First you must understand that there are lots of legitimate jobs and gigs posted on Craigslist.org every day. But you must also realize that most of the businesses and individuals hiring from Craigslist are looking for professionals who will work relatively cheap.

Now with those points made, I must also say that when you respond to Craigslist "Gigs," watch out for the beggars, freeloaders, and operators. They will waste your time. They will ask for detailed proposals while not intending on hiring anyone at all (they're just looking for free ideas and free advice). Or they will draw you in by misrepresenting the complexity of the job at hand. They will get you to agree to work for a set fee (not an hourly wage). They will let you invest some of your time and effort, and then they will reveal the true extent and complexity of the job they are asking you to get done, all the while saying that you misunderstood their initial emails. So in essence, after getting you to agree to do $100 worth of work for $50, after letting you invest 3 to 4 hours of your time on the project, they will finally spell out all of the details of the job at hand and you will suddenly realize that the gig will take at least another 3 hours of your time. Your choice then is to 1) quit and get paid nothing for the time you have already put in or 2) work another 3 hours and get paid $50 for 6 to 7 hours work. I usually cut my losses and quit, after removing or erasing what I've provided so far.

Important: Don't send your resume to individuals posting paid gigs on Craigslist, not even if they ask for one. It appears that a few experts are saying that criminals will use your résumé to steal your identity (that is, as the basis for identity theft).