50+ Craigslist Gigs Near Me (That Pay Well!) - MoneyPantry (2024)

Table of Contents
Top Craigslist Gigs Near Me 1. Lawn mowing 2. Yard work/landscape labor 3. Cleaning 4. Dog walker 5. Window cleaning 6. Mover 7. Appliance repair 8. Furniture assembly 9. Taxi service 10. Bartending 11. Photographer 12. Food delivery 13. Grocery delivery 14. Package delivery 15. Focus group participant 16. Errand service 17. Shoveling snow 18. Car washing 19. Painting 20. Pet-sitting 21. Event planner 22. Security Guard 23. Handyman 24. Junk hauling 25. Cook 26. Waiter/Waitress 27. Research study participant 28. Personal assistant 29. Flyer distribution 30. Event/nightclub promoter 31. Banquet Server 32. Concession worker 33. Dishwasher Work from Home Craigslist Gigs 34. Virtual assistant 35. Proofreader 36. Freelance writer 37. Copywriter 38. Resume writing 39. Editor 40. Data Entry Clerk 41. Transcriptionist 42. Tutor 43. ESL Teacher 44. Remote translator 45. Social media manager 46. Customer service agent 47. Administrative assistant 48. Virtual sales representative 49. Web designer 50. Website tester 51. Video editor 52. Graphic designer 53. Voiceover artist 54. Game tester 55. Telephone survey interviewer How to Find Craigslist Gigs Step One: Go to your city’s craigslist Step Two: Find the “gigs” section Step Three: Browse available gigs and apply to the ones that you want Consider Looking at the “Jobs” Section too Make the Most Money Picking the Right Gigs Search by keyword and keyword phrases Use the filters Look for jobs that have been posted recently If you’re looking for online jobs, then don’t limit yourself to just your city Don’t apply for jobs where you fulfill less than half of the criteria Look at payment Read the ad thoroughly and follow the directions Look at the key terms in the title of the gig Safety Tips for Using Craigslist Be aware of scams Be careful when meeting in person with people from CL Closing Thoughts References

While there are so many gig economy apps and websites out there these days, Craigslist still remains one of the best places to find all above and under table jobs that pay cash the same day.

On Craigslist, you can find gigs across multiple categories, from cleaning to photography to bartending. There are tons of jobs available. And, what’s great about Craigslist is that you can use it to find both online jobs and local gigs.

In this post, I’ll cover more than 50 Craigslist gigs.

I’ll also cover how to find them and tips for getting a gig there.

I’ve included pay rates for each type of gig. These pay rates are from ZipRecruiter and are the average income rates for those specific types of jobs.

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Table of Contents

Top Craigslist Gigs Near Me

Craigslist is great for finding local gigs. So, if you are wondering, “Where can I find Craigslist gigs near me?” then, you’ll be happy to know you can find local jobs there.

Here are some of the best Craigslist gigs.

1. Lawn mowing

  • Average pay: $15 an hour
  • Pay range: $8 to $18 an hour

If you are looking for a work today get paid today kind of gig, cutting your neighbors’ grass is the easiest way. This is easy to get started with, and if you do a good job, you could also book even more local gigs by word of mouth.

2. Yard work/landscape labor

  • Average pay: $15 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $22 an hour

This can include things like pulling out weeds, power-washing concrete areas, watering plants, and maintaining fences.

3. Cleaning

  • Average pay: $14 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $20 an hour

There are lots of cleaning gigs available on Craigslist. Since a lot of people don’t have time to clean their own homes, they hire a cleaner. Many businesses hire cleaners too. So this can be a good option.

4. Dog walker

  • Average pay: $15 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $25 an hour

If you love animals, consider working as a dog walker. You can often find dog walking gigs on CL.

5. Window cleaning

  • Average pay: $17 an hour
  • Pay range: $8 to $24 an hour

Another CL gig is window cleaning. You could get paid to clean windows for residential properties and businesses also.

6. Mover

  • Average pay: $16 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $22 an hour

People move all the time, and many people don’t want the hassle of moving items themselves, so they hire movers to do it for them. There are lots of moving gigs on CL, whether it’s helping people to move to a house, apartment or even dorms.

