(No, I am not looking for a new one – but I’ll admit I’m tempted to give some of these a shot and report back on them! Haha…)
Last night I was in bed trying to get some reading in, but as usual my A.D.D. kicked up a notch and sent me over to my crazy iPhone (because I was an idiot and kept it under my pillow, when I know very well what happens when I do that! I swear, I don’t sleep with my phone ;)) Anyways, I didn’t want to do any work or answer emails or anything like that – we’re trying to have 1 hour of “unwinding” time before going to sleep now – so instead I went to the one site that always gives me some good entertainment: Craigslist.
Now usually I start out in the Best-of-Craigslist section just cuz it’s always so freakin’ hilarious, but this time I headed to the “et cetera jobs” section instead, is that weird? :) For some reason I just like seeing what the rest of the world is getting into these days – not that this particularly encompasses “average” America, of course, but still. Some of these jobs are just loony tunes! Though I’ll admit I’m kinda intrigued by the idea of some of them ;) If I had extra time on my hands, and didn’t have to worry about money much, I’d consider one or two of them. Would be fun!
Craigslist jobs that caught my attention:
- Fun in the sun with pets!!! — Every other gig was for dog walking :) Guess it’s in demand. Either that, or no one ever wants to do it so they have to keep searching! Haha… chances of me ever trying it out: 25%. I’m not good at taking care of animals. Or picking up poop with my hand, for that matter.
- OUTGOING FEMALES WANTED — Haha… Ummmm, no. Even if I WAS a chick. My favorite part: you have to be “height and weight proportional” to apply, haha…
- $75 for Your Experiences with Hepatitis C – This one is actually kosher if you have Hep C and want to help w/ research and what not. But only Craigslist will you find this! :)
- Ex-Inmates of the Prince George County Jail Wanted – Again, an easy way to make some fast money if you’ve experienced this.
- Parking Lot Attendant – Oh yeah, I’d be down for doing this one actually. Especially if it entailed me jumping into fancy cars ;)
- HELP Us Become Parents – Seeking Egg Donor $8,500 – Now, initially I wouldn’t think twice about doing this, BUT if it was indeed true and not a scam of some sort (And if I had eggs! haha…) I’d def. consider doing this. The money is great, but the idea that you could hep someone bring a life into this world? Cuz they can’t for whatever reason? That’s just incredible. Not an over-the-night decision, but after lots of research and talking it over I’d be up for it.
- Very Part Time-Easy: Check my mail for me – Now this I would TOTALLY do – even now! At least if I happened to live in his area. It would prove pretty wasteful checking someone’s mail every day and then calling them up to explain what’s in it if you lived pretty far away ;) You’d waste the $60 in gas alone! But seriously though – easy, right?
I could go on and on and on, but you get the point. There are a TON of avenues out there for anyone trying to make some extra cash on the side. You could even take on a new project or two every day, and then write a book about it! “The Craigslist Career!” haha… A new day, a new job or two? If you don’t come across the Craigslist Killer, you can make a good living out of it ;) And I’ll only take 10% of your royalties for giving you the idea. You’re welcome.
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PS: Seriously though, be careful of weirdos and scammers on there.
(Photo by Chika)
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I love craigslist. When I was acting/modeling I found lots of legit gigs through them, and for all my night time waitressing/hostessing/cocktailing jobs used them too. Went back to craigslist for my legit day jobs and got great ones there too! I think all jobs (outside of acting/modeling) that I’ve gotten in the past say…7 years maybe have been via craigslist! I’m so pro craigslist and people look at me wierd when I talk it up. I sell my unwanted crap through it, found my housekeeper on it, and now I advertise my service and get clients through craigslist……though I’ll admit, they’re my more kooky clients.
There’s a lot of wacko stuff on that site, it’s true. But IMO overall it kicks so much ass.
I wish there was more going on with CraigsList in Canada and even just smaller cities in general
I’ve had a lot of good experience with Craigslist for buying and selling things, but not for job searching even for part time work. I’ve found networking, talking to friends and getting to know your neighbors to be much more effective at finding work. Plus it’s more likely to be with someone you like, close to home, and paid under the table ;) Works well for pet sitting or walking, baby sitting, yard work and other irregular part-time stuff.
Thank you so much for this!
I never looked this section of Craigslists, and being currently unemployed, I found a couple of interesting things such as studies (record speech samples in order to improve speech recognition systems in vehicle? Fun!)
The coolest I found is Chateau guardian in the south of France (saw in Montreal Craigslist) :-) How cool would that be?
I’ve seen a couple decent things on Craigslist, but I find a lot of it is just crap, and it’s hard to wade through it all!
