How opportunities appear or keep your ideas to yourself

September 13, 2011 Ideas
Dear Readers,
I had two thoughts recently. I was away this weekend making an appearance at a little show in East Village of which I was part of. It was very nice and I had great fun. I then thought of how opportunities suddenly appear as you start to follow a road that suits you or something like that, one, and two, things come to fruition right after you stop wanting them so badly. I never truly understood the pluses of things happening in this particular way, but that’s just what I’ve experienced.

The first one – opportunities suddenly appear – usually happens right after you make a decision and start to act on it. The rush is especially noticeable if your plan of action agrees with what you would ideally like to do. Remember I decided that I was going to start my own painting classes? As soon I made the decision, I was engulfed in a whirlwind of new information and resources: almost every person I met was interested in taking an art class, (A bit weird. “Wow, you too?”) I received a call about participating in an art auction and the owner of the place where the event is held  told me that if I ever needed space for anything I knew where to find him, a friend of a friend also became interested in becoming part of the project, I suddenly found out about arts organizations and social paint-outs that I never knew existed and so on. New things popped out of seemingly nowhere! Resources appeared, of which I had no idea before when I sat still. I was so surprised and decided that such an overwhelming response is a sign of moving in the right direction. Do you ever get the feeling that you’re knocking on the wrong doors? That’s because maybe you are. Well, this was the exact opposite of that. And what’s more I don’t remember anything similar happening in my recent endeavors.

The second part of my thoughts today is about things that you wanted most appearing  after you thinking about them! Where was this great job at my dream place (for example) when I practically begged for it to work out?  And after some time, when it has been forgotten and all hope suspended, it effortlessly appears (in a roundabout way). If someone has figured out the mechanics of how and why this concept actually works, please explain. I have yet to come up with a reasonable explanation.

I was going to provide my personal and concrete example of the above, but then I saw this video on TED - Ideas Worth Spreading.

So from now on my mouth is zip. Particularly about new motions that have not fully come through yet. Usually I tend to sway between extremes of: blabbing to everyone I know about my new ideas and not much happens as a result because everything was already blabbed out. Or not telling anyone about what I am doing and once again nothing happening because if you want to do something you need to tell at least someone. So if anyone has any input on this as well, your philosophies and reasons would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Ekaterina V.

How to keep your desk clean or thoughts on greater productivity

September 3, 2011 Lifestyle
We had no power for almost a week because of hurricane Irene – who left us quite happy and ready to prepare even better for next time. We treated the week as a mini-vacation: cooking outside over an open fire became a ritual. And the rush to get things done before dark (which didn’t involve checking your email every five minutes) was just enjoyable. Before dark because we only had a candle and a match. And a flashlight which didn’t quite shine one hundred percent. Going to bed was sort of a ritual too, my arm was quite tired from holding the candle at arms length – the only way to see at least something. And I did forget all about insomnia for those few days. As soon as electricity was back on, electricity inside me was back on too and insomnia was back.  I almost forgot to mention a certain sense of “togetherness” that suddenly appeared when the lights went off. We were together at every meal, we talked more, we laughed more. We even saw our neighbor more. Closer to the end we took trips to wi-fi Starbucks to check on the world. But there was something more. All of a sudden it was as if there was more space for me to exist in, as if I was closer to nature. Without being banal, we were closer to nature – we cooked over open fire and went to sleep with the dark!
So I quite enjoyed the sojourn, but don’t get me wrong, I do like it when the fridge works. And everything else that comes with electricity. What I don’t like is sometimes the space it takes away, in the form of incessant browsing online, for example. A space that could be filled by trees or your friendly neighbor.

But, with all of the above what I was leading to was a clean desk (room, house) and how it connects to productivity (work, quality). Let me explain.

Irene was coming and with serious intentions. Those serious intentions could blow my roof off. (Mandatory evacuation was set for parts of my tiny town after all.) So I took the precaution to move all my stuff downstairs. I know, but you know the cliche “I don’t have anything to wear”? I imagined for a second what it would be like when I really didn’t have anything to wear.

After Irene I spent days cleaning and rearranging things back in place, the bookcase case alone could equate to an ancient riddle. How did all those books fit in before? After having to be able to quickly navigate among my possessions, it struck me in a different way how important it is to keep things in their place.

