I've had a few others ask me the same thing so I wrote this short blog post:
http://echostats.com/blog/03-31-10/find-hundreds-great-jobs-...
Here's the text:
Many have asked how I'm finding freelance jobs in this market. Well, here it is! A couple months ago I decided that I was not going to be able continue bringing on clients if I didn't bust my butt trying. I spent some time on CareerBuilder and Monster Jobs but had zero luck. Those sites are not built for the freelancer, but Craigslist is.
Craigslist is a Freelancer's Dream Come True
There are so many job postings on Craigslist it seems impossible to sift through them all. To add to the problem, Craigslist is still playing this "locals-only" game where they try to trap you in your city's section. Well, as a freelancer, location is irrelevant. We can work from our home in our pajamas. So, how do break out of this localized prison? Thankfully, Craigslist gives you almost everything you need.
Craigslist Loves RSS Feeds Almost as Much as I Do
Ever notice there are no images on the Craigslist site other than those inserted in the listings? If so, you missed a very important one. At the bottom of each search results page there is an orange RSS feed button and that's the most important part of this setup.
Craigslist + RSS + Netvibes
Forget about your love affair with Google for one second. Google Reader is lame in comparison to the nifty, easily customizable Netvibes. For this example, it's what I'm using and it works perfectly.
Tools Gathered: Check. Now It's Time to Find Jobs
On Craigslist's home page, you may or may not have noticed that there is a list on the right hand ride of the layout labeled "US Cities". This isn't by accident. It happens to be the largest cities in the US and that's exactly who I want to be targeting as a freelancer. Click on the first one in the list (Atlanta) and let's get started.
Under Jobs, I select "Web/Info Design". Select whatever option you'd like.
Select all the search options you like, specifically "telecommute"
No need to enter any search terms, just click Search
There it is! Your list of jobs for that city.
Scroll to the bottom right and grab that RSS feed
Import that into Netvibes
Title the feed whatever you'd like (e.g. "Web Jobs: Atlanta")
Now repeat these steps for all the other cities you'd like to charge a premium for your amazing services
Contact the Job Posters
Once you have the list of jobs, you need to start contacting the job posters. Be courteous, include your resume and your portfolio and don't forget your phone number! Try your best to stand out. Be very clear with your subject line what it is you're e-mailing them for. They are getting hammered with requests so you don't want to blend in.
It's a Numbers Game
Recently, several people have asked how I am using Craigslist to push my freelance career forward. I thought this would be the easiest and most beneficial to spread the very simple concept so that more of you can try it. It is not fool proof and it does take work. Before I recently became maxed out with work, I was sending out 20 resumes a day. I would go for days without a single response because of the amount of e-mails the job poster was receiving. It's a numbers game and if you're persistent, it will work to your advantage.
Good luck!