I Saw Your Resume on Craigslist

In a recent post I talked about an idea I got from a fellow freelancer for posting an ad on craigslist. I decided to post an ad myself and see what happened. So far, the results have been completely lackluster. As with anything like this, when you post something, you open yourself up for all kinds of replies that don't interest you. Even though you are asked to indicate whether or not you want to be contacted by recruiters or for other services, many people don't follow these.

So far, I've received no legitimate responses to my ad, but several from people trying to get me to use a job search site or offer me a job completely unrelated to my post. In fact, I can tell none of these people even read my ad or just don't care about relating their e-mail to my ad, because most of them say "I saw your resume on craigslist." Mind you, I didn't post my resume, just an ad.

Still, I've decided to rerun my ad when it expires. Here are my reasons:

1. I've already written the ad, so it will take very little work to post it again, even if I change it around a little.
2. Someone someday, when I least expect it might actually see it and send me some work.
3. It doesn't cost anything.
4. It takes about two seconds to delete an undesirable e-mail and I probably only got about 10-15 of them in the span of a few weeks.

Good Idea

As I've mentioned here before, I spend a lot of time on Freelance Writing Jobs. I look at the job postings there on a daily basis, but I also find it a good resource for information. Often the information I get is from other readers, so I always make sure to read the comments section.

Yesterday I posted a comment about how unlucky I've been with getting any gigs from the ads and wondering if I should continue answering them. Others seem to post comments about landing jobs fairly often and I was feeling discouraged. Ann G., a frequent commenter on the site, was encouraging, but also shared a great idea with me.

She said she had actually posted an ad on craigslist for a writer needing work and had some success with it. To me it seems like a no-brainer. It doesn't cost anything and a lot of people look at craigslist. I think it's certainly worth a try.

Week #1

I have week #1 in my career as a freelance writer under my belt, and I've already learned a multitude of things. It may be far too early to make this determination, but I really think I'm going to be able to make it work. Everything I've read about making freelance writing a business seems to indicate that you spend at least as much time looking for work as you do completing it. Particularly in the beginning, I think that's going to turn out to be valid.

Since it's my first week, everything I've done has been related to seeking out work. The following are highlights of measures I took to try to obtain work:

• I did a lot of searching on the Internet for places that advertise freelance writing jobs. Somewhat surprisingly, craigslist is actually a good source for postings. Additionally, there are many freelance writing sites that, besides giving general information and advice, periodically compile relevant job postings from different sources. One particular site I like is Freelance Writing Jobs.
• I revised my resume slightly and developed a couple of freelance-specific cover letters.
• I applied for a few freelance jobs I saw posted.
• I spoke with someone at Aquent, a nationwide talent/staffing agency for creative professionals, to try to obtain some short-term or contract work. I set up a meeting with them for next Wednesday.
• I spent all day on Thursday at a Lansing business expo, handing out business cards and making contacts. I got some good contact information, which I plan to follow up on early next week. I also attended a seminar about how to get my Web site noticed more by Google.
• I had a meeting with my first client this morning. I'll be starting work on my first project, a one-page marketing article for an association publication, this weekend.
  

All in all, it's been a good week.