Technology has made the job search and recruitment process a lot easier than what obtained in the past. There are currently a number of online job portals catering to the increasing number of unemployed graduates, and among these is recently launched Jobunitypro.com.ng.
Founded by Weje Praise, the platform aims to connect unemployed Nigerians to jobs, employers to job seekers and freelancers to projects. In this interview with the founder, he revealed more about the platform, what sets it apart from existing job search platforms and the inspiration behind it.
Can we meet you?
My name is Weje Praise and I am a software developer, music producer, graphic designer and entrepreneur. I studied computer science at Covenant University and gained a diploma in leadership. I always love to provide solutions to problems anyway I can with programming.
Tell us about Job Unity Pro?
Job Unity Pro is a unique platform which bridges the gap between job seekers, employers and skilled individuals. With job unity pro an individual who possesses valuable skill sets can search for projects put out by organizations or individuals and upon completion of the project make money.
Job Unity Pro lets organizations post vacant job roles in which job seekers can apply accordingly and also lets organizations manage job applications easily. In addition, Job Unity Pro lets you build a professional profile in order to be patronized by companies.
What inspired the idea for it?
In an effort to reduce unemployment rate and increase productivity of youths in Nigeria, I was inspired to create a unified platform which resulted to Job Unity Pro.
After much observation of the digital world, it was evident to me that Africa as a continent is lacking behind in terms of technological advancement and this gap constantly increases as years go by. I have great passion for providing sustainable solutions in order to tackle many challenges across various sectors.
How does the platform work?
The Job Unity Pro platform was designed and built for three types of users in mind; job seekers, freelancers and recruiters (employers)
How it works for Job Seekers:
Job seekers sign up on the job unity pro platform and based on their specialization Job Unity Pro automatically tailors job listings which matches the user’s specialization. This exposes the job seeker to relevant jobs. Job seekers are also exposed to projects in which they can bid on in order to earn extra income. Also, job seekers can apply to jobs for free and get notified if the recruiter expresses an interest in their application.
How it works for Freelancers:
Freelancers sign up the Job Unity Pro platform and are able to find projects they are interested in based on project category or keyword. After a freelancer finds a project he/she is interested in, they can then bid for the project. If the freelancer is awarded the project he/she is notified and then work begins, and upon completion, the freelancer is paid by the project owner.
How it works for Recruiters (Employers):
Recruiters sign up the Job Unity Pro platform and are able to post jobs or projects. Job Unity Pro provides powerful recruitment tools to help recruiters filter, manage and track jobs or project posts. This makes it flexible enough for recruiters to execute projects faster and drive growth within their organization.
Since launch how has the response been from Nigerians?
The response from Nigerians has been really amazing, everyone that opens up the Job Unity Pro platform tends to love it immediately and see its great potential.
The support has been amazing also and our user base has been growing bigger and bigger each day. I had a lot of sleepless nights ensuring each page of the site was designed properly and delivers accordingly.
What are the challenges you faced getting the start-up running, and how did you overcome them?
Having designed and built the platform during my service year (NYSC), I was experiencing a lot of electrical issues in the lodge where I stayed. I was not able to power my laptop most of the time at my lodge in order to build the platform due to constant blackouts.
So I was forced to stay back at my PPA after work till late in the evening in order to have power to charge my laptop and do my work. Then when I get back to my lodge, I have to work till mid night until my laptop’s battery goes flat. This is how I managed to build the platform and overcome the blackouts I constantly faced.
How do you make money from the platform?
The platform is free to use at the moment. Although, in the near future, the Job Unity Pro platform would make use of unity coins which are virtual tokens users can purchase in order to make use of certain features on the platform.
There are a number of platforms offering similar service, what stands you out?
Well, unlike most job sites that focus mainly on two types of users, such as job seekers and recruiters, Job Unity Pro provides a unified platform for also freelancers who possess valuable skills and may not seek employment but search for outsourced projects posted by organizations or individuals to work on and earn money.
This provides organizations with two options: 1. Post a job vacancy. 2. Outsource a project. This helps organizations to be flexible enough to execute projects faster and also provides a means of income for freelancers. In addition, organizations can also post polls to gain insights on what users on the platform think about a subject.
Tell a little about your foray into entrepreneurship?
I chose to become an entrepreneur and strive for leadership in order to provide value, solutions to challenges, reduce unemployment rate and enrich the lives of many people in Nigeria and in the world at large.