craigslist
Finding a job these days can be tough. Luckily, we have plenty of online classifieds and job boards to help us out. But with so many to choose from, which one should you use? In trying to determine what site is the best for the job seeker out there, it’s important to take a look at all of them and see what they bring to the table. Today, let’s talk about Craigslist.
Craigslist was started in 1995 in San Francisco by a guy named Craig Newmark. As a newcomer to the city, Newmark started an email distribution to friends in the area. The emails provided details about local events in the Bay Area. The social events were primarily of interest to software and Internet developers, as this was Newmark’s area of expertise.
Newmark expanded his list into a web-based service and branched out into other classifieds categories the following year. By 2000, Newmark’s service had expanded to other cities in theUSand eventually to most countries. By the new millennium, Craigslist was a full-blown online classifieds service featuring the following categories;
- Jobs
- Housing
- Personals
- ForSale
- Services
- Community
- Gigs
- Resumes
- Discussion Forums
Today, Craigslist is a widely used service by people all over the world. In terms of the broad range of features it offers, Craigslist pretty much has it all. If you need to buy a bicycle, sell some furniture, look for a job, adopt a pet, post your resume or find a date, Craigslist is there to help.
But that last topic of interest – finding a date – is where Craigslist got into a little bit of trouble. After much controversy concerning the Adult Section, Craigslist closed this portion of the site down for good last year. It turns out that people were using this section to solicit prostitution – go figure. Although the Adult Section was closed down, many who frequented that category just moved their services over to the Talent section.
Even though you may have to avoid pimps and prostitutes, Craigslist still provides a valuable service, especially to those looking for a job. Jobs on Craigslist are sorted by location and category and feature everything from Accounting positions to Writing jobs. Craigslist also features a Gigs Section that posts part-time or temporary work for those looking to make an extra buck. In addition to finding all the jobs out there, you can also post your resume on Craigslist for employers to check out.
Craigslist can provide a lot of job opportunities, but beware. Scammers are rampant on this site, and you never know if when you show up to a job site you might be thrown into a van or mugged. Like any other listing on the Internet, do your research before agreeing to anything.
Related articles
- A Craigslist Experience That Is Better Than Craigslist (nytimes.com)
