You can hire an applicant directly from their proposal. To hire an applicant, you need to (1) create milestones, and (2) start the contract.
Milestones define tasks to be performed, including cost and relevant deadlines. Starting a contract lets you activate milestones so your freelancer can begin work.
Once you’ve found the right applicant for your project, follow these steps to hire them and start working.
Select a proposal
Open the proposal from the applicant you want to hire.
To find proposals for a job, go to Jobs > Proposals and select the job from the drop-down menu. Then click ‘View Proposal’.
The proposal will consist of the applicant’s cover note and any messages exchanged with the applicant.
The next step is to add one or more milestones to the proposal.
Add milestones
There are 2 types of milestones: Individual (one-off) milestones, and Repeating (hourly) milestones.
A contract needs at least 1 milestone for work to begin.
To add milestones to the proposal, click the ‘Edit Milestones’ button.
Then click the ‘Add’ button that appears in the ‘Milestones’ section.
Add milestone name, contract type and deadline (optional).
When you select a contract type, additional relevant fields for the selected milestone type appear below (see next 2 sections).
Individual Milestones
To add an Individual Milestone, select ‘Individual Milestone’ in the ‘Milestone Type’ field.
The milestone will expand to show the ‘Total Cost’ field below.
Enter the amount you are offering to pay for this milestone, and click ‘Save’.
Repeating Milestones
To add a Repeating Milestone, select ‘Repeating Milestone’ in the ‘Milestone Type’ field.
The milestone will expand to show the additional fields relevant for Repeating Milestones, including:
- Hourly Rate – enter the hourly rate you are offering for the milestone
- Hours per cycle – enter the maximum number of hours per cycle
- Cycle Duration – select a weekly or monthly cycle duration
Once you’ve completed these fields, click ‘Save’.
Edit milestones
To edit a milestone, expand the milestone by clicking the corresponding arrow on the right of the screen.
Edit the fields you want to change and click ‘Save’.
Send Milestones to Applicant
Once you’ve added and saved your milestone, you need to send them to the applicant for approval.
To do this, simply click ‘Send to Freelancer’.
The applicant will receive a prompt to approve new / edited milestones.
In the meantime, the status of your milestones will be shown as ‘Pending Approval’.
You will receive a notice when the applicant accepts the new / edited milestones, and the milestone status will update to ‘Approved’.
Accept the contract
Once you and the applicant have agreed on the project milestones, click ‘Accept Contract’ to proceed.
This action will turn the ‘Proposal’ into a ‘Contract’ and will unlock the ability to initiate work on each milestone.
Click ‘Accept’ to confirm.
That’s it! Now your contract is live, and you’re ready to start your milestones.
