Craigslist offices in San FranciscoFor several years Craigslist.org has been the ultimate online classified ad service.  What started in 1995 as a simple service publishing local event notices in San Francisco has exploded into a worldwide advertising phenomenon.  Today Craigslist regularly ranks in the top 100 websites on the Internet and still operates as a non-commercial venture.  But does it make sense for your nonprofit to post ads seeking employees on Craigslist?

The answer is a resounding, YES!  With unlimited words, free images, free or inexpensive advertising and thousands of daily readers, why wouldn’t you try Craigslist?  But if you’re not a regular Craigslist user, you might have heard a few myths about advertising there.  So before you use Craigslist, let me destroy a few employment ad myths about advertising there.

1)  Craigslist is only available in a few major cities like New York and San Francisco.  For many years this was true, but today Craigslist is operating in 450 cities in over 50 countries.  In the United States, Craigslist provides classified advertising in all 50 states.  Just visit Craigslist.org and click on the area where you want to advertise.

2)  Craigslist job ads are only good if you are seeking entry level employees.  This myth is perpetuated by the simplicity of the Craigslist website.  But don’t be fooled in believing that an ultra basic, non-graphical website means professionals and executives don’t read their ads.  In fact, more and more executives are starting their job searches with local Craigslist advertising.

3)  Since Craigslist started charging a fee to place job ads, there really is no cost savings.  Well, this is a loaded myth in many ways.  To begin with, Craigslist does not charge for advertising in most locations (only some major cities) and even then the fee is minimal (usually $25).  Also, employment advertising isn’t about saving money, it’s about finding the right person without busting the bank.  Even the $75 fee charged in San Francisco is far better than the hundreds it would cost for a major newpaper ad.  Also, read about the “gigs” category later in this post.

4)  With all of the Get Rich Quick type ads in the job section, no one will really take our employment ad seriously.  One of the reasons Craigslist began charging for advertising in some areas was to minimize the scams and Get Rich Quick advertising.  But the ads still appear.  Nonetheless, Craigslist is still proving to be a great source of leads for employers.  Don’t let the ads scare you off; they haven’t scared off the qualified job seekers.

5)  Craigslist ads are listed in order of when they are first posted.  That means our ad will soon be lost and get no response.  Let me address this myth from personal experience.  About five months ago I placed a small employment ad on Craigslist in the Sacramento, California region looking for a bilingual clerical worker.  I received more than 130 replies with more than 25 of those coming a full month after the ad was posted.  Write a good ad and feel confident that job seekers will find it through Craigslist’s search feature.  There is even a search function for finding only nonprofit jobs.

6)  Job advertising is the only way to find employees on Craig’s list.  Not exactly.  Since most of us understand that networking is the best way to find great employees, we must not forget the Craigslist forums.  But don’t just post an ad in the forums, get involved in the dialogue.  The Craigslist forums are not regionally specific, but there is a location indicator next to the first post in a thread.

If you’re just looking for someone to work on a short term project or an intern, try advertising in the gigs category. This category is free for any one-time work project.  If you’re looking for a band to play at your fundraiser or a painter for your new offices, start looking on Craigslist.

So the next time you need to fill an important vacancy, start your search on Craigslist.  And when you find the right person to fill the job, be sure to thank Craig Newmark for starting this amazing venture more than a decade ago.

[PhotoCredit:acloudman]

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