How to Post a Job on Craigslist

Craigslist is a classified ads website with categories for jobs, housing, services, pets, and just about anything you can sell. It rakes in over 20 billion page views and 80 million new ads each month. That’s why Craigslist is a great place for small businesses to start posting job openings online— not to mention it’s pretty affordable.  

Follow this guide to post your first job on Craigslist.

Step 1. Set up an account with Craigslist

First, you’re going to need an account. Setting up an account allows you to create and publish posts on Craiglist. All your jobs and drafts are saved, so you can edit, delete, and re-advertise them.

Creating a free account is easy, all you need is a valid email address and a password. Once you have that setup, you can apply for a paid posting account.

Step 2. Choose a location

Craigslist is available around the world, so it’s important to make sure you are browsing in the right location before you post a job. 

If the location displayed at the top of the page isn’t where you want to recruit you can change it by going to the Craigslist site directory narrowing it down from there. 

Step 3. Choose a product type and category 

Once you are browsing in the right location, click “create a posting”. 

On the first page, select the posting type “job offered” and then choose at least one category that best matches your job and industry.

Step 4. Build your job post

Start by giving your post a title. Try to make it but descriptive and enticing because it’s the first thing job seekers will see while scanning job listings. 

Craigslist also asks for:

• City 
• Postal code
• Job description
• Employment type
• Compensation
• Company name
• Contact info
• Location info

The contact information you provide is how candidates will reply to your job ad. You can show your real email address or use Craigslist mail relay that protects your email from spam by creating an intermediary address made up of random numbers and letters. 

Step 5. Upload Images

You have the option to add images to your job post too. You can upload your company logo, and pictures of the office and company events to show what working for you is really like. 

Step 6. Review and publish

The final step is to review your job post. You’ll get to see what the post looks like for job seekers and make edits if you need to.

Once everything looks good, you can pay and publish your job for the world to see. 

Step 7. Managing applicants 

All responses to your post will go to the email address you listed in the contact info. It’s up to you to decide how you want to communicate going forward.

An alternative way to manage applications from your inbox is to use an Applicant Tracking System. If you’re not familiar, it’s a piece of software that you can use to create and post jobs to multiple websites at once, organize all of your applications into one place, and provide easy ways for candidates to apply. 

Interested in trying an ATS for the first time? Registration for the Symply Hiring Beta is now open. Beta users will receive a free account and the opportunity to be part of building a great product that makes it easy to find and hire good employees. Sign up here.>>

How much does it cost to post a job on Craigslist?

Posting a job in the US and select areas in Canada ranges from $10- $75 depending on the area.

You also have the option to apply for a paid posting account that includes tools for managing posts, collaborating with team members, and alternative payment options.