Freelance Writing Jobs on Craigs List

I have a love/hate relationship with Craigs List. I love it because it is free to use, and honestly, I have found most of my jobs through Craigs List. I hate it (sometimes) because it is often full of scams, worthless jobs, crazy people, and it sometimes creates a blackhole sucking away my time. Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way.

1. When looking for writing jobs, check under writing jobs AND writing gigs.

2. Choose a small handful of cities you plan to check daily for jobs. As mentioned earlier, Craigs List can be a time-sucking blackhole. Resist the urge to spend all day perusing Craigs List looking for the perfect job. Choose a few cities that are either geographically close to you or that offer a large number of jobs on a regular basis. I always check Cleveland Craigs List (my hometown), Chicago, Boston and New York.

3. Do not provide too much personal information before knowing everything you need to know about a potential employer. I’ve seen ads where they want your contact and tax information upfront. Not a good idea.

4. Avoid ads that sound too perfect. I would love to get paid $20 for a 150-word review and have the opportunity to write as many as I can handle. However, it just isn’t realistic.

5. Respond immediately to ads you are really interested in. The person posting the ad is probably going to be bombarded with responses, so get yours in as quickly as possible.

6. Read the ad before responding. I have seen dozens of ads that provide very specific instructions, and the ad will say those who do not follow instructions will not be considered. Many times, the instruction is simply a tactic to make sure the responder read the ad. For example, I have seen ads that will provide a keyword to put in the subject line.

7. Do not hold your breath once you respond to an ad. Do not wait for a response; just keep moving forward with your business. I have responded to countless ads that I simply never received a response from.

Finally, here are two things that irritate the heck out of me on Craigs List. I thought I would share them in case anyone else has thought the same thing.

1. The number of ads for non-paying jobs. I am not opposed to taking risks on new companies or websites. I am also not opposed to doing work voluntarily for a group or cause I support. However, the number of ads on Craig’s List from people expecting writers to be happy working for free is overwhelming. Many of them will say it is an opportunity to build your portfolio or gain experience. Blah. You are better off joining a website like Hubpages where you can get exposure, feedback from other writers, and make some money.

2. My second Craigs List ad pet peeve is when people offering low-paying jobs expect you to jump through hoops to be hired. I recently saw an ad that wanted applicants to provide a resume, paragraph explaining why they were the best candidate, and 2 to 3 applicable writing samples for a job that paid $1 per 100 words. Seriously? At that pay rate, the only requirement should be English-Speaking.

Leave me a comment. Let me know what you think of Craig's List. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you have Craigs List job searching tips to share? Do you have your own pet peeves? Maybe you agree with mine...maybe you don't. Let me know.