Craigslist has become and increasingly popular destination for many looking for freelance jobs. I myself search it daily for my blog where I publish European freelance writing jobs. There are a large number of freelance jobs posted daily on Craigslist so finding ones to apply for isn't a problem.
So how to you get a job on Craigslist? The first thing you need to know is how to navigate Craigslist. When you log onto this site what you see is a huge amount of links, categories, lists of countries, and so on. The first thing that anyone looking for a job on Craigslist should do is choose the state in which they live in first. Once you have selected this the Craigslist page for that state will load. The next thing to do is go across to the right hand side where you will see a column titled "jobs". The jobs are listed alphabetically so you can choose the category that you require. For me I always choose the category at the bottom titled "writing/editing". After you click on this you will be taken to that page. If you are lucky there will be jobs posted on the page. The jobs are posted in date order which makes them easier to find.
If there are no jobs for your state you can check the next state and the next and keep looking until you find the jobs you are looking for.
When it comes to applying for the freelance jobs that are listed on Craigslist, make sure that you read the guidelines properly including the information at the very end where the compensation is listed.
As Craigslist is a free website you do find that there are a lot of people who will post jobs that are non-paying.
When applying for a job you find the same criteria will apply as any other job. Have your resume up to date and be specific in your proposal. Be sure to mention that you found the job posting on Craigslist and state your experience, credentials, rates, etc. Never just attached your resume and hope that the person will know that you are apply for the job they advertised. Just because you are applying online doesn't mean that you don't have to be professional. You need to write a cover letter that explains exactly who you are and why you are applying for the job. Be on the look out for postings that look for you to send them a sample on the topic they are looking for. Many of these postings are scams and they are looking for a free way to get content for their websites or blogs.
The next thing to point out for those looking to get a job on Craigslist is to apply. There are so many people looking for freelance jobs on Craigslist that people can get up to 30 replies within the first 20 minutes of their jobs going online. If you are not one of those first 30 replies chances are that your response might not even get read. So my advice is to check Craigslist first thing in the morning and keep checking until you get the job or jobs that you were looking for.