7. Appliance repair

  • Pay varies

If you’re skilled in appliance repair, then this is a great Craigslist gig for you. You could make money repairing home appliances or appliances for businesses.

8. Furniture assembly

  • Pay varies

Another easy Craigslist gig is furniture assembly. You basically get paid to assemble people’s furniture for them.

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9. Taxi service

  • Average pay: $22 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $62 an hour

There are a lot of rideshare gigs available on CL, including jobs driving for Uber and Lyft.

10. Bartending

  • Average pay: $13 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $37 an hour

You can find bartending gigs on CL.

11. Photographer

  • Average pay: $22 an hour
  • Pay range: $7 to $49 an hour

There are lots of photography gigs available on Craigslist. So, if you’re looking for a creative way to make money, then give it a try.

12. Food delivery

  • Pay varies

There are lots of food delivery jobs available on CL for companies like DoorDash and UberEats. You get paid to deliver food from restaurants and other local eateries to people’s homes.

13. Grocery delivery

  • Average pay: $16 an hour
  • Pay range: $10 to $31 an hour

You can find jobs delivering groceries. There are lots of jobs posted by grocery delivery companies like Instacart and Shipt.

14. Package delivery

  • Average pay: $16 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $25 an hour

It’s not just groceries and food that people need to have delivered to them. There are plenty of other items from clothing to baby supplies. You could get paid to deliver packages. There are lots of delivery driver gigs available on Craigslist.

15. Focus group participant

  • Pay: $20 to $400 per study

Focus groups work in a similar way to surveys, except you talk about a product or service with a group of people. There are lots of focus group gigs posted on CL, so have a look to see if there are any near you. Focus groups are conducted in-person or online.

16. Errand service

  • Average pay: $20 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $48 an hour

Because people are busy, they may not have the time to run errands because of things like work or family commitments.

Here’s where you can make some extra cash. You can help people with their errands. People post gigs on Craigslist asking for help with a variety of errands, from picking up dry cleaning to going to the store to pick something up.

17. Shoveling snow

  • Pay varies

Another way you can make money on CL is by shoveling snow. If you live in an area that gets snow, then this could be a good side hustle.

18. Car washing

  • Pay varies

Another option is to wash cars. You sometimes see car washing gigs posted on CL.

19. Painting

  • Pay varies

I’ve seen painting gigs listed in various cities and towns on CL. This can include painting the exterior or interior of a home or other property.

20. Pet-sitting

  • Average pay: $14 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $29 an hour

If you love animals, then you could consider working as a pet sitter. In this role, you’re paid to take care of people’s pets, such as cats and dogs, while they’re not home. This is a fun Craigslist gig to try for making extra money.

21. Event planner

  • Average pay: $27 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $62 an hour

Another option you can try is being an event planner. As their name suggests, event planners get paid to plan events. This job can include tasks like choosing locations for events, hiring caterers, and managing budgets.

You coordinate with vendors, communicate with clients, find suitable venues that are within budget, and arrange things like the guest list and invitations. There are event planner gigs posted on CL in some cities.

22. Security Guard

  • Average pay: $15 an hour
  • Pay range: $8 to $21 an hour

You can often find security guard jobs on Craigslist. So, have a look for gigs near you. Security guards are responsible for guarding, monitoring and patrolling premises, and they work in a variety of places, like office buildings, retail stores, and public buildings.

It’s your job to prevent theft and violence and to make sure that all the rules are being followed.

23. Handyman

  • Average pay: $18 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $27 an hour

There are TONs of handyman gigs posted on CL, so have a look for jobs near you. Tasks can include things like home repairs, furniture assembly, and carpentry work.

24. Junk hauling

  • Pay varies

If you have a large truck or van, you could earn money hauling junk. I’ve seen a few junk-hauling gigs available on CL.

25. Cook

  • Average pay: $7 to $18 an hour
  • Pay range: $14 an hour

A cook or chef is responsible for preparing food that is served in restaurants and other dining establishments. There are a TON of cook/chef gigs available on CL.

26. Waiter/Waitress

  • Average pay: $5 to $29 an hour
  • Pay range: $16 an hour

A waiter works in the food service industry, serving guests at restaurant tables or bar seating. You can find lots of waiter/waitress jobs on Craigslist.