A clean space inspires, its friendly, its inviting. And a mess, a clutter and (oh gosh) dirt get in the way. I found that out the hard way. My living spaces consisted of such big messes at times that the only floor showing was a path to the door (!).  And then somehow gradually, by themselves, I began to have these fits of obsessive cleaning only after which I could set down to work. These maniac cleaning spells, as I called them,  increased in frequency and decreased in intensity until they resulted in a continuous steady “clean”. Because during those fits not only did I get a bigger taste of what its like to be in a spotlessly clean room, but more importantly I got used to that feeling. And after a while I could no longer make do without it. I think this whole thing might come with age or something, I don’t know.

I read a book once by an illustrator on time management, she provided an example of how differently people (artists, painters, illustrators, designers) work in an organized vs. cluttered space. Even more basically, more time is spent on actually working and less time on looking for things. The myth of “creative people thrive in chaos” is debunked by the fact that the only reason those people think that they thrive in chaos is because they don’t know how much better they would thrive in a clean, organized space.

But most importantly for me – a mess gets in the way! It gets in the way of work, of painting, of anything. It takes up space not only physically, but also mentally. My own, personal space.

And the clean desk? Of course. Just the other day I found this article in a great blog. But my criterion of clean is the bathroom, the shrine.

Today’s post is dedicated to my mom to whom a clean space is another source of happiness and who, when taken to a bookstore, inadvertently picks up a big fat book called “Baking Soda in the Household”. Amen.

Proofreading and Writing Jobs

August 24, 2011 Job Search

Around the same time that I looked for tutoring and online freelance jobs, I thought about proofreading. There were a lot of jobs available to proofread or edit texts, but I was unsure about the ratio of “how much work it would take for this much money earned”; I just didn’t know anything about those types of jobs.

With that said I browsed around for online writing gigs. Originally I thought that editing and proofreading is just correcting formatting, spelling and styling mistakes. And then I came across the term “copy-editor” and didn’t know exactly what that was about. So I looked it up of course and found this great article – describing the difference between copy-editing and proofreading. Proofreading could be a sideline job for some extra income, while copy-editing is a career.

Some resources I stumbled across are the well known editavenue.com. There is a $35 dollar registration fee and earnings are per page determined by the amount of time it takes to complete the job minus 50 % commission fee.

Another website I found is editfast.com. It looked a bit inactive so I researched it on google and found out from a forum that it is not legitimate and people have not had any luck securing work there.

And odesk.com is another one that I personally ruled out, but depending on your qualifications it may work for you very well.

Here is a resource with listings providing information on said topics.

And lastly, a bit off topic, there is helium.com – a popular website to write and get paid for your articles. While it is not a setup where you could earn more or less stable income from your writing because I think it is based on popularity of your specific articles. But it could be a good resource to better your writing skills, get feedback and dive into a community. So mainly helium is for purposes of exposure.

As for me, I chose not to pursue any of these ideas because I was unsure of the work to pay ratio for the jobs and I didn’t really want to even get started in the area. In the end I chose other paths.

writing jobs

What freelance writing and proofreading resources do you know of and frequent?

What to do when you are stuck – change your approach

August 15, 2011 Ideas

I am a firm believer in “try and try again”, for me it usually means doing the same thing over and over again until some results appear. Then I realized something.

In between working temporary not-so-satisfactory jobs that the internet sometimes spit up (and I managed to get a hold of) I relied on craigslist heavily for my job search. I would send out emails/resumes to any possible job, sometimes more then ten per day and feel so good about myself! “I did so much work something is bound to happen!” And when nothing did I was perplexed. I then stumbled on an article online  and found out that “sending twenty resumes a day on craigslist may feel good, but it doesn’t work!”

So I changed my approach. First I began to look more selectively. Around the same time I was also fed up with dead end jobs, enough is enough. I decided to have a goal and look harder for something specific instead of looking for things just to get by. The “its better then nothing” mentality has led me to much disappointment time and time again. What I realized is this: if there is a certain way you do things and you are not getting the results you want, change the way you do things. Its silly to expect different results while doing the same thing over and over again.

Second, I started to think what do I really want? And only go for that. It does wonders to the motivation and self esteem factor. Of course all of us want an interesting stimulating job environment, great coworkers, amiable atmosphere and great pay. But that doesn’t mean anything. That’s just a long way of saying – I want a good job. You have to be more specific. What kind of field, what kind of daily tasks, is it an office job, or freelance or from home? Is it your own business? Maybe you’re just banging on the wrong doors, like I was. I was actually quite shocked to find out that my previous tactics weren’t working.

