Searching for Jobs

The Internet has opened up a whole new venue for freelance writers. Craigslist.org alone has made searching for gigs a snap, and there continue to be more and more telecommuting jobs for websites that are shooting up like dandelions.

That said, I am still aware every time I find a great position there are thousands of other people who are hipper and more experienced looking at it too. But if it's an interesting opportunity, it's hard not to get excited. Sometimes I'm right and it really is a good job, but sometimes I'm oh-so-wrong. I'm still trying to figure out how to be the former more often.

The other day, for example, I was looking at one of my favorite websites for job listings, and I happened by a firm's posting. They said they needed academic papers written for their clients (super), and they'd pay minimum $450 per article (way super). The application process was very simple - too simple. And the instructions they sent back were detailed - too detailed. They even wanted a bunch of documentation before I started: a scanned bank statement, passport, and college transcript. But their website did seem legitimate, and they were willing to pay more than other places...

This is the part of the story that makes me glad to be wary about the Internet. I still get things sent to me on paper because it seems weird to do all of this, especially business transactions, without having anything tangible. Anyway, I did some research on this big firm. Guess what?! I ran into writers' forum after writers' forum where this company was the sole topic of conversation. They have a reputation for trying to scam their freelancers by docking their pay or not paying them at all.

If you are a freelance writer reading this (or anyone who does business of the Internet) please do your research before you hand stuff over. And remember: better, more satisfying gigs will eventually appear to make you miss that $450 less. I hope.

Cheers.