Even if you are an entrepreneur or self-employed individual, there is a good chance you’ve been an employee for someone, somewhere before now. Maybe you’ve even been fired. It’s never easy to lose a job, and how you handle that experience can potentially determine where you go from there. Nova Yeoman found herself unexpectedly unemployed one day not long before Christmas. That experience planted a seed within her mind which has since grown to become Job Drama.
You won’t surf into Job Drama to find a group of individuals complaining about work, as you might suspect at first. What you will find is a forum for those that need to talk about it, a variety of job listings that their members can sort through to find potential jobs, and advice on all areas of employment – from being fired to moving on to a better position.
I have only touched on the potential that is held within this website. Nova has taken the time to answer some of my questions and help expand on what Job Drama has to offer.
Would you mind sharing with a little bit about your website, Job Drama, and the inspiration for it?
The “drama” behind JobDrama.com lies in my personal experiences with jobs, co-workers and bosses. I’ve always been a team player who worked really hard to please others. However, often there are office politics, personality conflicts and problems with the job duties themselves. Work has a dynamic that is complex and that affects many other aspects of our lives. I felt there was not a real place to find a supportive environment to address these issues. I wanted to create one. I’m proud I did.
We know it’s a place for those having problems at work, but what else can a member find within this community?
Our community has many features that attract a diverse membership. Among other things, we offer fun groups, cool contests and job listings (many are interested in these). Just recently, we started a group called, “Kids Say the Darndest Things”. The purpose of the group is to have a place to post fun and honest “kid quotes”. We know that kids say some great stuff and we want our members to share it. We are offering prizes for the top 10 quotes posted within that group’s forum. Winners will be announced by the end of November. We give prizes for participation for contests such as “Secret Hot Topic” where each month, a winner is chosen for either an original message or a reply that we choose as being a great conversation piece. The winner is awarded $50. We also have member of the month, where a member who has a profile with a picture who and participates often is chosen to win a $50 prize. The members like to hear about the winners and enjoy the prospect of being the next winner. Our contests vary, but these are the most current.
How would a business go about listing their opportunity on your website? How much does it cost to be listed?
If a business wishes to post a job or business opportunity, it is a simple process. They go to the homepage and click on “Post a Job/Biz Opp” from the menu in the middle. They are taken directly to an area that offers step by step directions. Basically, they once they process payment through the pay button on the page; they can then fax in or e-mail the details of their listing. Within 24 hours it will go live on the site. The beauty is that the price is only $59 for 4 weeks for unlimited words and a company can add a logo or other picture for free. We are much more affordable than the “Big Three” of job boards and are even more affordable than the local newspaper. We don’t have the spam that free boards offer, so we are a great, quality alternative to what is out there.
What kind of feedback you seen from your members and from the businesses listing their available positions on your website?
The members have been a great support to the site. They often have positive and endearing things to say. A recent member who won member of the month posted a message on the forum board to thank us. She wrote, “Thank you so much for selecting me as September’s Member of the Month…This is a great community and I love the positive feedback and the sharing that all the members participate in. I miss the days that I don’t visit, but am glad to find familiar faces every time I login. I will tell as many people as possible about this forum and its fun opportunities.”
Business owners have also been excited. We have been told that our low prices and career oriented membership make posting a job with us a much better deal than any place else they have used to post a job.
Where would you like to see JobDrama go within the next year? Do you have any specific goals you’d like to reach?
Within the next year, I would like JobDrama.com to be a common resource that many are aware of. I want them to think of us as they would Craigslist, Monster, etc. I want to be a part of the everyday thought process when businesses think of posting a job. I want to be a household name. I suppose it may take longer than a year to accomplish this, but wouldn’t it be great if it happened that soon!
Specifically, I want to increase traffic, increase membership and increase notoriety. I want more businesses to be aware of this resource and I would love to gain at least 20 job postings per week with a steady increase from there.
Do you feel like you’ve accomplished what it is you wanted to do by starting your website or is there still more work you’d like to do?
I’m very proud of the site so far. I feel that it is a positive, creative environment that really helps people. You can find friends and jobs here. You can even get career advice, a resume analysis and participate in activities that take your mind off of your job. I think that it brings two worlds together: a career resource and a social network. I would like to eventually add more features like a feed for news, music videos, classifieds and articles. I want to give more career resources and put writers on staff who can provide content for these and maybe answer questions from members like a “Dear HR Manager” type of feature.
What growth has your website seen since its launch in February of this year?
The site has improved a great deal since its launch. We have increased membership to almost 700 and we have updated many features such as being able to add logos and pictures in the job listings. That was not available before. We have had the site overhauled so that it moves faster and have improved on our homepage to be cleaner and easier to read. We are always working to improve our community and try to take suggestions, feedback and any criticisms we may receive as a way to grow and learn in hopes of taking our site to a new level.
Did you come across any problems as you were getting it ready to go live? What were they and how did you overcome them?
Most of the problems arose after the site went live. You don’t really know what is going to happen until others start to frequent the site and use its features. We found that the site had some connection issues that we needed the site host to correct. The site moved entirely too slow due to a systems issue. Eventually, we were able to get everything online with no errors being reported. That was probably the worst time because I members were complaining and we don’t want any unhappy members. But, all ventures experience growing pains; it is par for the course. We have since overcome these and look toward to future developments and enhancements to the site.
Why is JobDrama different?
JobDrama.com is different because we not only offer a career resource with a social network, but we have the heart and passion for our niche that others may lack. This is a site is designed to offer support and hope to others. So, it’s not just about money or corporate branding, it is about people–our members. That has to count for something. That makes us different. I believe that.
It is never easy to lose a job and sometimes you can get blind sided by the impending dismissal. Do you have any advice for those who have recently found themselves unemployed to help them get over the pain?
Yes, I recently posted a blog about what to do if a person is fired or laid off. (Feel free to check the site admin blog for the entire tips segment.) Basically, I recommend trying to keep a cool head and putting things into perspective. Many have been known to get angry and volatile. This actually doesn’t help the situation and could cause legal issues in the future. If you read my “drama behind job drama”, then you know I was fired before and it is probably one of the most horrible feelings. It is a sense of betrayal and rejection that hits you all at once. I’m not saying that a person doesn’t have a right to feel angry, but I would just hate to see anyone turn violent due to a feeling of hopelessness. I would tell someone who had been fired to make a list of all the things they love and enjoy about their lives and then make a list about what they would like to do with their lives that they had not had a chance to do before. It could be that being fired or laid off could open a door to a new opportunity like engaging in higher education or career training, or even starting a business. I feel that everything happens for a reason and if we seek to find a positive outlook, we can come out a better person on the other side of the experience.