Has anyone ever found a freelance job on Craigslist?

[Holly Kerfoot]

I'm a newspaper copy editor who likely will be consolidated out of a job by this fall. In looking for jobs, I've found postings on Craiglist and it got me wondering. Thanks in advance for your replies!

[markallen]

I've seen a lot of low-paying jobs on Craigslist. It could be a source, though. It just depends who posts the job.

Be careful of posting ads on Craigslist -- you might help someone find you, but you'll get a lot of people telling you about great business opportunities.

If you're on Twitter, copy editor Karen Wise (@wisekaren) often posts a Craigslist ad of the day, which suggests that she uses Craigslist to find work. From this morning:

Craigslist ad of the day: "Need writers for a Qeutin Tarrintino movie"

[MarcA78]

Two of my more regular accounts came from craigslist.

I think there are three kinds of people who place ads on craigslist:
1. The tech-savvy businessman who knows that craigslist is a great (free) way to find a cost effective (bargain basement) freelancer.
2. Liars. These are the guys who will entice you into contacting them with an ad promising big bucks for doing a job that doesn't actually exist. Once you contact them, they will immediately try to sell you kitchen knives.
3. Kenyans.

[RuthTC]

Not any that pay even close to what I expect to receive. I do have a colleague who does desktop publishing for individual authors and says he has gotten good gigs through Craigslist because he sets a minimum fee and won't be guilted into undercharging.

[markallen]

I think that's great advice: set a minimum price and stick to it. It's easy to shrug and say, well, at least it's something. But underpaying jobs rarely result in satisfied customers or repeat business. Those who appreciate your work enough to pay for it are the ones most likely to be good references, whether you first connect on Craigslist or somewhere else.