Before you continue, please be sure to check out my article on what you should do before applying to any writing jobs.

There are a seeming endless supply of websites claiming to have online jobs available.  Many of these are scams, and the old adage of ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t real’ applies here. 

Some rules of thumb to think of before applying to anything:

• If they are offering you a high amount of money, more than likely it is not real.
• Don’t give out personal information.
• Be suspicious.

Keep in mind that at this moment, you are technically inexperienced so you will be making money that is in line with that (not much).  At first especially, you won’t be making nearly as much as you would from a typical 9–5 type of job, so if you have a day job- don’t quit it yet!

Also consider your strengths and what you are passionate about.  If it’s art, crafting, scrapbooking, parenting, technology, or something else.  Chances are, you will be able to find a gig that is related to that.

There are also some terms that you will need to pay attention to.

• RevShare/ Revenue Share/ Network/ Blog Networks:  These aren’t inherently bad at all, but they do mean less money.  All of them typically mean the same thing, that you will get a ‘cut’ of the advertising revenue from your articles.  Some will also pay you on a cost per thousand basis.
• CPM:  CPM really just means ‘cost per thousand’, with M being the roman numeral for one thousand.  In a very typical case it will be about $1 per thousand hits.

Where to look:

If you are looking for a blogging gig, the below are pretty good for finding them.  Many companies and networks are always on the lookout for new talent, and these are the two they tend to go to.

ProBlogger Job Board: While there is a high portion of  revshare type of ‘jobs’ listed, you can find more ‘typical’ blogger and writing jobs there as well.  I actually found my first writing job there a couple of years ago.  It’s updated constantly as well with new jobs, so check it regularly.

Blogger Jobs: This is similar to the above, with about the same mix of revshare and more ‘typical jobs’.  It’s another good resource when you are looking for a blogging gig.

Craigslist: Craigslist has a huge amount of gigs when it comes to writing.  I also have used it with luck, try looking in your local area for ‘freelancer’ or ‘blogger’ and you may find something good, be careful though as there are a surprising amount of scammers there as well.

Freelance Switch Job Board: Again, similar in set up to the ProBlogger Job Board.  There are still a fantastic amount to choose from.

You may also find some luck in searching through the more standard job oriented websites, I’ve heard of people getting gigs through both Monster.com and Career Builder, but that isn’t exactly typical.

Having your own writing to show off will help you out a lot, I used my personal blog (Not Quite Cookie Cutter) originally as a show of my writing ability, but it was relevant due to the parenting theme.  While I do have actual ‘paid writing’ now to show to potential employers, back then that was the best I had.  While now I wouldn’t do that, if you are just starting out, you do need something to show to anyone you are applying to.

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