Here’s a familiar scene for many of us: you’re sitting at your desk, staring at your overflowing inbox. The proofs, copyedits, and project briefs start swimming in front of your eyes. It’s official–you need help to get it done.

It may be time to hire a freelancer or a subcontractor. They can be the answer to your prayers: highly effective, competitively priced, and wonderfully flexible. But, that’s only if they’re good. They can also be very, very bad.