27. Research study participant

  • Pay: Varies per study

There are lots of paid research study gigs available on CL. So have a look on there for jobs. And, don’t worry, we’re not talking about medical trials specifically here. There are plenty of research studies that are focused on psychology, so they don’t involve a medical trial of anything. Many universities and colleges pay members of the general public to participate in a wide range of studies and surveys.

28. Personal assistant

  • Average pay: $20 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $38 an hour

Personal assistants get paid to help people with a range of personal and business tasks. This can include things like running errands, making phone calls, writing emails, making appointments, and organizing schedules. There are personal assistant gigs listed on CL in many cities and towns.

29. Flyer distribution

  • Average pay: $13 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $19 an hour

As a flyer distributor, you get paid to distribute flyers. So, you may need to distribute flyers through residential front doors or to businesses or hand out flyers to the general public at specific locations.

30. Event/nightclub promoter

  • Average pay: $16 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $33 an hour

Event promoters help to market and promote events. You see a lot of event promoter and nightclub promoter jobs on Craigslist. Tasks in this job can include things like organizing flyer distribution and social media campaigns.

31. Banquet Server

  • Average pay: $14 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $22 an hour

Another option you can try is working as a banquet server. A banquet server is a member of the wait staff that serves food for catered events. They set the table and buffets for service. So, during service, banquet servers will be responsible for tasks like taking food and drink orders at tables, replenishing buffet food, and refilling beverages. After the event, they’ll do things like clear the table, clean the event space, and return equipment to the kitchen.

32. Concession worker

  • Average pay: $12 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $18 an hour

Concession stand workers are responsible for the daily duties of the concession stand. This includes things like preparing food, customer service, inventory control, restocking merchandise, and facility upkeep. You can often find concession stand work on Craigslist.

33. Dishwasher

  • Average pay: $13 an hour
  • Pay range: $7 to $18 an hour

Another CL job that’s pretty easy is working as a dishwasher. When working as a dishwasher, your responsibilities will include things like washing plates, cups, cooking utensils, silverware, pots and pans, and other cookware and tableware. You will need to ensure that everything is cleaned properly, and place dry cleaned dishes in the designated area.

Work from Home Craigslist Gigs

There are a TON of local Craigslist gigs available that get you out of the house whether that’s lawn mowing, yard work, or dog walking.

If you’re looking to work from home, you’ll be happy to know that there are also plenty of fulltime and parttime work from home Craigslist gigs available. So, you can make money from the comfort of your own home.

Here are some of the best work from home Craigslist gigs.

34. Virtual assistant

  • Average pay: $21 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $38 an hour

As a virtual assistant, you’re paid to help people with a variety of tasks, like making phone calls, scheduling appointments, and organizing meetings. You can work from home. There are virtual assistant gigs posted in some cities on CL, and you can also post on CL to advertise your services.

35. Proofreader

  • Average pay: $24 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $44 an hour

Proofreaders are paid to check work like articles and novels for typos, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes.

36. Freelance writer

  • Average Pay: $32 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $129 an hour

Freelance writing is a creative Craigslist gig that allows you to make money from home. As a freelance writer, you’re paid to create content for clients. This can include things like blog posts, articles, and books. Although some freelancers are paid per hour, most are paid per word or per article.

Pay can vary from as little as $0.01 per word to as much as $0.10 per word or even more than that. Pay per article varies.

37. Copywriter

  • Average pay: $36 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $73 an hour

As a copywriter, you get paid to write copy, like product descriptions, newsletters, and radio scripts, which is designed to sell products. Although copywriters can get paid by the hour, they can also get paid per word or per project.

38. Resume writing

  • Average pay: $21 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $37 an hour

Some people hire a resume writer to write their resume. So, this is another money-making option you can try if you’re good at writing.

39. Editor

  • Average pay: $30 an hour
  • Pay range: $17 to $62 an hour

Editors are paid to edit people’s work for them. They revise work, like books and articles, for publication. Editors check work for things like errors and structural issues and also review ideas and decide what material will appeal most to readers.

