Last Sunday I posted a new job to Elance.
It was actually to transition the VirtualAssistantAssistant.com site to a new theme and migrate the data.
The last design update was in 2012, so it’s overdue for a refresh!
I found a new WordPress theme I liked, crafted my project spec, detailed out the modifications that would be needed, and posted the job.
Waking up on Monday, I was excited to see what proposals awaited me in my Elance inbox.
This is actually one of the most fun parts of delegation for me, and maybe this is a little heartless, but I really like the “process of elimination” part where I go through and disqualify all the candidates I don’t like.
Straight copy and paste response without looking at the job description? See ya!
Zero Elance feedback? Adios!
Quote too high? Or too low? Goodbye!
Ugly profile? No relevant work history? No thanks!
Making it past this first stage is so ridiculously easy, yet 80% of candidates are eliminated here.
Give me ONE reason why you’re worth a second look. Show me you understand the project. Prove you have the experience to get this done.
Write something personal and have someone proofread it for typos. This is your first impression — and in many cases, your only impression.
The problem was, out of the 47 proposals I’ve received so far, no one has stood out as the clear winner.
Not ONE instilled confidence in me they could get this done in a timely and professional manner.
And it’s NOT a big job (the average bid was $300)!
So now I’m kind of at a crossroads. Do I pick someone I’m not 100% confident in just for the sake of moving forward?
After all, there’s not a ton of risk if they screw it up. It’s a very short-term, one-off project. The dollar figures are low and I can make sure everything is backed up.
Or do I hold out for my ideal candidate — who may not even exist?
Am I being too picky? Are my expectations too high?
I’ve spent more time than I’d care to admit toggling back and forth between proposals and profiles over what amounts to a pretty small decision.
In a case like this, where the risks are low, it probably makes sense to just pick the best of the bunch and move ahead. But the paralysis of analysis can be pretty, well, paralyzing.
What would you do?