Who are Netguru Freelancers?

Netguru Platform (aka Talent Marketplace) – What Is It All About?

There are two reasons for Netguru’s demand for external talent: insufficient internal capacity or lack of certain technological stack within NG. Most freelancers hired via Netguru Platform sign a direct contract with us, so we avoid additional expenses usually paid to agencies. That way, we are also able to onboard externals according to our standards, as well as familiarize them with our work culture and best practices.

Previously, the Platform was operating mainly in Eastern Europe, but as the contractor market and our need for highly skilled professionals grew, we decided to open up to more countries.

• As of today, how many freelancers are working with Netguru?
  Currently, we are in regular touch with 130 freelancers who signed the contract but are not involved in a project at the moment. Additionally, 87 freelancers are currently working on our projects (49 of them, i.e. more than 50%, were contracted via Netguru Platform and 38 via agencies)!
• Where are they from?
  Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia, Greece, Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Hungary, Portugal, Armenia, Romania, Macedonia, Morocco, Croatia, Brazil, and Sri Lanka (indeed!) – to name a few. Today, we can collaborate with and hire freelancers from different corners of the world, which is amazing and makes us very proud members of a highly diverse team.

Who do we hire as freelancers?

It’s worth mentioning that it’s not that easy to get assigned to one of our projects. First of all, to become a freelancer in Netguru, you have to be a mid-level or senior developer. We don’t hire juniors for project-based opportunities, as those projects often require knowledge of more than one technology. We also look for great communication skills in externals, e.g. fluent communication in English, which requires a lot of patience and resilience.

The process of assigning externals to one of our projects tends to be prolonged and require a few vetting calls. Freelancers might also get rejected by a “picky” client… but when they eventually get in, it’s most likely a long-time partnership. 💚

Hence, we appreciate our relationship with each and every freelancer, and it makes us happy that they want to stay and extend their assignments with Netguru. Based on our last external satisfaction survey, 83% of our freelancers are looking for long-term projects with Netguru.

How do we take care of them?

We are in touch with them on dedicated slack channels on a regular basis. Those channels enable easy communication between freelancers and the Platform team.

Besides, our freelancers receive satisfaction surveys every quarter, along with a Staying Connected Newsletter each month, and their work is overseen by our Project Managers and Project Coordinators.

We gather every piece of feedback from them or the client concerning external freelancers in the project. Thanks to that, we are able to reevaluate their skills frequently, and it is easier to increase their rates or prolong their assignment with our clients.

We are super happy to see high eNPS from our clients who share fantastic feedback regarding our external developers' performance. We love to celebrate these moments with them!

To sum up, we want our freelancers to feel like a part of Netguru. We are doing our best to build a community for tech-minded individuals who want to work on a project basis. We want to include them in our initiatives.

In this blog post, I would also like to share some insights from our externals regarding their freelancing experience.

I asked them these three questions:

1. If you could give any advice to a future freelancer at Netguru, what would it be?
2. Would you like to share something about freelance work that a person working under an employment contract might not understand?
3. Is your job as a freelancer at NG any different than other freelance jobs you had before?

Instead of filling out 20 applications a day, you will be informed of a project which might be a good fit for you and, once you agree that such a project is interesting to you, someone from Netguru will ask you to prepare for a couple of interviews. Netguru is different because its service is more about resolving a problem, and you will be a part of the solution.

Paulo Oliviera Senior Frontend with Vue Developer from Portugal Netguru Freelancer since 2019

