed efficiently without your help. The whole point of outsourcing is that you have a lighter workload and don’t have to stress about menial tasks.
There are typically three types of tasks that people like to outsource:
- Expert tasks
- Repetitive tasks
- Specialized tasks
Sometimes there are things that need to get done for your business that you don’t have much experience with, so you need an expert in that area to do it for you. For this, outsourcing is perfect. You can’t suddenly become an expert in a field overnight, and you want your business to run as smoothly as possible, so hire someone if you need an expert task or tasks completed.
Repetitive tasks are just that: repetitive. They need to be worked on over and over and are an essential part of your business that keeps it running, such as sorting through emails or updating inventory. They’re usually mundane and don’t require a lot of brain power to complete, which is perfect for outsourcing because it saves you time to work on something more lucrative and productive.
For jobs you don’t need to be worked on consistently, you can outsource those projects to specialists in their field. They won’t be full-time employees, but will likely be contracted to take over quarterly or annual projects.
Do your research
Just like any search for a new candidate, it’s essential that you do your research on everyone who applies to do your outsourcing work. Their resume and references are the keys to helping you find out who’s the right fit for your business and who you can weed out.
First, speak to your candidates’ references to find out more about them. What’s their work ethic like? How are they to work with? Do they take direction well and complete tasks efficiently without needing to be micromanaged? These are all important things to keep in mind when hiring someone to take over your work.
It’s also important to use the interview process as a way to find someone who will do well for your business and can help you achieve your goals. Make sure your interviews are thorough and cover all the bases of what you want in your contractor or employee. Have a comprehensive list of questions ready beforehand so you’re prepared.
Set clear expectations
It’s going to be impossible to hire someone to take over work for you if they aren’t informed of exactly what’s expected of them. If you don’t lay out your goals or what you expect of your candidate, it’s likelier that you’ll see work with errors or have to deal with someone who’s confused as to what you want. If you’re going to hire someone you believe can get the job done and do it well, then you have to lay the groundwork and set clear expectations.
From the very beginning, you should be clear and concise about what it is you’re looking for in a candidate and what the work entails. This should include the workload, the type of work it is, and how often you’ll need it completed. All of this information should be included in your job posting and tell potential candidates exactly what you’re looking for.
Wrapping up
If you’re looking to outsource your work, you need to know what you expect and what you’re looking for in your potential candidate. Trusting someone else to take over your everyday tasks is nervewracking as you’re putting its quality in their hands. However, preparing yourself is the best thing you can do to find the right person. How will you find your next outsourcing candidate?