I’ve recently started using Craigslist as a source for design job leads, and largely, I think it’s a great resource. With sites specific to 450+ cities around the world, it’s easy to target certain geographical locations, and as it’s the world’s most widely known online classifieds stop, there’s often no shortage of postings to browse.
Craigslist has got to be the fugliest site ever, and at #45 on Alexa, you’ve got to admire that. It truly looks like it hasn’t had a spec of design done to it since its inception in 1995. As a designer it irks me, but it’s hard to argue its success.
However, what does irk me about it is that it allows crap like the following get put on their site:
Reply to: [email protected]
Date: 2007-09-18, 8:47AM CTI need a photoshop artist for a photo editing job. The job requires you to cut out a person from a green screen portrait photograph. The person is standing in front of a chroma green screen, and you will use the magic wand to cut most of the person out and quickmask with paint brushes to finish the cut to perfection.
Each photo takes 7 to 10 minutes, and I am paying $0.75 U.S. currency to start for each person cut out. Some photos have more than 1 person and they will be $0.75 per person cut. The average pay should be better than 4.50 per hour to start if you have decent skills. If you are really good at the job you can do 9 per hour and make $6.75. If you are very accurate and I do not have to fix the work, I will raise to $.90 per person cut out. You can make about $8.10 per hour then.
Payment will be made using Paypal.com or other nationally recognized international bank of your choice.Work is seasonal and part time, at times work is unpredictable. In october i need maybe 5-10 hours per week. In November, and December I can promise at least 25 hours per week. In the spring it will be slightly less. Once again the work is unpredictable and I need somebody who has ability to work hard some weeks (25 hours) and less other weeks (10 hours).
Please email resume and portfolio, or request a test picture.
* Location: us
* Compensation: 4.50 to 8.10 (U.S.) to start, Depending on Experience and Reliability
* Telecommuting is ok.
* This is a part-time job.
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Now, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to what to charge for design (read what Peter and Chris have to say on it), and granted cutting people out of chroma screened photos isn’t exactly creative design work – but $4.50/hr.? Are you f’king kidding me?
Judging from the poster’s location (the US) and the post’s location (Beijing, China), it’s quite obvious that the guy is trolling for some cheap labour. Throwing that “depending on experience and reliability” is just salt on the wound though – who doesn’t have enough experience to work for $4.50 an hour?
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