1. The most important piece of advice I have is to understand your financial obligations. These vary greatly according to where you live. You can hire a professional accountant to either explain them to you or even do your taxes altogether – not only for compliance with the regulations you are subject to, but also to help you find out if the compensation for your services is sufficient. However, first you have to find out what your first assignment will be. You may work on projects built by Netguru itself, or your services may be outsourced to one of its clients. Knowing this in advance is important to determine the people you will be working with daily – together with the technical stack they use, and how they work.
2. Well, being a freelancer means you signed a contract to provide the expertise you already have, rather than the one you would like to gain in the next couple of years. Being a freelancer, you are expected to board a moving train and get things done without figuring out the whole picture. Since you are a freelancer on a project basis, it is good to remember that the opportunity for self-improvement is limited. Another challenge is the lack of face-to-face meetings and social events. There is also this bittersweet feeling you might get from time to time (I certainly get it once in a while). However, my opinions were never disregarded simply because I am a freelancer, so I suggest you just try to develop a thick skin.
3. Yes, but strictly for the better. I started to work as a freelancer at Upwork. To sign a contract there, you have to win a client first. And you will have dozens of other freelancers competing with you for this client. Netguru can already boast many clients and projects. Instead of filling out 20 applications a day, you will be informed of a project which might be a good fit for you and, once you agree that such a project is interesting to you, someone from Netguru will ask you to prepare for a couple of interviews. Netguru is different because its service is more about resolving a problem, and you will be a part of the solution. It is also worth mentioning the kind of projects you might want to work on. Netguru has some really big clients with well-developed products and advanced processes that can get complicated. I happen to prefer those because, in such projects, high quality is a must.

When you're a freelancer, you have to rely on yourself. You can't ask your colleague, who also works as an illustrator, for the feedback – this is because usually you're the only specialist in a project. All the same, you can always discuss stuff with your team.

Mariia Verbytska Illustrator from Ukraine Netguru Freelancer since 2020; recently Mariia hired by Netguru internally

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions and share your feedback. Netguru is an open-minded and friendly company, and our improvements are built on sharing the knowledge and different points of view. This is how we grow.
2. When you're a freelancer, you have to rely on yourself. You can't ask your colleague, who also works as an illustrator, for the feedback – this is because usually you're the only specialist in a project. All the same, you can always discuss stuff with your team. I was constantly improving myself and, I would say, fighting for the projects because I really wanted to work in such a great company. The bottom line is, besides vector illustrations, I can do animation and 3D, among others.
3. Yes, of course. Whenever you have a new client as a freelancer, you're a bit worried about how they will behave. However, cooperation with Netguru is based on honesty and trust. They show us their approach to work, i.e. how to make presentations, use Toggl Track or other tools properly, sync every day, take notes after meeting, record videos with important information and then put it in the proper folders. Every now and then, people from Netguru may reach you and ask if everything is clear or if you need any help. You see their distinctive and strong management skills, high performance, and you want to achieve this level, too.

Netguru provides me with a number of great opportunities and projects. The team is kind, friendly, and attentive to details. They always keep in mind your interest and try to offer you the best projects possible.

Anastasiia M. Data Engineer from Ukraine Netguru Freelancer since 2020

1. Netguru provides me with a number of great opportunities and projects. The team is kind, friendly, and attentive to details. They always keep in mind your interest and try to offer you the best projects possible.
   Before starting, though, make sure that you know a new project well (in terms of its technical stack, requirements for the PC, etc.) and that you are a good fit for it.

2. As a freelancer, you have a bit more flexibility than a regular employee (it mostly depends on the project you work on, but you have a bit more freedom anyway). One downside is that you’re not eligible for paid days off or sick leaves.
3. Netguru is a good company with a lot of great people. You never feel lost, and you can be sure that they are doing everything to make your work life enjoyable. Project coordinators are always open to hearing your thoughts about the project and doing their best to solve any issues that may arise. In case of any problems, the Netguru team does their best to support you.

A big shout-out and thank you to Paulo, Masha, and Anastasiia for sharing their perspectives on freelance work. I appreciate the fact that they didn’t try to sugarcoat the lot of a freelancer. After all, self-employed contributors are responsible for all sorts of things traditional employees don’t have to worry about, such as setting their work hours, keeping track of the time spent on different projects, billing their clients, as well as paying their own employment and business taxes. While it takes a lot of work to do all these chores, it gives them the freedom to choose both the project and its collaborators.

If you’re a freelancer who wants to gather diverse experience and work with people from all over the world, learning the skills that are important to you, join the Netguru Talent Marketplace today.