Ask HN: Recruitment freelancer vs. permanent position

Posted by fightbulc on Friday October 29, 2010 @04:53PM
from the ask-hn dept.

Hi there, at the moment I am looking for a web developer for our Start-up in Berlin, Germany.

My initial plan was to hire somebody on a permanent basis but I am wondering if I should consider freelancers, too.

A permanent position offers us an employee who can grow with us, somebody who will identify himself with our company. Further, it will take some time until this person familiarises himself with our processes and systems. I guess I am afraid that a freelancer could just leave at any time respectively that a freelancer doesnt consider himself as a "real" part of our team.

On the other hand its easier to find a freelancer and I am kind of convinced that even a freelancer could be turned into an employee as soon as he feels home and loves what we're doing. And an employee is not really an insurance for something permanent because employees can also leave at any time (more or less), right?

My question would be: does anybody of you guys made any experiences within this area? I'd appreciate your input.

Cheers from Germany

Tino

Re:Ask HN: Recruitment freelancer vs. permanent position by elliottcarlson on Friday October 29, 2010 @04:57PM (#1849001)

Where I work we tend to bring people in on a 3 month freelance basis with the possibility to hire at the end. This allows us to get familiar with the person without having to go through all the hassles of setting up a new employee just to terminate it if they are not what we were looking for, or the other way around. Just make sure you know what the freelancer is looking for - some enjoy the lifestyle of being a full-time freelancer and wouldn't even consider a full-time position in the end.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Recruitment freelancer vs. permanent position by fightbulc on Saturday October 30, 2010 @03:45AM (#1850385)

Thanks for your input!

Re:Ask HN: Recruitment freelancer vs. permanent position by cancelbubble on Friday October 29, 2010 @05:07PM (#1849036)

Go contract to hire. It gives you an easy out if they end up not being a good fit. It's really the way to go with new folks regardless of how the interview goes, IMO.