Can Writers Find Jobs on Craigslist?

So you might wonder with all my grumbling about sites looking for free content and my cautions about possible scams whether any writers find jobs on Craigslist.

The truth is that yes, they do.

Last summer, I started seeing these lovely food photos in my Facebook feed. My son’s friend’s sister was cooking up a storm on her summer break from NYU and posting the photos on Facebook. Not only were her photos generating interest, but I saw comments from people who loved her captions too.

I joined the chorus of voices telling her she should start a blog.

Cherise Grifoni launched Your Vegan Zombie on Blogger in July, 2010.

Hey, don’t blame me for the blogspot.com domain. I told her she should host it herself.

She had several recipes already photographed, so she was able to fill the blog with 20 posts in a week or two.

I was watching and encouraging Grifoni because I like to see others succeed, and I truly enjoyed her recipes and her take on vegan cooking. She introduced me to quinoa and vegan tacos without any of the extreme activism I have encountered with other vegan writers.

Book Deal on Craigslist

At the same time, I was also minding my own business and trying to find writing jobs on Craigslist. Two weeks after Grifoni launched her blog, I saw a Craigslist ad from a publisher looking for a vegan cookbook author, and I immediately sent Grifoni the ad.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Grifoni sent out a book proposal that week, signed a contract a few weeks later, and in February The Part-Time Vegan: 201 Yummy Recipes That Put the Fun in Flexitarian (aff link) hit bookstores.

Okay, so maybe history is too strong a word. Her book is not a runaway bestseller, and she will be returning to school again this fall. However, she is published, and she was paid in advance for her efforts. Should she decide to continue writing, Grifoni has experience and published author credibility that will serve her well on future book proposals.

Of course, Grifoni is just one example, albeit the best example I have encountered this year. You hear writers complain about the chaff on Craigslist so often because we find enough wheat to make it worth our while to look there. I know for me, the chance of a book deal suited to me spurs me on whenever I get discouraged by the proliferation of non-job situations advertised.

Writers Job Searching on Craigslist

I want to thank Danielle McGaw for this video. I have shown this system to many job seekers in recent months, not just writers. They always try to stop me with, I know how to look for jobs on Craigslist. Then they watch video and they agree that this is a great way to conduct a job search online.

I love this technique because it underscores the importance of not getting too invested in any one job listing. These three steps all but automate the process.

• Open tabs with the most promising headlines.
• Forward the real jobs for which you are qualified.
• Go to your email and write your cover letters.

If you do this at the same time every day, you then have the rest of the day to work on your writing assignments. As much fun as it can be, writing is also a discipline.

I have written about a couple sites that aggregate freelance writer listings before. McGaw’s job search technique will help you comb through these listings in minutes.

Success Tips for Writing Jobs

There are a couple of things you should keep in mind when searching for writing jobs (and book deals) on Craigslist.

1. Grifoni had years of experience in her niche (cooking vegan recipes).
2. She had a blog that demonstrated her voice and talents.

You will succeed when you focus on real jobs for which you are suited. You cannot expend your effort on every listing you see, because you will just waste your time. Also, your samples, blogs, and published work provide credibility, so remember to work on a body of clips that has your name on it. With experience and focus, writers find jobs on Craigslist.

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