How Does A 4 Hour Work Week Sound? Part 24

February 16, 2011

Background Checks

A huge part of hiring domestic employees is obviously the in-person job interview.  Many employers rely solely on one or more interviews in deciding who to hire.  Since that isn’t possible with offshore workers you should definitely use other ways of assessing candidates, whether they be individuals or teams.

The freelancer site you use should have a rating system whereby past employers of that worker or team can rate their satisfaction level in working with them on a scale (eg. 1-10 rating: 1 worst, 10 best) and then provide an average rating amongst all employers they’ve worked with.  Ideally your freelancer site should also allow employers to write comments about their experience in working with each worker or team. 

In some cases you’ll find workers who have a strong track record: they’ve worked with at least 10 employers, their average rating among employers is high (8 of out 10 or better), and employer comments are unanimously positive.  Beware of workers who have little or no track record with employers or those who have abandoned any project.  Your freelance site should note any instances of the latter and red flag them for you.  If not, be sure to watch out for them yourself.

Some freelancer sites have tests on specific skill sets (especially technical) which workers may optionally take for proving their capability with those skills.  If a worker has taken the test their test results will be available to you.  With some freelancer sites (eg. Elance) taking these tests is mandatory for a worker to bid on any projects.  If a worker hasn’t taken the skill test then request they do so.  If they refuse, think twice about working with them.

If the freelancer site doesn’t provide these skill tests, or you want to make extra sure this worker is as qualified as they claim to be, then request a faxed or scanned copy of their academic transcript from whatever school(s) they acquired these skills at.  If they can’t provide such documents yet they provide their school’s name and their grades contact the school and ask them for the transcript.  Verify the degree or certificate they received, the courses they’ve taken, their grades, and the years they attended that school.  It’s especially important to do this if the worker has little or no track record with other employers.

Filed under: Inspiration

Tags: 4 Hour Work Week, 80-20 Rule, 90-10 Rule, Ferriss, Four Hour Body, Four Hour Work Week, New Rich, Nouveau Riche, Pareto Principle, real estate, real estate agent, realtor, Tim Timothy, virtual assistant