How successful was your hiring experience on Upwork, Fiverr, etc?

I've had an easy time hiring people on UpWork, but you just need to be aware that a lot of freelancers are looking for a quick buck rather than sufficient long-term employment with you. Definitely set your expectations as such. That being said there's a ton of talent out there!

Had a mix of good and bad experiences. In many cases, I found it difficult to really judge a talent just based on the available portfolio/gig description/reviews. The first exchanges before placing the order are always very polite and encouraging, but when the deliveries do not meet the expectations, you can quickly find yourself micromanaging the adjustments to get a satisfying result (and it is painful both for you and the freelancer...). Sharing 2 good practices we implemented: - making very clear orders. We would always discuss with the freelancers before ordering. And send them a detailed description (PowerPoint like) of the scope of the project, the expectations, etc.... regardless of the gig description. - we would split the work and start orders small, eventually ordering to 2 people in parallel before we commit to more work with the most promising freelancer. This proved to be much more reliable to mitigate the risks.