Your organization has been using Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) for a while now, and you're ready to take on some on-demand professionals help to take your business to the next level.
Great! Now you need to settle on how to acquire said professionals. If you're not careful about choosing your Oracle professional, you'll end up sacrificing more productivity than you gain.
No matter how much you want to expedite your next big project or get that killer app into users' hands, it pays to be more considerate of your needs – Call it an act of corporate self-care. Here's a guide to help you find the perfect freelancer for your EBS needs.
So Your Organization Uses Oracle Server Database?
You're not alone. According to Statista, Oracle topped the global list of most-popular database management systems as of August 2022 – How's that for a yearbook superlative?
It's also worth noting that using Oracle tooling to future-proof your business might save you some heartache. The company's long-standing history of acquisitions means that it offers many software services and platforms geared toward handling unique business logic. This could make it easier to expand your projects in the future without investing in a hair-raising IT migration, rolling your own hacky (unreliable) integrations, or having to learn entirely foreign systems at crunch time.
Why Are You Looking To Hire An Oracle On-demand Professional?
There are many reasons you may be considering hiring Oracle talent. But it’s vital to think about the big picture. You'll get the best value for your hiring money by focusing on the fundamentals: Finding someone who aligns with your mission and has the requisite skills to drive you forward.
On its face, independent contractor hiring is extremely appealing. After all, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to save as much as 30% by skipping obligations like payroll taxes, workers' comp, and unemployment insurance?
The big caveat to remember is that you still need to consider the long game, even if you're hiring for the short term. For instance, you might be looking for someone to help with a specific project, or maybe you just need extra help during a busy time. In either case, you'll need an Oracle freelancer who can not only help you achieve your immediate goals but also create software tools and systems that your permanent staff can easily maintain after the fact.
In short, you need to be highly selective, which can be kind of tough considering the broad variety of choices at your beck and call. With 36 percent of the US workforce participating in freelance work as of late 2021, investing in filtering out the bad apples is just as important as knowing what kind of apples to look for.
Whatever your motivation for hiring an Oracle freelancer, it's important to hire someone qualified that you can trust to get the job done. Don't just jump on the bandwagon because you see other companies increasing their on-demand hires. Instead, ask yourself the following question:
Before you start hunting, it's important to have a clear idea of the project you want the freelancer to help you with. What project is said Oracle freelancer going to work on?
Understanding your project's scope helps you tighten your search, but that's just the beginning. Defining the roles, responsibilities, and deliverables you're looking to fill makes it way easier to put your new team member to good use and avoid wasting money.
Thinking about the future is critical in a world where software change is inevitable. The systems you create today need to remain usable down the line, so you'll benefit from hiring someone with more experience than simply having held down a few Oracle EBS freelance jobs before. Your new hire should be conversant with the operational considerations of engineering business software and have a healthy appreciation for how their work impacts the organization – no solo-flying, wild mavericks need apply.
Interview Questions You Really Ought To Be Asking
Once you've found a few potential candidates, it's time to start the interview process, and there are a few questions you should be sure to ask:
1. What Is Your Experience With Oracle?
This question is basic but essential. Even if you're primarily focused on leveraging Oracle EBS, the company's offerings are so broad that its website needs a dedicated alphabetized index just for products! Seek an on-demand professional who understands the broader ecosystem and knows how to help you set the stage for future expansion.
2. What Are Some Projects You've Worked On And What Was Their Impact?
Asking this question narrows the field down further, making it easier to find that ideal match. Understanding how someone viewed their previous roles offers critical insights into how they'll see themselves making a difference at your organization.
3. What Do You Think Are The Biggest Challenges With Oracle?
Oracle EBS has its pros and cons. Although the suite is known for its reliability, support, and stability, it's also not overly user-friendly: Tasks that ought to be straightforward aren't quite rocket science, but there are a lot of moving parts that require close coordination and a solid strategy. You need to suss out whether your candidates have a healthy, realistic understanding of these hurdles if you don't want to trip over them.
4. What Tips Do You Have For Working With Oracle?
No, we're not advising you should try to squeeze free strategy pointers out of desperate candidates during the interview process – That would probably violate some unspoken rule of hiring. We just think you ought to get a feel for how different people approach problem-solving within the Oracle context to determine whether they might bring something fresh and beneficial to the table.
5. Do You Have Other Skills Or Is Oracle EBS Seriously Your Whole Life?
OK, so maybe you could phrase this one a bit more diplomatically, but the spirit of the question is still a worthy one. Well-rounded tech candidates can be brutally tough to find, and it's easy to overlook other skills when you encounter someone who's strong in one key area. Be sure your candidate ticks all of the boxes: Good communication and collaboration skills, open availability, and an ability to work independently – or remotely if that's your thing.
6. Certifications To Look For
When you're looking for an Oracle freelancer, be sure to ask about their certifications. Oracle offers multiple EBS-specific training tracks, and unlike many, these tech credentials are geared toward more than just the software itself: They also touch on critical business skills.
You can hire on-demand professionals with EBS certifications in everything from financial management, order fulfillment, and payables to procurement and human capital. This is where your earlier efforts in clearly defining the role will pay off.
Oracle's more general certification tracks (Certified Associate, Professional, Master, Expert, and Specialist) can also help you vet candidates more thoroughly. These tracks require minimum levels of work experience and test people's ability to solve real-world problems, making them helpful indicators of how well a candidate will respond under fire.
Hire a Stellar Oracle On-demand Professional Today!
The future of work is here, and it's on-demand. If you're ready to exit the stone age and hire a proficient Oracle freelancer, Oomple is the perfect place to start.
With Oomple, it's simple to find a freelancer who can help you make the most of Oracle and other workplace technology – no matter whether you're creating a custom database, developing novel business software, or upgrading legacy systems. Book a call with an Account Manager to find your next Oracle EBS on-demand hire today.