Communicate with freelancer prior to posting a job?

[6665b2e6]

Hello, is it possible to communicate with freelancers prior to posting a job, or I must post the job first and invite freelancers to apply?

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

Mike:

It is VERY EASY to communicate with freelancers prior to hiring them, prior to committing to anything.

You are CORRECT in your undestanding that the way to start communicating with freelancers is to post a job.

Don't worry so much about this.

Posting a job is just a way to start a conversation.

If you post a job and invite a few freelancers of your own choosing to interview for or apply to your job, this DOES NOT commit you to pay anything or hire them.

And if you post a public job posting, you can have a few, or a dozen, or fifty or more freelancers apply to your job, and that won't cost you anything. And you are not required to paying anything.

Sometimes a client posts a job, and then after talking to some freelancers, realizes that the description of the job was completely wrong and that there is a much better way to do the project. And the client may alter the wording in the job posting, or even scrap the job posting and use a completely different job posting to hire freelancers.

That's fine!

(Obviously Upwork hopes you will hire SOMEBODY... but there is no requirement that you actually do so.)

[6665b2e6]

Thank you for the quick reply Preson, I understand the process now. Much appreciated! 

[prestonhunter]

You're welcome.

It's kind of another topic, but something to keep in mind:

Freelancers may be cautious about what jobs they apply to.

If you post a public job posting, then you will get the best results for yourself if you provide a clear, concise (not too long!) description of what you want done. The better your job posting is, the better the results you'll get when it comes to finding qualified people willing to work on your project.