Going independent is a great move to take if you are somebody who prefers being their own boss and having freedom of approach when it comes to all projects. You could try to make it big like Dallas Nugent Canada contractor with a few businesses under his belt.
However, there are going to be cases where you bite off more than you can chew. In these situations, it can be hard to get all of the projects done on time and with the same amount of attention as you’d like to. Rather than straining yourself to meet every deadline or burning out from a sudden workload, there’s another way to deal with a situation like this.
The solution comes in the form of subcontractors. Hiring a subcontractor allows you more work power and management.
However, it does bring some key issues with it. The biggest one being how good they are at the job, which can be additionally difficult to distinguish if you have very little experience hiring. To assist you with this issue, we’ve assembled some tips on how to hire the best people you can find in your area.
1. Check with your employers or past clients
This can be an opportunity to reinforce your network while also being directly beneficial by giving you information on available local subcontractors. If none of the ones previous clients suggest seem enticing, ask the current one.
The key benefit of asking your clients specifically is the fact that they’ve already researched available contractors and as such have some degree of conviction that they are capable of executing the project itself.
Through these interactions, your network grows no matter whether their recommended subcontractors get hired or not. Your clients could also get you in touch with their friends who may be informed local contractors which will expand the reach of the network further
2. Ask other subcontractors
No matter whether they are a part of another project you are working on or one of the recommended hires, subcontractors can be a great source of information too.
Not only do they probably know at least a couple of other subcontractors, but it’s also likely they’ve seen them work too. There’s no better judge of somebody’s work than the person who saw them perform it.
Inquire about anybody who isn’t officially putting themselves on the market as a subcontractor but has the experience and skills needed. The recommendations here completely depend on the person we ask but it doesn’t cost us anything and it could result in some great results so why not give it a shot. It will also get you better acquainted with the person you are asking for information from, improving your work relations.
3. Check job postings online and locate subcontractor websites
Our third source of information will require you to do your own research. Online job postings and various forms of advertisements are bound to give you at least a few potential candidates for your new subcontractor.
When searching the site you should limit the search properties to your location, preventing farther away subcontractors from cropping up. Of course, it can be difficult to find the right places and all the additional, official websites people possess.
To make the discovery process easier, we suggest using https://www.sure-bid.com/.
This service will help you discover and hire people without having to scour the web as much.
No matter what approach you take when it comes to hiring online subcontractors you shouldn’t simply stop at their location. There are a few more steps you should take before hiring them. This doesn’t exclusively count for online contractors either but those can be reasonably assumed to be less known to us than the others.
4. Do a background check and revise their local work
While it is assumed we’ll get some insight by simply scouring the person’s provided information, there are items that may not be covered still.
This can include any type of license missing from the person’s repertoire, lack of liability insurance, negative experiences with past clients, or any other apparent warning sign. Make sure to ask additional questions, just like you would with any interview, because they can reveal information that could be vital in picking your subcontractor.
If they’ve done projects that are reasonably close to you, consider visiting said projects. you could get better insight into how good they are as a subcontractor simply by observing the items they were involved in. If it’s a similar project to the one you need assistance with, you’ll get even better results from research like this.
5. Give them a trial run to test their capabilities
While it could take up some of your time and risk having to switch subcontractors during a project, giving somebody a trial run is always good when it comes to discerning their quality of work. While on a trial period, the subcontractor will be asked to prove that they are capable of completing their task. Their work ethic will be showcased fully and the way these people interact with others will become apparent.
Make sure they get along with everybody but most importantly, make sure they fit your style of work. It’s so easy for a person to go from a perfect subcontractor to a written-off one simply by diverging from our style of work too much. After all, the lack of cohesion between our approaches could prove detrimental to the whole project.
Conclusion
Finding a perfect subcontractor in our area is all about searching and testing. Everybody within our network can be a great source of names and businesses that could be our subcontractors but not every subcontractor is right for you.
To make sure these people are perfect for your job, do a deep background check on them. Those who’ve been recommended by clients or other workers are easier to check as you can simply ask the person recommending them for information while others will require some manual research. Lastly, let them try before you get them on board for good.
The trial run of a new subcontractor can show you how well they’ll fit with your current work scheme. After all that is done, you’ll have yourself some aid for current and future jobs. This assistance can save you a lot of time and generate a lot of money so make sure to engage your local subcontractors soon.