Even though it brought me nothing but scam E-mails before, I’m desperate enough to give Craigslist one more chance. I thought about posting this, but decided to get some feedback first. For those of you who feel like it, please tell me if this looks OK, or if not, then what you would change. Thank you.
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Posting Title: Seeking entry level IT work
Specific location: For locations, read post
Posting Description:
I have hired people before, but never in the IT field. Honestly, I would say it comes across as desperate. I realize that you are feeling desperate, but it doesn’t come across well. If possible, I would revise to focus on your strengths. If it were me, I would cut every sentence about gas money for travel - that stuff takes up 50% of your ad, and a potential employer isn’t going to calculate your mileage in order to hire you. Tell me why you’re awesome and will make my life easier - you work flexible hours, you’re an excellent learner, you poop gold - as a hiring person I just want to know if you’ll get done what I need done quickly and efficiently. Hell, based on the last two people I hired, adding a line stating that you will not waste time talking about pants shopping with co-workers would delight me (assuming it were true).
Hi Nobody, I think you have some good material to work with but you need to change your focus a bit. Your ad does not do enough to play up the skills and talent you have to offer. I suggest you scrap everything that isn’t directly related to your skills, experience, and desired work. You need to sell yourself, and candidly, you’re not doing that very well in this job-wanted post.
Employers all care about one thing – what can you do for me? Because I (the employer) have things that need to get done, explain to me why you’re the guy/gal to do them.
In my opinion, your ad should be all about:
Good luck to you.
OK. Well, it’s almost 2:30am so I need to get some sleep soon, but tomorrow I’ll make a new post. The message that I’m trying to convey has three parts:
Oh, and aesop, I’m a guy. 
Nix this. It screams “I’m leaving your job as soon as a better job opportunity presents itself” - which is TRUE, of course, and totally ok to do … just don’t advertise it.
Exactly what aesop said. If I’m an employer, I don’t care about your life story, I’m only interested in what you can do for me. If I can’t tell what you know and how you can help me in the first sentence, I stop reading and move on.
This isn’t about the post, but about gaining the job skills…
Have you posted on Craigslist that you’ll do home PC repair. It will mostly be taking care of viruses, setting up new computers and getting people’s computers into workgroups. Geek Squad stuff?
Have you called the United Way? There are lots of small non-profits who string together their IT needs with volunteers - at least there are around here.
Once you’ve spent a couple months doing that - and while you are doing that - your resume now says "IT Tech. Contractor for the Salem-Keizer District. Run my own PC Repair and setup business. Have configured networks, done PC setup and systems administration for the American Lung Association and the African American Family Development Council. Looking for permanent IT work in Dallas.
that rant about mileage is just weird…
And specifiying your salary needs to the nearest 5 cents…even weirder.
geez…if you need to save gas money, buy a smaller car.
Would you really prefer to stay unemployed all your life just because your commute would be 10 minutes longer than you want?
Allow me to point out some things in the posting that do not help you.
Despite my training I have not been able to find an IT job except for temporary IT job with the Salem-Keizer district which lasted a couple of weeks from August to September of 2010.
The fact that you haven’t found a job yet, while not necessarily implying anything negative about you, certainly doesn’t suggest anything positive. This is the kind of information you provide when specifically asked. It is not in your best interests to volunteer it.
I am willing to take jobs with low pay as long as they will give me experience I can use to get higher paying jobs later on.
As already mentioned, while everyone knows this is the way it works, making a point of saying it suggests a callous disregard for the employer’s concerns and/or a stunning naivete. Say this to yourself while planning your career path. Do not say this to your employer.
Due to gas prices, the amount of pay I am willing to work will depend on how far from home the job is…For jobs in my city and up to 20 miles out I will accept $8.50/hour. For each mile further I will need to make at least 5¢ more per hour. The maximum distance I will work is around 50 miles out from Dallas for no less than $10.00. If I work 0 to 20 miles from home it can be full or part time. Any further and I can only work full time.
Again, say this to yourself. This is not the employer’s concern, rather it is your problem to work out. Either you’ll take the job for $X or you won’t. Getting into minutiae like this gives the appearance that you can’t make a decision or execute an action without spelling out every little detail to someone who doesn’t need to know every little detail. It does not enhance your image, but rather detracts from it. And it is far wiser to let offers come in and then react to them than it is to spell out your criteria here. For all you know, someone might proffer a full-time position five miles away at $10/hr – until he sees you’ll easily take less.
OK. This is great advice. I didn’t realize how crappy my post was :eek:. I’m really glad I ran it by you guys first.
I need to wake up some more, but later I’ll post what, hopefully, is a much better job wanted post and see what you all think.
Funny thing, checking my E-mail I got a spam from the first time I did a Craigslist job wanted post (which was way different from this one)
Uhm, yeah, OK :rolleyes:.
I’ve thought about it, but something’s holding me back. I can’t put my finger on it, but I will give it more consideration.
I didn’t know that. I’ll look into that. Thanks.
Heck, I’m wondering if I should just post my resume then?
I don’t have much toward critiquing your ad but I keep clicking on that link and nothing happens.
What gives?
Or, you can offer something that is needed in the community and hard or impossible to find .
Come to my town. We have nobody. Nobody .Nobody to run errands. No joke. Nobody to go pick up a nice dinner for my family from a nice restaurant.
See, it goes like this: I call my order into the nice restaurant and charge it to my card. You go pick it up and I pay you for the trouble. I’ll pay you $1.75 per mile, the folks in the retirement home can pay you $4 per mile. The rich people up on the hill can pay you more. It’s worth it when you have guests, no car and no food in the fridge. And there are wealthy homebound folk inretirement homes too. Plenty of work available in my town.
Location Location Location
Oh, and if you have great references you can come fix my chair, or pick up a new chair for me. Or drive around like an ice cream truck with organic fruit for sale.
Do some research. Find the right small city. Be honest. And maybe you’ll clean up.
I’m sitting here right now and I could use your help. I’ve got $30 in my wallet with your name on it. And there are THOUSANDS of people just like me in this little city.
I’ll find you on your local web site.
I didn’t post the link. I just pasted the text then made it blue and underlined to look like a link.
I don’t want to post spam links here.
That was **aesop’s **113th post in 10 years. It was worth the wait. In other words, what he said.