Using Craigslist to Find and Apply for Jobs

Recently Guy Kawasaki (Author, Former Apple Exec., Columnist, Entreprenuer and blogger) blogged about his experience posting an ad as an employer to find a creative person to work on one of his web projects. Based on the applicants that responded to his ads, he had some insight from the employer's perspective on how applicants make themselves more competitive.



His first observation was that the speed of applicant response is important. The early bird does often get the worm. His first response to the position he posted came only 31 minutes later and he received another 15 responses within a day. His advice: don't delay in responding to a position posting as the job may fill quickly. Don't take a break from checking for daily job postings!



The second thing he noticed was that some folks did not send a cover letter with their resume. Employers view this as lazy, so job seekers should always write a cover letter that addresses each specific job they want to be considered for. Resumes that did not include a cover letter were not considered.

In order to challenge applicants Guy Kawasaki gave them a task to see who would rise to the occasion. 84% of candidates responded quickly to a prompt that asked them to find visual representations for 5 different story ideas. Kawasaki's advice: If an employer wants more information or confirmation of your abilities to perform the advertised position- rise to the challenge!

Ultimately the person that they hired for the web site project, did their research and sent photos that were perfectly sized and matched to the site and taste of Guy Kawasaki. Do your homework- chances are you can find enough information to send a message that communicates, " I have done my homework and I care enough to figure out what kind of candidate you are looking for and product you want; AND I can deliver!"

The bottom line: Don't be lazy- include a cover letter that addresses your qualifications to do THAT job; find out about the company if possible, AND if they ask for more samples of your work or give you a specific task to test your abilities: RISE TO THE CHALLENGE!