Craigslist Syndrome (def)  n. A time-sucking, emotionally draining, focus-killing condition that impacts small businesses; directly caused by posting job ads on Craigslist and subsequently receiving over 500 resumes within 24 hours, 10 of which are actually qualified for the job posted; also known as CLS.

Does your company suffer from Craigslist Syndrome?  To self-diagnose this business-crippling condition, ask yourself if you or someone you know is experiencing the following symptoms:

Bloodshot, watery eyes; Blurred vision.  CLS sufferers exhibit clear signs of retinal distress, caused by hours upon hours of staring at a monitor, searching through reams of resumes submitted by wholly unqualified candidates.  Just when they thought that they’d deleted every unqualified applicant, seven more show up in their inbox.  This never-ending onslaught of bad candidate email wreaks havoc on the subject’s eyes.

“The Claw.”  Subjects with CLS often develop join and muscle abnormalities in their mouse-using hand that causes the appendage to closely resemble the claw of a very large bird:  a gnarled, knotted mess of bone and muscle.  This symptom is a direct result of the countless hours spent by the subject scrolling through unwanted candidate submissions using a mouse wheel, and is potentially irreversible.  When gloves stop fitting properly, you know it’s serious.

"Ron was a healthy entrepreneur before succumbing to CLS"

A propensity to laugh hysterically, and to show resumes to co-workers.

Patients diagnosed with CLS have often been observed showing the most outrageously off-base candidate submissions to co-workers, assuming that these colleagues will empathize with their plight.  The subject will typically say something like,  “Look at THIS one!  This guy’s a freakin’ tow truck driver, and he’s applying for my Director of Marketing position!” before shuffling back to their desk, weeping. 

Lack of sleep, focus.  CLS prevents sufferers from sleeping more than 2-3 hours at a time, caused, in part, because the act of filtering through Craigslist resumes often times takes more time than that person’s actual job takes on a day-to-day basis.  When a CLS patient is actively looking to fill a position using Craigslist, they typically discover that most of their time is being spent responding to, and following up with, candidates who may not be worth their time.  Their job suffers, their sleep suffers.  It’s quite sad.

Feelings of hopelessness.  People with CLS may begin to think, “This is totally pointless.  I’ve been looking at 100 resumes a day and I can’t find a single qualified person in this entire stack.  Not one person?  Seriously?”  It’s important that patients remember that they spent $25 and did this to them self.

Have Craigslist Syndrome? Unsure of what to do about it?

If you’ve determined that you or someone you know may be suffering from Craigslist Syndrome, it’s time to seek professional help immediately.  The most effective treatment for CLS is a groundbreaking new treatment called, “for the love of God, hire someone else to do it.”  Craigslist, while incredibly cost-effective and potentially beneficial from a recruiting standpoint, is a complete time-drain and takes you away from your actual job.  Other organizations are better-equipped to take that list of 500 candidate responses and boil them down to the 5-10 people whom you’d actually like to speak with…you know, the ones who are qualified, interested, and available for your job.

The top-selling FDA-approved product on the market today is illuma.  Since 2004, illuma has been helping people beat CLS once and for all with their groundbreaking TalentSource and TalentScreen services.  For $1750, illuma will process and screen your entire Craigslist applicant pool, as well as provide candidates from every other major source out there - Monster, Careerbuilder, LinkedIn, Facebook, corporate blogs…everything.

Save yourself - and your business - the agony of self-managed Craigslist postings.  It’s a poor use of your time and your company’s resources to tackle this problem on your own.  Get help, before it’s too late.

FDA Disclaimer:  illuma is not for everyone, and should not be taken by people who are unreasonable, unwilling to try new approaches, or who are generally unhappy.  Side effects may include relief, feelings of triumph, and the elimination of most 3rd-party recruiting fees.  A serious medical condition called, “You might actually fill this position” may result from use of illuma.  If you experience uninterrupted work time for longer than 4 hours, please call your mother and tell her the good news immediately.  For more information, please visit www.illumallc.com.