🐈
» Forums » Clients » How to set up test task before hiring for the...
Page options
ccbfab5d
Community Member

How to set up test task before hiring for the main project ?

Hi there,

 

I am planning to post a job but this time I'd like to hire based on the test-project rather than an interview or the freelancer's profile only.

 

What is the standard approach to set up a test project (I will pay for it of course) before I can go ahead with trusting the main job to the freelancer ?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Regards,

Hayk

6 REPLIES 6
feed_my_eyes
Community Member

You could post this with your full project description but specify that you'd like to do a paid test first. If you set this up as an hourly project, you can then hire multiple freelancers and limit the hours to one hour per week initially. Then when you find the right freelancer, end the other contracts.

 

You might want to keep in mind, however, that many high-level, experienced freelancers won't do test projects (especially if this isn't a long-term, well-paid project), so you'll be limiting yourself somewhat. 

 

thanks for getting back, Christine.

 

The project will be fixed-price, instead of hourly.

Can I, in this case, post the entire job, and hire multiple freelancers for a single milestone (which would be the test task) ?

If I can proceed with such scheme, is there a way to terminate the contracts of all candidates after the first milestone apart from the successful one ?

 

Thanks,

Hayk


Hayk A wrote:

.

Can I, in this case, post the entire job, and hire multiple freelancers for a single milestone (which would be the test task) ?

If I can proceed with such scheme, is there a way to terminate the contracts of all candidates after the first milestone apart from the successful one ?


Yes. You can hire more than one person. For each of these contracts you will have to fund a milestone and you will have the possibility to close any number of them once they're done, or to fund more milestones on the contract(s) you want to keep active.

 

-> Send an Offer 

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

This is freelancing. So in a sense, ALL jobs are test jobs.

 

In freelancing, nobody is awarded “tenure track,” or awarded a “lifetime appointment to the bench.”

 

You may indeed set up jobs that are “test jobs.” But you can also hire people for small tasks, with the intent to continue working with the best people you find.

 

Lots of the jobs I do are for clients who openly state that there is more work to be done after this one, and if they like the work they’ll ask me to do more.

 

But even with clients who do NOT tell me that is the case from the outset, I find that is often what happens.

re: “If I can proceed with such scheme, is there a way to terminate the contracts of all candidates after the first milestone apart from the successful one ?”

 

I recommend that you don’t use fixed-price contracts for test contracts unless you plan to release the milestone payments to all freelancers who you hire.

 

It sounds like that may indeed be what you are planning. 

 

If you want more flexibility, then using hourly contracts may work better for you if you want to do test jobs.

 

If you use fixed-price contracts, then the money actually IS charged to your account as soon as you create the contract.

 

And the money can not be released to you unless the freelancer agrees to refund the milestone payment to you. The freelancer is NOT required to refund the money back to you.

 

If YOU close the contract, then your options are to ASK the freelancer to refund the money, or release the money to him.

 

You do NOT have the option to close the contract and get the money back unilaterally.

 

If you are planning to use fixed-price contracts and release the money for the first milestone to everybody, then yes, that could work. You would be able to close these contracts on everybody and release payment even if the freelancer did no work at all.

 

If you want to use fixed-price contracts for test jobs, then you could simply create single-milestone contracts.

 

If you are telling freelancers that this is a test job, then there would be no reason to set the contracts up with multiple milestones.

Thanks for your comments, Preston.

 

in fact hourly payment is not a option for me at this moment in view of the limitations of the budget,

so I will go with fixed-price contract. We have an assessment of the task in question, the price we'll offer is based on expert opinion and we wouldn't like to diverge much from it.

 

Anyways, considering the replies I received ( thank you all again ) I will go ahead and post the entire job with fixed-price contract. With the shortlisted candidates I will start the contract and will fund the first milestone (for all of them separately) which will be the test-task. Once the successful candidate is identified, all but his/her contracts will be closed.

 

Thanks,
Hayk

Latest Articles
Learning Paths