I then took my change of approach technique a step further. I stopped spending most of my time searching for a job. And concentrated on something else. I sometimes think its useful to take a step back and let time do its share after working especially hard on something. Give your task its breathing room and then continue on. I had plenty of other things to concentrate on. Like painting, for instance. Just last night I was thinking how I could not imagine life without a painting hanging over me. You come home from work, errands or a day off, and then what? No painting to finish, no piled up painting ideas to start working on, no reason for a reminder about an unfinished canvas that has been sitting there untouched for a week. How do people live without all that? Anyway, I’ll think about that in my painting blog.

So I would concentrate on other things, while still on the lookout for opportunities, and only spend a couple of hours each day actually searching for a job online. Right around that time I found a great article: Need to Find a Job? Stop Looking So Hard! It received some mixed opinions in the comments, but I personally think its fantastic. Even though it may not be doable for everyone its the idea that matters. At my optimist best I always think, I don’t actually know what is going to happen. I may find that job today or tomorrow, or next week. No sense worrying about not having one today.

In no way do I mean to say – just sit there and things will happen. Action is mandatory, any kind of action, whether its searching for a job online, talking to friends (who might suggest something new) or a jog in the park (and you get a great idea while you pass that big tree for the hundredth time this year). I also think that steps in the wrong direction are in the end steps in the right direction because any sort of steps create a direction to work on.

I found that article at the perfect time, it reflected exactly what I was going towards. And after my three-steps-to-a-change-of-approach I felt much better. Looking for a job became less overwhelming and more hopeful. I knew what I wanted, I wasn’t about to settle for something “just to get by” and I had other things to keep me occupied and from worrying about never finding a good job ever again.

Happy discoveries!

Start a New Business

August 9, 2011 Ideas / Job Search
Speaking of opportunities, losing your job or not being able to find one is a great excuse to start your own business! That’s it exactly; times of crisis are the best times to start something new.
I read an article a while ago, when everyone was still in a bit of a shock from the economic situation, about people who were unexpectedly laid off, but then jumped right up and started something different. Either a continuation of their previous endeavors or something in a completely different direction, something they secretly always wanted to do, but couldn’t. Two ladies bought an ice cream truck and started their own mobile cupcake (something like that. I don’t remember for sure) company, an architect who was laid off started his own firm by finding clients on the street. Its quite hard, maybe impossible to quit something stable and familiar just to leap into the unknown. How many people have never started something they wanted to do simply because there was no room for it? And they could not leave what they had, just for that one chance?  But when you have no job, there are certain advantages. One, there is nothing more to hold on to, the old job, the security, is all gone. That is especially freeing because if you don’t have anything to rely on, then you don’t have anything to lose. A certain courage suddenly appears. Two, since time is ticking and you must act fast, ideas come in like at no other time. And with ideas comes determination. So losing a job or not being able to find one translates into courage, ideas and determination – a perfect starting point in my book.

So that’s not exactly what I did, but close. Well wait, actually its exactly what I did. I have been looking for jobs throughout time, since I’ve finished school. And I kept landing, how do I put this nicely, slightly unbearable ones. And I thought, such is life. I’ll get through this and then get home and paint. Well as I found out, working a full day and then coming home to make paintings is a different story all together. But that’s beside the point. I’d go to work promising myself to think of something, look for another job, or do something just so there is a change. Full of hope and ideas in the morning, at night my exhausted brain could only think of TV. And then the jobs became fewer and further apart especially as I promised myself to find better jobs, I couldn’t find anything at all. So I did it.

I finally did what has always been a little dream of mine. I started my own painting classes. Right out of my little house on the hill. People have been telling me for years that it would be a perfect solution to right now. I moaned and groaned and said I couldn’t. And its too scary, why would I do what I actually like if I can get by with something else? The final straws came when a friend of mine demanded an art class for her relatives and friends and I enjoyed it beyond belief, I found a potential teaching job in the future, but couldn’t wait to get started, a school friend started her own business with a friend because, just like me, she couldn’t find anything better to do (I hope you don’t mind that I mention you here, friend), and finally the friend that asked for the art class at the end of it said, you have to do this. Oh wait, I think the starting point was a lecture I gave a while ago and enjoyed immensely.

So if you are in the jersey shore area and would like to take my class – painting and drawing – or find out more, let me know. I’ve noticed everyone loves to draw nowadays. Its the thing to do.

And I am off to think of more publicity strategies for my newly started endeavor besides distributing fliers and telling everyone I know.

