Comments on: Wearing the Wellies

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:02:58 +0000

One I always avoid is "female writer wanted."

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:14:19 +0000

Hey, wasn't someone who hangs out at this blog working on an undercover sting of content mills? Or was that just my own wishful thinking?

This morning I saw yet another Demand Studio/Demand Media ad, this one for a professional editor, and after listing all the requirements it said the pay was "competitive." Yeah, they left out the part about the competition being the editors competing against the clock to squeeze in enough work to break even. "Oh, you thought we meant our pay was competitive with what other places pay their editors? Hah!"

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:49:04 +0000

Jaycee, that reminds me of another one - "Send your photo..." Uh, why? Even us ugly writers can do the work. LOL Just creepy, isn't it?

Kim, perfect. If they're professionals, they'd be using either a cloaked email for privacy or providing a company general email.

Cathy, I've never understood that, either. They're fishing. They want to see what will be offered and you can bet they'll take the lowest offer. No thanks.

Wendy, I've had a few of those myself. How can you hire me when my response was "Can you tell me more about the project?" And isn't it always that the response is a canned one?

By: Jaycee

Jaycee — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:02:23 +0000

* Request for personal information (address, phone numbers, card numbers)

* Not enough information

* Unprofessional email addresses.

By: Kimberly Ben

Kimberly Ben — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:30:11 +0000

Lol, I think I saw that ad for the screen play writer too.

There are so many red flags to watch for. I'm especially leary of:

- Non professional email addresses (Yahoo, gmail, Hotmail, etc.)

- No information abou the project, just "I need a writer."

- Requests for unpaid samples.

Those are just off the top of my head. And I agree with Wendy - sometimes those red flags show up AFTER you've made contact.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:04:26 +0000

I'm with Wendy-the ones that give practically zilch information are a red flag for me. If you can't take the time to provide at least SOME details, I'm inclined to think, "What are you hiding?"

Or the other red flag for me on Craigslist ads are the ones that do not put anything in Compensation. You expect at least something like "based on experience"-but NOTHING?

Craigslist is a tough one, but every once in a while you find a good one.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:47:14 +0000

Sometimes, the red flag comes a little later. I've responded to ads that give some general details about the gig. Nothing screams red flag at that point. It simply says to contact them if you want more information.

So, even though you don't expect anything great; you're still curious enough to reply and ask for more information.

I'd get a reply back thanking me for applying and...
Congratulations! You're Hired!

Yea!!! Wait. I was hired based on a simple email asking for more information? I didn't send a resume or clips or anything. Am I really that good? LOL!

OOPS! I accidentally deleted them. Darn.