40. Data Entry Clerk

  • Average pay: $20 an hour
  • Pay range: $8 to $40 an hour

Data entry clerks get paid to enter data into documents, spreadsheets, and other data management systems. You get to work from home. This is another gig you can often find on CL.

41. Transcriptionist

  • Average pay: $16 an hour
  • Pay range: $6 to $24 an hour

As a transcriptionist, you get paid to listen to audio and then type out, or “transcribe” what you hear. Then, you deliver the transcription document to the client. This is another good Craigslist gig.

42. Tutor

  • Average pay: $23 an hour
  • Pay range: $10 to $44 an hour

Tutors are paid to teach people. You can do this job online.

43. ESL Teacher

  • Average pay: $19 an hour
  • Pay range: $8 to $24 an hour

ESL teachers get paid to teach English as a second language (ESL). So, you basically get paid to teach people in different countries how to speak English. And, you can do this job from home! You can work as much or as little as you want to.

44. Remote translator

  • Average pay: $35 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $83 an hour

Translators are paid to translate the written word from one language into another. So, if you speak more than one language, then doing some translation work could be a good gig for you. You can do this job from home.

45. Social media manager

  • Average pay: $26 an hour
  • Pay range: $7 to $47 an hour

Another gig you can try is working as a social media manager. Social media managers are paid to help companies and individuals to manage their social media accounts. This job often involves tasks like uploading posts to platforms like Instagram and Twitter and responding to comments on social media.

46. Customer service agent

  • Average pay: $15 an hour
  • Pay range: $8 to $24 an hour

Another good Craigslist gig that you can try is working as a customer service agent. Customer service representatives assist customers with any questions or issues they may have. So, your tasks as a customer service agent could include things like handling complaints, processing orders, and answering questions from customers.

47. Administrative assistant

  • Average pay: $9 to $30 an hour
  • Pay range: $18 an hour

You can also find administrative assistant gigs on CL. Administrative assistants, or administrative aides as they are also called, are responsible for supporting administrative professionals in order to help them to stay organized and complete tasks. This allows the administrative professional to focus on more advanced responsibilities.

As an administrative assistant, you’re responsible for a variety of tasks, like organizing meetings for administrators, managing emails, editing documents, and composing documents on behalf of administrators. You can do this job remotely. And you can do this gig part-time, so it’s a good way to make money on the side.

48. Virtual sales representative

  • Average pay: $34 an hour
  • Pay range: $7 to $55 an hour

Virtual sales representatives are paid to market a product or service through online services. So, basically, it’s your job to sell a product or service to new or returning customers and offer any assistance upon them purchasing it. You can find virtual sales representative jobs on CL in some cities.

Virtual sales representatives get paid to market a product or service through online services. Basically, it’s your job to sell a product or service to new or returning customers and offer any assistance upon them purchasing it.

49. Web designer

  • Average pay: $37 an hour
  • Pay range: $10 to $63 an hour

Another CL gig that you could try is working as a web designer. Web designers work on the aesthetic appearance of websites. So, they work on the part of the site that users see and interact with, focusing on things like photos, fonts, illustrations, and color schemes. You can do this job remotely, which is great.

50. Website tester

  • Average pay: $26 an hour
  • Pay range: $10 to $50 an hour

You could get paid to test websites. Testing websites is a job you can do from home, and you can work as much or as little as you want to. As a website tester, you get paid to visit websites and apps and report on your experience. You will need to report on things like how easy the site is to navigate and if there are any broken links.

51. Video editor

  • Average pay: $28 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $58 an hour

Another option you can try is editing videos. Video editors are paid to edit videos for a wide range of clients, including individuals and businesses. There are video editing gigs posted on CL in a variety of cities.

52. Graphic designer

  • Average pay: $27 an hour
  • Pay range: $17 to $35 an hour

Another option you can try is working as a graphic designer. Graphic designers are paid to create a variety of illustrations and designs, such as flyers, logos, and original images, for clients. You can often find graphic design work on CL.

53. Voiceover artist

  • Average pay: $31 an hour
  • Pay range: $5 to $92 an hour

Voiceover artists get paid to provide narration for different types of media, like audiobooks, YouTube videos, and tutorials. Have a browse of your city’s CL to see if there are any voiceover artist gigs, and don’t forget that you can always post an ad where you advertise your services as a voiceover artist.