To Learn a New Skill

August 5, 2011 Lifestyle
Besides being discouraged by the job search, it can also become incredibly interesting. Have you ever been excited by all the potential choices? I want to this and this, and oh this could be so good!.. And so on. Embarrassingly, I almost joined haircutting school once (!) while going through one of those “I can do anything” highs. Thankfully my intuition kicked in and I was able to say no to the haircuts.
I have a great time squeezing in learning a new skill while I am in the middle of different outcomes. I have always wanted to learn photoshop to a greater extent and when I saw freelance jobs involving photoshop, I decided to go for it and learn the heck out of the thing. I now have three volumes of adobe how-to’s sitting on my desk, purchased through amazon, used (but looking like new, something I didn’t think about before). And yesterday I was plowing through my free online Photoshop class! How did I find that free online class? Through my local library website, I was amazed. They offer free online classes for everything under the sun. So its a great idea to visit a local library online and in person. Mine offers job search help, free classes, workshops and other useful things.

Back to the skill idea. It may have to do with the fact that I love reading and new things – when I got a kindle for my birthday its like a new life began – i.e. I love learning something new. So much so that sometimes I get overenthusiastic about something I don’t really need/want. Like that haircutting ordeal or I had to hold myself back from signing up to five more classes online, for example. While its absolutely great to get excited about anything, I am now always careful to see that its truly something I would like to try before jumping in.

What new skill have you learned or wanted to learn while exploring your options?

Tutoring online and in person

August 2, 2011 Job Search
A good friend once asked me for help with a college world history course, she was a biology major and didn’t care for history. I enthusiastically agreed and we had a blast all the way from from the enlightenment and the great thinkers to the “post post-modern era”.
What a great idea I thought! (number three hundred forty five) I immediately did an internet search and found many websites offering tutoring jobs – online and in person. There is a lot out there! Not all of it especially productive, but nevertheless.There are two types of tutoring jobs. One, you find a client online either through a tutor advertising website, such as Wyzant, or just through listings online. And tutor in person.The second type is long distance tutoring, using chat, skype and through websites that provide such services. Usually you have to take lengthy tests to prove that you are a competent tutor. The tests looked a lot like the sat’s. (The standardized test to get into college).

Working as a tutor on Wyzant – in person tutoring

One service that I stuck with is Wyzant. There are job listings posted by actual seekers listed by location or by subject. When something interesting appears you can email that particular person. And individuals seeking tutors can email you. There are tutor profiles with photos and experience and a list of subjects. You can list as many subjects as you wish and then take short – only 11 questions –  and easy quizzes to be “certified by Wyzant” in that particular subject. If there is no quiz provided for your favorite subject you can manually email Wyzant with your credentials and receive approval. That’s how my Russian was approved and I’ll email them again to approve painting and drawing. You can find a tutor for whatever you wish. I saw everything from Japanese, to general computer help, to violin!

I think success on such a resource depends on two things. One, the specific subjects you can tutor. Math, sciences and SAT prep are needed a lot more then English help or essay writing. And two, your physical location. I get a lot of requests from too far away that I simply cannot accommodate. But then again, everything is far away for me. I live next to the ocean on top of a high hill. And even then I hide in the trees. But really, I think location plays a big role.

 

Tutor.com – tutor online

I found a good resource that provides a tutoring job right out of your home. Tutor.com. I think its a great idea, the tutoring is done through text chat. You sign on for a few hours each night and help the person on the other end with homework and other questions. There are different subject areas and there are also peak times when tutors are needed most. I filled out the application and passed the test. I am currently waitlisted for English and Essay Writing. The subjects in which tutors are needed now are math – calculus and statistics, and science – chemistry and physics. I like their system; it is accessible and convenient to do in your spare time. The application process includes a test for the subject or subjects you would like to teach, a trial session, a background check and a final exam. Apply to tutor.com


To review: tutoring resources online

Wyzant - a job board system that allows tutors to find clients and clients to find tutors. Wyzant takes a commission percentage depending on the current amount of hours worked. Those starting out (like me!) keep sixty percent and those who have worked two hundred hours or more keep eighty percent. Wyzant recently updated their website with lots of new features including advertising features which I am going to take advantage of.

Tutor.com – an online tutoring system where help is provided virtually. Can be done at a convenient time and place.

American Tutoring – one on one in home tutoring service

Aim4 A Tutoring – provides one on one tutoring through one of their centers and online tutoring

Advanced Learners - I don’t really know, probably a combination of online and in person tutors.

Get Tutoring Jobs a general listings website linking to all the tutoring jobs across the nation,  but I didn’t find it useful at all!

