Hiring a freelancer goes better when a handful of things are settled before the work starts. These are not rules we impose, and they are not a verdict on anyone listed here — they are simply the points where this kind of work most often goes wrong.
Ask for one piece of work close to yours and look at it before you commit — a module, a migration, a report. Someone who can show you something near your problem is easier to trust than someone who can only describe it. If they cannot share a client's work, ask them to talk you through a job like yours instead.
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