Sourcing and Interviewing Subcontractors
When you reach the point of outsourcing or hiring support when running and growing your private practice, it is important to have a firm understanding of what you need help with and what tasks will help you reach your goals and scale your business. It is with this understanding that you can begin to source subcontractor candidates and start setting up interviews.
Many private practitioners have not previously been trained on hiring and interview processes but hiring the right people to support you in your business is crucial to your success. Hiring a copywriter, web designer or even a virtual assistant can help to catapult your private practice into a thriving business but making the mistake of hiring someone who is not in line with your vision and mission, or who ultimately does not deliver the results you need, can be a costly mistake.
Here are some tips to help you with sourcing and interviewing subcontractors and freelancers to grow your private practice:
Step 1: Plan Ahead
Before you begin the search for the perfect candidate, take some time to outline what the role will entail. Determine what tasks will be required and how the role functions on a daily, weekly, monthly and even quarterly basis. This is an important aspect of outsourcing in your private practice because it will allow the candidate to determine if the role you are hiring for is actually in their scope of business.
If you are hiring someone in an ongoing support capacity, having a clear outline of their responsibilities and duties is important to set them up for success. Recurring tasks should be clearly outlined so that you can accurately speak to the scope of the role when you conduct interviews.
On the other hand, the preparation required when hiring someone to work on a project basis (such as a copywriter or a web designer) can look slightly different. In these instances, work to define how you will measure progress, and what success and completion look like.
In both cases, you will want to ensure that you determine how you will communicate with your subcontractors or freelancers to ensure that no detail is missed or overlooked.
Step 2: Find The Candidates
Once you have an accurate outline of the role or project you are looking to outsource, it is time to source candidates! You can do this by posting a job description on LinkedIn or other job boards, sharing an announcement on your social media accounts or looking into Facebook groups that are specific to the type of role you are looking to fill.
You may also find that reaching out to your network, your audience (via email or social media), or even your peers leads you to some great candidates. Word-of-mouth referrals can be an excellent indicator of a candidate’s capabilities and work ethic.
After finding some potential candidates, take some time to research them. Peruse their website or social media accounts to learn more about how they conduct their business and also get to know them on a more personal level. This will allow you to determine if the candidate is aligned with the mission and values of your private practice, which can be just as important as determining if they are qualified to do the job.
Step 3: Set Up and Conduct the Interview
After narrowing down the candidates, it is time to set up an interview. Many subcontractors and freelancers will initiate setting up a consultation or discovery session to determine if your role or project is the right fit for them.
This is also an opportunity for you to get to know the candidate and build rapport with them. Be sure to ask questions about their background and journey to running their business, if they have supported any other private practitioners or therapists, and what their experience with other clients has been.
A great way to learn more about the candidate is to discuss some of the obstacles in your business and ask for their opinions or feedback on possible solutions. This will not only give you an insight into their approach to their work and problem-solving skills, but it will also allow you to determine if they will be able to effectively support your practice and deliver the results required.
The interview or consultation also gives you a chance to ask how and when you will communicate, learn about their business hours and when you can expect deliverables.
If you are looking for guidance on hiring freelancers and subcontractors for your private practice, you can learn more with our Scale Your Practice Program and if you would like to work with our BYPP Coaches click here.