And this is a blog that I stumbled across in the very beginning while looking for jobs online. There is a post about finding tutoring work, but it is concentrated on strictly online tutoring services.

I am currently part of Wyzant and Tutor.com. I have not tried any others. Spreading your activities by word of mouth also works well! There is always somebody, somewhere… I hope my personal findings will lead you to great things!

Looking for a job using Twitter

July 27, 2011 Job Search
Now that I mentioned twitter the other day…
As I was sitting late at night, I realized that twitter (one of my favorites, yes) is yet another way to find available jobs! Why did I think of this only now?I immediately went to twitter and searched for freelance jobs, freelance jobs online, I think, and more specifically photoshop freelance. And all the other areas I was looking into, such as tutoring jobs, in person and online, writing gigs and I happily found out that you can also search by available jobs in you area via twitter. That’s how I found the little town right next to my tiny town. And then found my tiny town. Then of course, I found job listings for the next door bigger town and job listings for the whole of NJ – @ZuluJobsNJ.
For the tutoring soul in me I found @TutorNationJobs  and @GetTutorJobs.For the Bachelor of Fine Arts within that is striving to find a creative job I signed up to follow @workPhotoshop and @wFreelance.I am sure there are also tweets to follow for job and career search websites like Monster and Career Builder, but I already check those so why duplicate.And another thing, sometimes I use hash tags when posting yet another witty tweet describing my job search adventures. I think hash tags are something like blog post tags. It puts your tweet together with all the other people who used the same tag. To a tweet you can add #needajob and a myriad of others like #jobs , #employment , #jobsearch or something even more specific.

I did not jump into twitter right away, but I’ve been a fan of since I started. For the concept, the design, everything. To say something well within 140 characters is a brilliant idea. And for the purpose of finding things out twitter is  just so useful. Silly you may say, but that’s how I find most of the art shows and exhibitions that I otherwise would miss.

A How I am Looking for a Job twitter is coming soon and meanwhile you can take a peak at my personal one @paintamammoth!

An Odesk Review

July 25, 2011 Job Search
I was wandering around job hiring websites and got really excited because I found a new resource. And that resource is odesk – the freelance hiring website for any possible task you can complete using your computer; editing, proofreading, technical, creative writing, anything at all.“This is exactly what I’ve been thinking about! Freelance online! Perfect,” I thought. Little did I know… Of course I didn’t think of reading anything else about odesk, what other people think, for example. There weren’t that many reviews of it anyway, as I later found out.But I digress, I promptly signed up and took many many tests. They are called “skills tests” and the ones you’ve taken show up on your profile to show the world that you are skilled in that particular area. I think I took writing, grammar, spelling, even Russian – which I found mistakes in! And some more.Now for my first job, I thought, to build up reputation or something like that. I applied to some, read some odesk forums, found out its not that easy to get your first because maybe your profile is blank and there are not yet any reviews by employers.  After you complete a job on odesk, your employer leaves you feedback with a star rating which you can choose to display on your profile and you also provide a review to the employer.

I applied to a few jobs some hourly, some fixed rate. For hourly jobs the employee gets paid per hour through the odesk website. All the work is done through a special odesk program installed on your computer – there hours get logged in and a picture of your screen is taken once in a while to make sure you are actually working on the task. (Sounds creepy, I know. But you can delete irrelevant images before submitting them for the day.) The employer gets billed for the hours that you’re logged into that program. Fixed rate jobs don’t require the use of the program and you get paid for the completed task. Payment is not guaranteed though, as it is through the odesk program.

Once again I turned to the forums and found out that its easier to get fixed rate jobs at first. So then I got one! A good and creative one. The task was to write interesting tweets for forty short stories (a page or so long) for a new project taking off. The application email asked the potential candidates to read two stories and write three tweets for each, to show that you can do the job (well). Finally my moment of glory! My great love for the twitter has finally found some use. I got the job within the hour and was told that my tweets were by far the best. Quite exceptional and I was quite a fit for the job. I was ecstatic, of course.

I forgot to mention that the job offered to pay forty dollars for the whole project. Forty dollars, I thought, for such a specific creative job is a bit low. But it is my first one and since it is only forty dollars the whole thing will probably take four hours to complete. Maybe six, maybe eight at most since this is online and etc. Will do!

