Founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark, Craigslist is a community-focused website that facilitates the trading of goods and services in various cities and countries around the world. Unlike other popular sites such as eBay, uBid, and Amazon, Craigslist allows candidates to find jobs anywhere on the globe. Consider the website as a sort of electronic newspaper running daily classifieds. But what kind of employment opportunities can be found on the site?
How to Post a Resume on Craigslist
Those searching for career opportunities do not post a resume in the traditional sense of the word. A resume on Craigslist consists of a single post with an effective title, location, and posting description. Resumes on Craigslist’s database are not permanent; rather, the CV posts by date and expires within 30 days. However, they can be easily reposted within the site’s guidelines.
Post the CV by clicking the Resumes link just under the Gigs heading. Include the desired position in the Posting Title field so busy employers know exactly what the candidate is looking for. Be professional and avoid titles that may appear as spam such as, “Looking for...” or “I need a job.” For example, “Experienced Art Director Seeking Employment in North Dallas at Top Design Firm.” Include a strong posting description that highlights key successes, skills, and accomplishments.
Secrets to Using Craigslist for a Successful Employment Search
Harnessing the full potential of Craigslist in the job search takes more than simply responding ad-hoc to posted career opportunities. Don’t just search one employment category – often times the same job title can be found in multiple categories. For example, find job listings for Computer Programmer in both the Technical Support and Web/Info design categories in the selected city.
Search for employment in the ETC category at the very bottom of the Jobs column. ETC stands for “et cetera” jobs – miscellaneous pick-me-up employment opportunities such as fitness instructors, pet sitters, and research study participants. However, one must be very cognizant of scams and pyramid schemes in this category.
Search for employment opportunities under the Gigs heading. These are short-term contractual assignments. As opposed to traditional full-time or part-time work, gigs are project-based – once the project is over, the work is over. Gig categories include computer, writing, talent, and labor; but like the ETC category, watch out for scams and pyramid schemes.
Make the most of discussion forums. Talk about the career search and get some helpful advice using the Craigslist jobs forum under the Discussion Forums heading. This discussion board can also be a great place to network and exchange career hunting strategies that work. Don’t overlook Craigslist in the effort to find jobs; many networking and career opportunities have arisen from the site and will continue to so in the years to come.
