Are Freelancers the Secret Weapon for Upskilling?

In recent years, much has been said around the topic of upskilling, and the role it plays in shaping the future of workforce economics. But what does it mean exactly? And what do freelancers have to do with it?

As defined by the National University, upskilling means "enhancing current skills or acquiring new ones to advance in a specific field or adapt to emerging trends". It is no secret that in the current business landscape, the need for upskilling has never been more critical.

At Ariad, we know a thing or two about honing skills and leveraging the expertise of our freelancers to fill gaps within *your team* to bring it to the next skill level. Discover now why freelancers might just be the perfect answer to your upskilling needs.

1. Flexibility and expertise

In terms of flexibility and expertise, freelancers offer the best of both worlds. With the right match you can quickly address highly specific skill gaps within your team. Whether you be looking for a Data analyst task force for a short-term project or anticipating ad hoc SEO copywriting needs for the coming quarter, be sure to find the skills and attitude which will best complement your existing team's capabilities. Working with an experienced talent partner can streamline this process by helping to identify your specific needs and sourcing the perfect solution.

2. Cost-effectiveness

You might think that hiring full-time employees is cheaper down the line, but in many cases, the freelance route offers a more cost-effective alternative by allowing you to access top-tier, in demand talents and skills at your best convenience. This helps you save on costs associated with hiring full-time employees and enables you to scale your team up or down based on current HR requirements.

As projects develop, you can keep your specialists at hand, sometimes for a period of years. Freelancers are often embedded in corporate teams, where other team members can learn from their experience on an ongoing basis.

3. Innovation and new perspectives

One of the superpowers of freelancers is that they provide fresh perspectives and drive innovation. Moreover, they usually bring a great deal of expertise from working with various clients across industries, meaning that any issue you're facing they likely fixed elsewhere already. What's more, their opinions as "outsiders" can challenge existing norms within your company, which in turn can spark creativity and foster continuous improvement for your team. Now that's a win-win you can't say no to!

4. Speed and agility

In today's fast-paced business environment, we all know that speed is of the essence. Turning to freelancers gives you a swift and agile solution to filling gaps within your team in a timely fashion. Even long-term projects can be accelerated by having the people with the right experience and skills on board for these periods; note that it is typically preferred by companies and freelancers to collaborate for initial periods of 6 months to 2 years, often maintaining the collaboration for much longer. This additionally gives time for others in the team to learn at a faster pace, since they are working hands-on and side to side with experienced professionals.

A note of caution: be realistic about the time and skill needed to source and evaluate specialized talent. This process is often a challenge for companies of all sizes; don’t wait to get help from a talent sourcing partner. With a vast pool of freelancers available at your fingertips, they can help you by quickly identifying the right talent that meets your project needs and deadlines, ensuring that your team remains competitive and adaptable.

5. Knowledge Transfer

There's room for improvement in every team. Working alongside freelancers provides a valuable learning opportunity for your existing collaborators. Through their interaction with freelancers, your team can gain new skills, insights, and best practices that will enhance their own professional development. This knowledge transfer process not only helps upskilling your team but also fosters a culture of continuous learning within your organization and opens perspectives for future developments.

In short, leveraging the qualities of freelancers is a strategic move that you should consider if you want to help your team upskill quickly and effectively. In the words of McKinsey & Company: "As the acceleration of digital transformation continues, it is virtually impossible to imagine a business reaching its full potential without a robust and resilient base of digital talent". Do you want to drive growth and innovation within your team? Embrace the flexibility, expertise, and fresh perspectives of freelancers. They are an excellent tool that can positively impact your organization and its resilience in good and rough times.

At Ariad, we stay ahead by proactively anticipating and adapting to market shifts. Through continuous innovation and a rich community of experts, we harness talent and trends to empower people and create winning teams, with no limit to what they can achieve.

Ready to build and sustain a high performing digital marketing team, prepared to tackle current challenges and future opportunities effectively?