Craigslist.org is a well-known online classifieds website that began as an email distribution list in 1995. With headquarters in San Francisco, the small company manages to reach tens and millions of people around the world. 1 million new jobs are listed each month, including positions for hire with the company itself.

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The Good

Price range
Reach
Experience

Price Range

It is always free to look for a job on craigslist. It is usually free to post a job as well, but there are some exceptions:

Job postings in selected, highly-populated areas ($15-75)
Brokered apartment rentals in the New York City area ($10)
Therapeutic services in the U.S. ($10)
Tickets by-dealer in the U.S. ($5)
Cars/trucks by-dealer in the U.S. ($5)

Policies about pricing are subject to change at any time. The latest updates on fees can be accessed at Craigslist.org's site explaining fees.

Reach

The company receives more than 1 million new job listings each month. Presently, with all its categories (services, community, for sale, etc.), craigslist.org claims to have over 60 million people use the site per month - in the U.S. alone. Craigslist.org offers the ability to post a resume online, but many leading employment experts recommend against this practice due to privacy concerns. For this reason, as such as a job seeker, Craigslist.org is best used as an online classified resource rather than a tool for networking or self-promotion. For employers, the number of people who will see a particular ad will vary greatly due to the popularity of craigslist in the local area and particular market.

Experience

The company began in 1995 as an email list to advertise events in the bay area. As the number of subscribers and postings grew, the list soon became an avenue for employers to reach a large number of potential recruits. The website, complete with a jobs category and corresponding subcategories, was officially launched in 1996.

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The Bad

Resources and learning materials
Special features
Customer support

Resources and Learning Materials

Craigslist.org doesn't offer any services such as resume templates, salary calculators, etc. and is designed to be used as a community classified service. However, to help their community members avoid scams, they offer tips and techniques to avoid a potential scam.

Special Features

Craiglist is lacking by way of special features that might add to a job seeker or job poster's success. However, some users might prefer the simplicity that sets it apart. Craigslist.org is a simple text-based site and loads easily and a large part of this is that there are minimal programming bells and whistles at play. As with many other job search sites, one can browse listings by category, search for specific listings, or browse all listings by clicking the "jobs" link in the column above the categories. There is some ability available to filter jobs which are telecommute, contract, internship, part time, non-profit or if there is a picture or title in the listing by selecting the appropriate radio box(es) on the jobs or any of the category pages. One can create a free account, in which past listings can be managed. This can help streamline posting for multiple positions and does not take the place of the posting fees in the markets which require paying for job listings.

Customer Support

Craigslist users are often dissatisfied with the customer service at craigslist. And it makes sense that a company of 30 employees struggles to monitor questionable content being generated by millions of users around the world. However, the company does have a contact form that customers can submit with questions and concerns. These concerns are divided into topics such as posting security, personal harassment, paid postings, etc. Phone support can be accessed at 800-664-0633.

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The Bottom Line

Craigslist is notorious for scams, particularly in the employment categories, so the review team suggests exercising caution if applying to jobs through a craigslist page. The lack of learning materials and other additional resources or features also leaves much to be desired. Despite its extensive reach of potential employees and employers, the risks of relying on craigslist outweigh the benefits.

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