Job Board Specialty Diversity and Employment Inclusion Joyce Trinder

Diverse and inclusive workplaces have the potential to be innovative, efficient, productive, and successful. 

Diversity in the workplace refers to those companies and businesses that intentionally employ people with a range of characteristics, such as gender, religion, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, and other attributes.

With that in mind, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joyce Trinder, one of the founders and CEO of Native American Jobs (NAJ). 

This family owned business was the first job board of its kind online. It remains the most accessible one for jobs today.

NativeAmericanJobs.com lives up to its mission to help employers and career minded individuals from diverse, indigenous, and minority cultures find jobs in places where a multi-faceted workforce is important to all. 

Read more below to discover why NAJ and its leader, Joyce Trinder are special.

Editor's note: Although Nancy Andres has known Joyce Trinder for several years, Nancy did not realize the fascinating back story of Joyce's company or reasons why her operation runs so well. 

The interview questions are Nancy's and answers are quotes from Joyce Trinder, with minimal editing for clarity.   👌

Interview: Joyce Trinder

Nancy Andres: When and where did you start Native America Jobs and what was your motivation?

Joyce Trinder: Native American Jobs was started in 2000 in Klamath Falls Oregon. My husband, who is Native American, and I couldn’t get jobs. We decided there had to be a better way to find work. So we started NAJ. 

NAJ was the first Native American online job board in the U.S.A. I did all the postings myself for the first 6 years. 

We went from 2 pages of job listings to a redesigned site with jobs from all the states on it. 

Today, companies have the option of getting a simple listing or  becoming a featured employer with their company profile, and links for all open positions. 

Adds start for as little as $75 for 15 days for employers, with no fee for those who are seeking employment.

Nancy: Does your organization serve a broad range of people who are looking for and posting jobs?

Logo for Native American Jobs

Joyce: Yes. Our job board started out with listings for Tribal entities. I learned very quickly that lots of companies find it beneficial to include diverse employees. There is greater job satisfaction and productivity at companies were employees are valued. 

That’s why we market to Colleges, Tribal Entities, Non-Profits, Food Banks, and a lot of Blue collar companies as well. 

For example, Stanford University, Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute list their job openings with us.

Nancy: How did you get into this industry?

Joyce: I used to work for Boeing Airplane Company in Washington State in Human Resources or Personnel, a name that department used to called. 

I have always enjoyed helping others. I think NativeAmericanJobs.com is my calling, and I'm grateful this September starts our 21st year in business.

Nancy: What problem  does NAJ solve for customers?

Joyce: We help employers reach out to diverse job seekers for their open positions, as well as help job seekers find the job of their dreams.

Nancy: Do you think you bring a special skill, a knack for detail, customer care, reliability, and ease of interacting that is unique or distinctive?

Joyce: Yes I do. NAJ is all about Customer Service. We consider our Employers and Job Seekers as family. We aim to serve, treat others with respect and dignity… and go the extra mile to help them. We do our best to answer each call. Should we not have an answer, we will get one, and get back to the person who asked that question as quickly as possible.

Nancy: Is the NAJ website, job board, and customer service department user friendly? Is help readily available when needed?

Joyce: Yes it is. I made sure our website is easy to navigate, especially so those who search for work after hours can find what they are looking for. 

Native American Jobs has a Customer Service Department open from 8-5 PM EST. Please call 888-491-8833 ex 1389 for help.

Our agents are kind, caring, and receptive to peoples’ needs and questions. If you need to speak to me, please call 253-350-4114.

Nancy: In what ways has the company evolved since you started it?

Joyce: I did all the website maintenance until 2006. After much research I chose a reliable company to do the data management in the background. We have been working with them for 15 years now.  

They keep technology for NAJ up to date, and offer new tools to the Job Board on a regular basis.

Nancy: What are the big issues in the employment industry, and what’s your opinion on them?

Joyce: A lot of competition, other companies over-charging for posting jobs, traffic to the job board by Job Seekers fluctuates a lot. 

When COVID hit, our traffic dropped way off, and we took a terrible hit. Fortunately, in the recent months of 2021, we have rebounded with more traffic from Job Seekers and many  listings from Businesses seeking applicants for their open positions.

Nancy: What does the company plan to do next?

Joyce: We are rolling out new tools on the job board to make it easier for Employers to advertise. We are gearing up to offer free tools for Job Seekers to utilize as well. My IT team is on the lookout for ways to improve what we offer, and help people who use our site.

Nancy: What motivates you to give your best?

Joyce: I had a very rough life growing up and learned early on I had to depend on myself to take care of me and my children. My aunt taught me how to survive mentally as well as financially, how to save money for emergencies, and to be able to take care of us under any circumstance.

As an adult, I had been unemployed at times. When the kids were small I was on Public Assistance. I needed help as a single mom to pay my bills, buy groceries, and put gas in the car. I worked 3 jobs to take care of us the best I could. 

I like to help people to be the best they can be, and find that Dream Job they are working so hard to get.

I feel blessed to be able to provide resources to Job Seekers and Employers that will help them be successful and move forward in their lives.

Do you have comments or questions for Joyce or me? 

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