54. Game tester

  • Average pay: $29 an hour
  • Pay range: $9 to $69 an hour

Another option you can try is testing out games. Sometimes you can find work testing out mobile games, video games on consoles, and PC games.

Game developers want to ensure that their games offer a great user experience, so they use game testers to play the game entirely, or to a certain level, and provide feedback on their experience.

55. Telephone survey interviewer

  • Average pay: $12 an hour
  • Pay range: $7 to $18 an hour

Telephone interviewers conduct surveys and interviews over the phone, usually for market research companies or other organizations that need to gather public data for the development of goods or services.

You can do this job is done from home, and over the phone.

How to Find Craigslist Gigs

As you can see from the list above, Craigslist has a wide range of gigs available including local gigs, like bartending and cleaning, online jobs like customer service agent and virtual assistant, as well as a host of other odd jobs.

Just how do you find these Craigslist gigs though?

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step One: Go to your city’s craigslist

The first step is to head on over to your city’s CL. You can do this simply by going to https://www.craigslist.org/about/sites and then selecting your town or city under the name of the state you reside in.

You can also find your local CL by opening up Google and typing in “Craigslist.” This should bring up the CL for your city or town. You can also type in “Craigslist [name of your city].”

Step Two: Find the “gigs” section

Once you’ve navigated to your city’s CL page, you will need to find the “gigs” section. This is usually located near the bottom of the page, so scroll down until you find a section that says “gigs,” above it.

Click on “gigs” and you’ll be able to see all gigs, or you can click on one of the subcategories beneath this, which includes:

  • Computer
  • Creative
  • Crew
  • Domestic
  • Event
  • Labor
  • Talent
  • Writing

Even if you just click on “gigs,” rather than one of those subcategories, you’ll still be able to view gigs in any of those categories and filter them too.

Step Three: Browse available gigs and apply to the ones that you want

If you clicked on “gigs,” then you’ll be able to browse all gigs on the site. You can select the categories you want from the options on the left side of the screen, or by clicking on the “all” drop down in the top bar.

On the top bar, you should be able to see [city name] > gigs > all.

So, click on “all,” and you’ll get a bunch of subcategories. This will include the ones I listed above, like “Creative,” “Event,” and “Writing.”

If you clicked on a specific type of gig, like “writing,” or “labor” for example, then you’ll be able to view jobs in the specific category you chose. If you want to browse another category, you can just click on the dropdown menu in the top bar.

So, you should be able to see [city name] > gigs > [gig category you chose].

For example, Indianapolis > gigs > event gigs.

Click on the category you chose, and you’ll get a dropdown menu. So, if you chose “event gigs,” you’d click on “event gigs” to get the dropdown menu with more subcategory options. You can select another category to view jobs in that specific category, or you can click “all” to view jobs from multiple categories.

You can filter jobs by things like distance and whether they are paid or unpaid. Also, you can search for jobs using the search bar above the list of gigs. This can be useful if you’re looking for a specific type of job and don’t want to have to browse through a ton of listings.

When you find a job that you’re interested in, you can apply for it by clicking on “Reply.”

Consider Looking at the “Jobs” Section too

Craigslist gigs are awesome allowing you to earn money doing a bunch of different jobs from working as a dishwasher to promoting events in your city.

There’s another way to find work, both online and in-person on CL, and that’s by using the “Jobs” section. This features lots of jobs in a variety of industries. So, it’s definitely worth checking out if you want to find work on CL.

Just go to your city’s CL page and find the “jobs” section. You can just click on “jobs” and you’ll be able to view jobs from different categories. Or, you can click on one of the categories below jobs, like “admin/office,” “general labor,” or “writing/editing.”

There, just like with the “gigs” section, you’ll be able to filter jobs by things like miles from the location, telecommuting, and employment type, such as contract, part-time, or full-time. You can also use the search bar to search for the types of jobs that you’re looking for.

Make the Most Money Picking the Right Gigs

As you can see, there are a TON of Craigslist jobs that you can do, and this includes both local gigs and online gigs too. In this section, I’ll cover how to make the most money by picking the right gigs.

