Jobs at ConsumerSearch

Join the ConsumerSearch.com editorial team

ConsumerSearch.com, part of the New York Times / About.com family of companies, is actively seeking writers and editors to join our team. Multiple freelance and full-time writers and editors are being hired during the spring and summer of 2008. Interested writers and editors are urged to apply.

ConsumerSearch writing requires uncommon research and analysis skills but no specific background is required. Assignments are research-heavy in a 'leave-no-stone-unturned' kind of way. Because the skill levels required are high, we are open to any talented writers who can do what we do well. Writers with a background in competitive product analysis or product reviews can sometimes benefit from that background, but such a background is by no means required. Are you the kind of person that has spent spends 25 hours researching toasters or MP3 players before buying one? If so, that's a good hint that ConsumerSearch writing is something you'd be good at, and that would appeal to you.

Contributors need to be detail oriented, critical and organized, and must be able to adapt to our format and tone. Resourcefulness, strong research abilities and fact-finding skills are required. Enthusiasm and a love of writing are also part of the package. If you have a particular area of interest or expertise, we'd love to hear about it, but that's not a requirement.

Read a report or two on our site to see what we do. Be sure to visit the Fast Answers, Full Story and All Reviews sections in each category, which comprise the three main sections of a ConsumerSearch report. See our About Us and FAQs pages for more on how we compile the most comprehensive product reviews online.

Work at home. ConsumerSearch is mainly a virtual company. Make your own hours and work in your pajamas if you like. As long as you're bringing great research and content to the table, we don't care what you wear.

Join a supportive team. ConsumerSearch editors work closely with writers to create the best possible content. Editors are available for questions at any point and are here to help you make the most of your research.

Work a lot, work a little.Once you're established as a reliable ConsumerSearch freelance writer, assignments are ongoing. No commitment is required.

Earnings Potential. We generally pay by the report. Rates vary according to the writer and the report, but are never less than $350 and can often be double this amount, or more, depending on how much work is required and depending on talent of the writer. To us, talent is everything, and we set our pay scales accordingly. A disciplined writer can produce one or sometimes two reports per week, especially after becoming familiar with how to write our reports and with their subject areas. A new writer will often take much longer than this to get their first few reports off the ground. Salaried editors and writers make about as much as editors and writers at a large metropolitan newspaper. ConsumerSearch does pay a kill fee for work that we cannot publish.

How to begin working with ConsumerSearch

Writers and editors are invited to apply by preparing a Sample Report intended to help us understand your analysis and writing style. We may ask for a revision of your work along the way. Completion of the sample report is not paid. At the conclusion of your sample report, we will be able to provide some tentative estimates of whether you would be a good fit for ConsumerSearch, and if the prognosis is good, we will also make a further, paid, writing assignment. Our report structure is pretty rigid -- some writers really like working within this structure, but others really don't. It's hard to tell until you try it. Some people become totally addicted to writing for us.

Other opportunities. If you are an expert in a particular topic, consider checking the jobs page at About.com to see if a Guide is needed in your area of expertise. Accepted About.com Guides are paid a minimum of $725 per month.