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Are you in need of a new job? If so, you may turn to Craigslist. This popular classified website is not only for the buying and selling of goods, but it is a great way to find a job too. If this is your first time using Craigslist as a job search tool, continue reading on for a list of dos and don’ts.

DO choose your search phrases wisely. Craigslist has thousands of jobs posted. Your local city may have as many as 500 or more! It would take you hours to browse through all open positions, so perform a Craigslist job search instead. When doing so, use the name of the position or some of the duties you will perform. For example, retail jobs can be found using: retail, cashier, stocker, manager, store manager, and clerk.

DON’T fall victim to Craigslist job search scams. Luckily, most of these scams are easy to spot. They also tend to focus on work-at-home jobs and opportunities, but always be aware. A sure sign of a scam is when you are required to pay a training fee or when you are required to handover detailed personal information, such as your social security number or bank account numbers, without first having a job interview.

DO download a Craigslist search tool. These search tools are designed to simplify the process of searching Craigslist. See, right now you can only search one location page at a time. This poses a problem if you are willing to travel for work, relocate, or if you live in-between two different cities listed. Unless you download and use a search tool, you would need to search each city page individually. Not with a search tool though; you can search all of Craigslist, entire states, or multiple cities to find a well-paying job.

DON’T apply for jobs the wrong way. It is relatively easy to perform a Craigslist job search. The problem most job seekers run into is with the application process. Different companies and hiring managers have different requests. These requests should be outlined in the job listing. Always read it to know what to do next. Should you send your resume via email, fax, or mail? Not following directions and applying for a job the wrong way is one of the quickest ways to ruin your chances.

My parents used to tell me that I need to get high grades in the school, graduate from the university and get a secured job, then plan for buying a house, establishing a family, and be successful. And it turned out that it’s not only my parents, everyone in my generation was brain-washed to believe that this is the way to be successful.

The funny thing is, my grandfathers were businessmen, and most people were either self employed professionals or business owners in their generation. What in the world has changed their way of thinking? Well, it’s the world wars I and II I guess, and how they negatively affected most business owners and professionals. People started to think that there is no security in business and that employment is the solution. This is what they passed to the next generation, my parents’ generation, and this is why this way of thinking became the norm of my generation.

But if we go back in history a little bit more beyond the WWs, maybe a bit more than a century, before the banning of slavery, the idea of employment did not exist the way we know it. When slaves were being used to carry on the farming and manufacturing duties in the industrial revolution, there were no employment as we know it now. Professionals were being employed by task, but never for years or for life. Some management positions were being filled by some of the educated people who could not own businesses for financial issues.

When we compare employment and slavery we’ll find only one thing missing in the relationship between the slave or employee at one side, and the master or employer on the other side. In slavery, the slaves were unwillingly doing the jobs, while getting food, shelter, and clothing (the basics) from their masters who become wealthier. The employees, on the other hand, are willingly (as if they have the choice) doing the job, and getting money from their employers to pay for their food, shelter and clothing, while again making the employer wealthier.

So it’s only the money that was missing in slavery, which makes the only difference from employment. You might think that freedom is priceless, which it is, but why compromise your freedom and trade it for money? And what money? Employees pay the highest percentage of income taxes ever. And for retirement, employees invest in their 401K or it’s equivalent, taking 100% of the risk, and paying 100% of the invested capital, to pay at least 80% of their earnings to the bank!

Where is the freedom in this? My call upon all employees, make owning a business your goal, and work on it as hard as you can. This is when you will really enjoy your freedom.