Search by keyword and keyword phrases

One of the simplest tips you can use is to search for gigs on CL by keyword or keyword phrase. This can save you a lot of time scrolling through a bunch of different results. So, for example, if you’re interested in writing gigs, but want blog writing gigs specifically, then you could type in “blog writer.” This will come up with results for that specific type of job.

Use the filters

The next tip is to use the side panel to refine the search results. If you want to make money fast, then you’ll want to streamline your job hunt as much as you possibly can. And, one of the best ways to do this is to use filters.

You can filter jobs by things like whether they’re paid or unpaid and distance. The distance one is particularly useful, because you may not want to travel a ton for a gig. If you want to maximize your hourly earnings, you’ll want to go with jobs that are nearby so that you can get to the gig quickly and start getting paid.

So, those are ways you can filter results in the “gigs” section. If you are looking in the “jobs” section, as I suggested doing earlier in the post, you can also filter those results. You can filter those by things like miles from the location, telecommuting, and employment type, such as contract, part-time, or full-time.

So, for example, if you want to work from home, then you should check the “telecommute” option so that you can see the relevant results. Double-check job listings even if you do filter them though.

For example, if you check the “telecommute” option, it may bring up jobs where you can sometimes telecommute, but you have to actually go to a physical office or job site sometimes too. So, if you do want to work from home, make sure you select jobs that are 100% telecommute/remote.

Look for jobs that have been posted recently

Another option you can try is to look at the date that jobs are posted. It’s a good idea to apply for jobs that have been posted more recently, like less than two weeks ago. If a job post has been up for more than two weeks, then that position may have already been filled, and the person who submitted the post may have just forgotten or not bothered to take the post down. So, you could be wasting your time applying to these older jobs. Instead, you should try to apply for jobs that were posted less than two weeks ago.

If you’re looking for online jobs, then don’t limit yourself to just your city

Okay, so there are a lot of local Craigslist gigs like bartending and cleaning, but there are also lots of work from home gigs and remote gigs in the jobs section on CL too. If you are looking to work from home, then make sure you don’t limit yourself to just your city, or even country.

The beauty of at-home work is that you can work for anyone in any city or any country because you’re not having to go to a physical office. So, you can work from anywhere for an employer located anywhere.

You can open up way more job opportunities for yourself, and therefore opportunities to make money if you don’t limit yourself to just your city. So, look for jobs in different cities, and even different countries (as long as it’s also an English-speaking country).

Look at the big cities, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. When you work online, the physical location doesn’t matter, so don’t restrict your job options by sticking just to your city. Look at jobs in different cities and countries.

Don’t apply for jobs where you fulfill less than half of the criteria

To apply for jobs, you don’t need to be a 100% match. But, you don’t want to waste your time applying for jobs that you don’t really fit the criteria for. So, don’t apply for jobs where you fulfill less than half of the criteria. That way, you won’t be wasting your time applying for jobs that you don’t qualify for.

Look at payment

Okay, so if you want to make the most money with CL gigs, you’ll want to, of course, pay attention to the pay rate. That’s why it’s important to look at what exactly the listing says about payment.

Some Craigslist gigs are unpaid, so this could be an internship for example. So, make sure that you only look for paid gigs. Remember, I said earlier that you can actually filter listings by “paid” or “unpaid,” so make sure you check that “paid” box.

Also, make sure that you don’t entertain lowball offers. You don’t want to short-change yourself. Set a realistic pay rate – you can browse job posts on CL to get an idea of the going rate for a particular role – and then only apply for jobs that fit your income goals.

Now, some jobs won’t say how much they pay. So, you’ll need to inquire. Also, some employees will ask you to provide a quote for your services. In that case, make sure that you understand the full scope of the job and what your responsibilities will be so that you can quote a pay rate that is fair to you.

Read the ad thoroughly and follow the directions

It’s really important that you read the post thoroughly and follow all of the directions. A potential employer will be put off a candidate who can’t even follow the initial instructions properly. So, make sure you read the post and then follow all of the instructions listed.

Some posts may ask you to provide a sample of your work or a resume, and others may test out candidates to ensure they’ve read the post properly, by asking them to write a specific word in their response or answer a specific question.