One time, though, right before I graduated from journalism school and was crying on the phone to my mom about how no one wanted to hire me, I seriously considered applying for a job as the community manager for Purina Cat Chow’s online social networking and games site. Thankfully, I got my current job the next week. But man, Craigslist. You never do know!
2% royalties and i’ll get started on it right away. Haha
@Dani @ Ok, Dani – Very cool! Didn’t know you acted and modeled too – but doesn’t surprise me :) You’re a powerhouse over there!
@Brian – Yeah, I do too. Is it not as popular over there? Maybe you can rally to get one closer to you? :)
@No Debt MBA – Haha, totally. I think networking is #1 for sure, but when the well is dry you sneak on over to CL and see what you can scrounge up!
@Vickie Deslauriers – VERY!!!! If you do any of them will you come back and let us know? I’d love to see how it went, and what you thought of the experience :) You should totally go for it… I wanna hear you in my car! Haha…
@Melissa – Hahahaha what’s wrong w/ Purina Cat Chow? That would make for an interesting job for sure ;) But you’re right – you do have to sort through the crap and spam on it. But really it’s kindalike thriftstores – lots of hidden gems but you just have to put in the time. Glad you found a more suited job in the end!
@Kyle – Done and done!
Ha! Thanks for that! I’ve always been amused by the offers available on Craigslist.
Many of those egg donation gigs are actually legit, they are in high demand. The thing is that, unlike men who can go in and make a relatively easy sperm “donation,” women must pump themselves up with hormone injections for up to a month before their eggs can be surgically harvested. It is a pretty intense deal. Even beyond my own ethical questions, I’m not sure that I’d be willing to mess with my body like that for cash.
I would definitely do some house sitting or dog watching for extra money! Get my puppy fix or feel like I’m staying in a hotel seems like a good deal to me.
@Daraius – It’s pretty entertaining ;)
@GJ – Oh man, I can’t even imagine! I’m sure it’s a lengthy process and a lot of preparing from start to finish… guess you REALLY need to make sure you’re up for it ;)
@Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager – Would be fun at least once to give it a shot :)
mail checker?? Holy cow… and $60 a week seems like a lot for that! I’d be all over that.
I like the variety of jobs you selected to re-post…little something everyone, huh? haha
Anyway, less than a month until BlogHer! Looking forward to meeting you at the dinner party!
Meredith @ RetailMeNot.com
Craigslist is awsome! I used to use it in college to find odd jobs here and there. But the jobs you listed on this post are hilarious!
Nice article! Craigs list is the best place to unwind :) and get a few laughs. In the past i got a job for a parking lot attendant. It was awesome! After the lot was competely full they gave me free broncos tickets!! it was a very good day :)
I love craigslist… been using it for over 10 years now out here in the Bay. But yes, lots of scams on that site. I just ran across a job in etc… where a guy was asking to pay people to pretend to be his family! I was like, what the heck is that about!? LOL.
Good tip! I’m going to go cruise through now. Usually I browse just the category that most applies to my “field”, and it’s usually miscategorized stuff. Dipping into the miscellaneous grab bag may turn up something just right.
Brian (and others): If you’re in Canada, check Kijiji. (kijiji.ca) It’s eBay’s answer to Craigslist, and is the more popular of the two in most Canadian cities. As the username/web site suggests, I prowl the site for the worst/funniest of it. Don’t let that scare you off from checking it out for work, though. Just keep your scam radar up and you’ll be fine.
I love the etc section. I always browse them in hopes of finding focus groups. You just have to know how to look out for the ones that are scams. I’ll be in a focus group next week that pays $125 and we get free lunch!
http://www.sophisticatedspender.com
@Ashley @ Money Talks – I know! I really want to do it! :)
@Meredith – Haha, yup – had to choose the more entertaining ones of course ;) Can’t wait to meet you too! It’s gonna be a great GREAT time.
@Zero Passive Income – Oh yeah, REAL good for college students – esp during the summer. Sometimes they have gigs where you can play extras in movies too – those were always the favorites (though I never got to try it unfortunately, have always wanted to :))
@Kody – Oh nice!!! Way to take advantage of the perks!
@bleu – Ahahaha… that is awesome. And you’re in the hub of the best Craigslist there is!! haha…
@You Suck At Kijiji – I never got into that Kijiji site but I can see the appeal of it – esp in how you use it ;)
@CrystalH – NICE!!! And oddly enought I JUST got off the phone on a research survey thingie!! $150 for 1 hour of my time, best deal ever ;) Will be blogging about it soon… though it didn’t come from Craigslist.
The “Gigs” section is another great place to look. I created PowerPoint presentations for a high school history teacher for $60 a chapter. Made $300 in one month. I also laid a patio one summer when I first moved out here and didn’t have a job.
oh nice! never even seen that section?? def. on my radar now, thx brotha!