The contract
Some of the details of a contract include; the work ownership, payment amount, revisions, payment mode, deadlines, reimbursement arrangements, and work statement among many others. In short, all the binding terms between you and the freelancer are contained in this document. It is for this reason that you will need to go through it together word by word to ensure that both parties are up to speed before committing.

Background check
When you are dealing with freelancers, the arrangement is all about efficiency. It means you want someone who will work for you on a given project for some agreed fees and you will be done once the work assigned is completed. It is therefore important that you do in-depth research on him/her before you can engage in any dealings. The available evidence and references should depict competence in the field in question.
Sites such as Craigslist and Upwork are some of the online sites that may come in handy. In such sites, the work of most freelancers is reviewed by people that they have worked for and rated. Such information may be of great importance in the decision-making process.
Ask for samples from their previous tasks. You can even give them an assignment before you can actually hire them. Consider it as a test drive. If the experts is recommended by a friend or someone you trust, he/she is definitely worth checking out. References and recommendations from previous jobs are also attributes.

Job Description
Clearly, outline the tasks that you want executed. You may experience huge challenges if you do not define the tasks that you want undertaken in details. If badly outlined, you are likely to attract unsuitable candidates and sorting them out to get the right guy for the job will be a wild goose chase.
At this juncture, it is important to state that you are looking for freelancers. Should you fail to do that, some of the applications that you will obtain will be from job seekers. This will not only slow you down but also increase your workload when sorting out applications for the most appropriate match.
Come up with a short and sharp description of the types of professionals that you seek. Explain the tasks that you want that expert to do and if possible, the time frame. Once such details are in the light, your chances of hooking up with the right person increase compared to when the details are blurry.

Cost
This will start with you. Ask yourself questions such as; how much will you be able to afford? How much do you think the work (if done correctly) is worth? What are the means and terms of payment that you will be comfortable with? This is a business decision and you will need to approach it as such.
Then, share your payment plans with the experts and come to a common ground. The things to consider here are; the work has to meet the agreed standards; the payments will be made wholly or bit by bit as agreed by both parties; once you approve the work you should settle any payment deficits.
It is recommended that you should never pay all the money upfront before receiving the services. Most cheats devise ways of accessing your money without working for it before they can bolt.

Supervise
Monitor the progress of the assigned work and point out areas that you need rectified early enough before any real damage is done. Make sure you obtain the best result. This will not only help you to achieve the desirable result but also be able to beat the deadlines if any.
While some freelancers will do a good job, there no guarantees. Review their progress through every stage to ensure that the results are in line with the desired overall outcome. It’s a must to track your freelancers time if you’re paying them per hour. Some freelance platforms like Upwork have their own application that the freelancer can download on their desktop and track not the hours spent in work but also the average activity. If you hire freelancers outside of Upwork I recommend you to use TimeMyLife.

Competition
Most competent freelancers are almost always committed. It is important to note that you are not the only client and be in a position to explore other options when your favorite expert is not available. Remember that a freelancer is only committed to you for the time that he/she is working for you.