Look at the key terms in the title of the gig

Another tip that you can try is scanning titles for key terms. The titles of jobs can give you an idea of whether or not the gig is right for you and prevent you from wasting your time on jobs that just aren’t suited to you.

For example, if a title says, “office-based” and you’re looking for a remote gig, then that listing won’t be for you. Similarly, if you’re looking for entry level jobs, then listings that include the word, “Senior” are not going to be for you either.

So, make sure that you scan the title first before you click on a listing. This can save you a little time when you’re looking through dozens of listings. You can just click on the ones that best suit you, and not waste your time clicking on a bunch of job posts that don’t suit you.

Safety Tips for Using Craigslist

Although Craigslist is great for finding a variety of jobs, it’s often used by scammers and there are also safety concerns about meeting people from CL.

Here are a couple of tips to follow when using CL.

Be aware of scams

Sadly, there are a lot of online scams that you need to be aware of. Here are some tips to avoid being scammed:

Don’t send money to some to do a job

A legit employer pays you, not the other way around. So never send money to someone in order to do a job.

Some places will say that you need to pay a fee in order to cover services like insurance or software training.

No matter how much money you send, the scammer won’t hold up their end of the bargain. There is no job offer, and they’re just trying to scam you. So, do not send money to anyone that claims to be offering a job.

Be aware of the fake check scam

A common money scam on Craigslist, and on many other sites, is the fake check scam. With this one, the scam artist will ask you to deposit the check into your bank account, and then wire part of the money back to them. This type of scam is also known as the overpayment scam.

The scammer may offer to pay you more than the price stated on the job post. It seems like a great offer, but this offer is too good to be true.

Not only do you not get the additional money you were promised, but you don’t actually get any money at all.

What happens is the scammer says they’ll pay you via check, but then cons you into sending the difference back to them through a wire transfer. Wire transfers are not refundable and often aren’t traceable, which is why many scammers use them.

The check then bounces, since it was fake, and you are left with no money and have to pay for the difference anyway. So, if someone offers to pay you more and then asks you to wire a portion of the funds back to them, it is most likely a scam.

Never accept a check that includes an overpayment and DO NOT wire money to people or companies that you don’t know.

Be wary of spam-style job titles

Another thing that you should look out for is any titles that look spammy.

Spam posts often include things like an all-caps title and dollar signs in the title. Also, any posts that include a claim of a ridiculously high pay rate, like “make $1k a day,” are likely scams! So, if a post sounds too good to be true, then it likely is.

So do be aware of these spam-type posts and avoid them.

Of course, not all of these posts will indeed be spam. An employer may have just written the job title in all caps just to make their listing stand out, but it’s good to be cautious. You could apply for job posts like this, but if the poster starts asking for any personal details or money, then it’s definitely a scam.

Spam-style posts may not always be a scam, but things like dollar signs in the title can indicate that the job isn’t professional. It could be a pyramid scheme, door-to-door sales, or other work that you don’t really want to be doing.

Searching for precise keywords can help to eliminate some of these spammy job listings.

Be careful when meeting in person with people from CL

The internet is great because it’s opened up so many ways for people to find work. If you are going to do in-person gigs, like working as a dishwasher or manual labor, then it’s important to be careful when meeting with the person hiring you.

Of course, most of the time, you’ll have no issues. But, it’s a good idea to follow a few safety precautions like:

Meeting the person in a public place. The first time you meet your employer, or manager, or other colleagues, it’s a good idea to do so in a very public place. The job may be at a public place anyway, like at a bar, restaurant, or construction site. Avoid meeting in places like quiet parking lots or parks. Basically, meet in a public place with lots of people around.

Another tip is to let people know that you are going to meet someone from CL about a job. Tell them where you are going, what time you plan to leave, and who you are meeting with.

Closing Thoughts

While there are many websites like Craigslist, CL is still one of the best places to find local gigs. You can find a variety of Craigslist gigs, like yard work, errand running, bartending, writing, tutoring, and data entry work.

So, if you want to find ways to make extra money, give Craigslist gigs a try.

50+ Craigslist Gigs Near Me (That Pay Well!) - MoneyPantry (2024)

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