Alternatively, the freelancer may have obligations under a number of different contracts with different clients at the one time. Another variation involves the freelancer producing work and then seeking buyers for that work. A freelance writer of magazine articles, for example, would fall into this category. Those who hire freelancers are as diverse as freelancers themselves. In some cases, companies will hire freelancers to complete a short-term project as an alternative to hiring a new employee.
Companies also hire freelancers to help smooth out the peaks and troughs of workload.
Again, where there is a temporary oversupply of work, the company will hire the freelancer on a short-term basis to help cope with the backlog. In other cases, companies hire freelancers for their special expertise in a certain area. A company may want to create a new website, for example. Hiring a freelance website designer for such a project makes more sense than hiring a website designer as an employee since once the website is complete, the function will no longer be required. Magazine and newspaper editors also hire freelancers or, more precisely, buy rights to freelancers' work.