Let me spare you the details and just tell you that I spent the whole of next week completing the thing. Four to six hours a day (maybe more) I was composing tweets while my absolutely frazzled and overworked brain was crying out in horror. Of course my tweets were terrific and well written. Half way through I sent my so far completed work and in an email response was nicely told that some of them should be redone to their liking. Furious, I chugged on.

I finished the task and got paid, and my experience stems mostly from the fact that I had no idea of the work to pay ratio because my job was one time pay, not per hour. I would say, look carefully to estimate the amount of work involved and calculate whether its worth the amount paid. (And factor in that its not a “live” job, but online.) And if you find a per hour job that’s worth the pay and efforts, go for it!

After my experience I looked up what other people thought of odesk. They were mostly reviews of employers outsourcing their work: a business professional writes about her experience hiring though odesk.
And it slowly hit me that a lot of odesk jobs are not for residents of the US. Which such low pay rates, some go as low as fifty cents per hour, odesk, unlike other freelance websites is only doable for those where the economy allows them to comfortably live on a dollar a day income. There are also quite rigorous discussions about pay on the odesk forums.

I came across another review where a professional was successful with finding legitimate work on odesk, but as he states, high paying jobs are available on odesk only to the exceptionally skilled in a certain area and still you get paid a fraction of what you would in real life. Read Michael Musgrove’s review of odesk.

Job Search on Craigslist

July 18, 2011 Job Search

When I think about searching for a job online Craigslist comes to mind, of course. Its a simple “starting point” and feels very direct. That’s how I found all my jobs in college. I even used to say, “Whaat? How come you don’t like Craiglist?? How else do you find a job!?”

I’ve since changed my mind.

Craigslist could (and is by me) also used as a last resort. Because there are some factors against the fellow job seeker:

Anonymity – usually no information on what the company is about, who to contact, exact location, no way to follow up and often quite vague job descriptions are involved. The only communication is  the “one way” scrambled email address.

Competition – I imagine its especially hard to get noticed with only a resume and a cover letter (versus in person) among tens even hundreds of applicants per hour to that same advertised job.

“people applying like crazy” – sometime amidst another craiglist job applying marathon I realized that a lot of the emails I send don’t even get opened. Employers simply don’t get to them. And of those that do, the resume never gets read. So,  I concentrated my efforts on interesting, even inventive, to the point, cover letters; the main job of which is to get the employer to look at the resume. Now, if and by the time your resume is viewed, half the competition is already behind.

And of course, scams – when the job post is obviously not legitimate. Sometimes you realize its a scam only after they reply to your email. I’ve applied to a standard sounding office assistant/receptionist job and got a reply of “I am a busy businessman in need of a personal assistant. I am currently visiting a relative in Turkmenikargastan, but you can start work right away if you send me this, this and this…” You know, one of those. They usually mention a wire transfer or two. I’ve caught those mostly in assistant themed and nanny needed ads.

Looking for a job on Craigslist is like fishing in a dark ocean of a-no-clue-what-I-am-really-getting jobs.

But it is possible to get a job on craigslist. Maybe even a good one. Some tips for the craigslist efficient job search:

Apply right away – apply as soon as you see something that interests you. And check for new ads in your chosen category as often as possible. This is online. Many people apply. Jobs go fast.
I once saw an “apply in person” ad for something I was interested in. The job was posted at 2:19 pm. Before three o’clock I showed up at their door and there was already someone there, being interviewed for the same position. (I figured they just lived closer or had superpowers.)

Write a very good cover letter – listing your qualifications, answering to their skill requests etc. I also like to make mine alive, like they received communication from a live person and not “hello my name is.., I do this, this and this. My resume is attached”. I try to make it friendly and more human, to hopefully strike a chord and get noticed. The cover letter is the link to the resume. It serves as the resume opener.

Resume – tweak your resume to the specific job, edit objective, selected employment, add a few extra skills. the drill.

Overall make a quality response to the job ad.

With all of the above, it seems like a lot of work for something that might not even see the light of day: the response that you so carefully put together might never be opened and read. That and picky overwhelmed employers make craigslist sound like a lottery.

So overall,  I think craigslist is a great starting point, just to get things moving, acting in the direction of looking for what you want. Most importantly, some great ideas will inevitably pop up while you’re browsing through those online pages. Instead of not knowing where to start and delaying any action, it is possible you’ll think of what to do next while on craigslist.That is usually my scenario.

Here are two articles about applying for jobs on craigslist from the hiring manager perspective:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/101949754.html this one is great, I think
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/101949754.html and this one a bit more serious

And I am off to work on my Blah blah blah cover letters.

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