Updated (02/14/17): Once or twice a year I post a help wanted notice asking for people to try out for a spot on our growing team of crazy gadget loving geeks. Right now I have 2-3 spots to fill. Are you one of them?
Work expectations:
You will be responsible for submitting a minimum of two original news posts per month. These posts will be short and consist of one image and an average of 200 – 350 words talking about new, useful, interesting, wacky and unique products, apps, services, etc that people will find interesting. These news posts don’t always have to be about consumer electronics, they can be about almost anything interesting. We cover a wide range of topics.
New team members will start out posting news for a couple weeks. Then if you are picked to become a permanent member of the team, you’ll have the opportunity to also do product reviews in addition to news posts.
Compensation:
If you are invited to become a full-time member and you post two news articles per day, you will receive a small wage (really small) paid monthly as well as the ability to keep review samples.
I originally posted this help wanted listing in order to find someone to fill a position that was going to become open on March 1st. Things have changed and I will no longer need to fill that position. As a result, I do not have a budget to pay a daily news reporter / reviewer. To reflect the change, I’ve edited the work expectations and dropped the offer to pay. If you are interested in joining the team, it will be a strictly non-paid position. Your pay will be the gadgets that you’ll be able to keep once the review is complete.
Requirements:
1. You must love gadgets. But you don’t have to be overly techy, geeky or a hardcore hacker. I just want people who are always excited about new products and are constantly scouring the web and elsewhere for interesting products and tidbits.
2. Must have a firm grasp of the English language and the fundamentals of good grammar. I don’t have time to re-write your posts, so this is a must.
3. Must have above average photography skills and have the ability to take sharp well lighted close ups of the products being reviewed. Dim, blurry images won’t cut it.
4. If you’ve tried out for a position before and didn’t get picked, don’t let that stop you from trying again 🙂
5. I’m not looking for a professional freelance writer or a guest poster that writes fluff pieces just for SEO purposes. I’m looking for every day geeks like me, who just love this stuff and aren’t in it for the $’s.
6. The positions are not restricted to US residents, but be aware that if you’re primary interest is doing product reviews, you’ll probably be disappointed – most US companies don’t like to ship samples outside the US.
How to apply:
Send me an email telling me about yourself, your age, location, what you currently do for a living, what types of products that most interest you and why you think you would be a great addition to my team. I’ll use this info to decide who I will ask to provide a sample news post and a sample review which will show me your writing and photography skills. I will then choose the best candidates to go through a trial period posting news. After that trial period ends, I’ll decide who will become permanent team members.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you! If you have questions before sending me the email, post them in the comments.
Update:
I’ve received enough responses to the help wanted offer and am not accepting any more at this time.
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If I had the time I would offer my services as “Professional Techno-holic Smart Ass.” Not entirely where that would fit on the sliding scale of The Gadgeteer geekrule. But between a new job, new baby, 2 un-built Lego sets, and a desire to become the next “Flappy Bird(tm)” author I would not have near enough time to have a regular schedule. ohh well
Just wondering if this is limited to US residents: I did volunteer for another tech website to do product reviews etc. but being in Canada made it pretty much impossible.
@Ryan It’s not limited to the US, but if your main motivation is doing reviews, it will be difficult. Most companies do not want to send samples outside the US. I’ve had people from the UK and Australia on the team and it’s rare that they get the opportunity to review things. Sorry… I’ll make a note of that in the post…
Hi Julie –
I sent you an email. I’m sorry about the broken message. I hope it doesn’t color your opinion! Even if i’m not a fit, I’d love your feedback to improve my work.
Alester
@Alester no problem. I’m getting quite a few responses, so it might take me awhile to reply.
I’ve received enough responses to the help wanted offer and am not accepting any more at this time.