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- By Native News Online Staff
The Navajo Nation on Friday launched a jobs apply portal on Friday. The goal is to overcome barriers individuals may have had to apply for the old-fashioned way of submitting paper applications.
Called the Navajo Nations Jobs Apply Portal, the process will now allow for those seeking jobs to use modern technology and apply online.
Reycita Toddy, the executive director of the Navajo Nation Division of Human Resources, said the portal was already in use moments after it was launched.
“In fact, we got two applications a few minutes ago,” Toddy said. “We’re hoping to get the message out to more people. They’ll now be able to use their phones and won’t need to scan many documents for their applications.”
The online address is apply.navajo-nsn.gov/
Toddy said a new benefit to job seekers is that they no longer will have to suffer the bureaucratic headache of submitting multiple applications and supporting documents to apply for multiple jobs at the same time when they apply online.
Toddy said getting the portal up and running to bring the Navajo Nation application process into the digital age was made possible with the support of Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren who loves technology, uses it daily for countless tasks, and wanted to eliminate the hassle of applying for a tribal job.
Because of application difficulties and a huge backlog of background checks that led to 1,400 tribal job vacancies, on Jan. 9 President Nygren issued Executive Order No. 01-2024 to streamline the hiring process.
“Jobs are hard to find,” he said. “The Nation faces an unprecedented number of vacant positions that affect the ability to provide essential services to the Navajo people. The current employment application process is unnecessarily complex and difficult for applicants and hiring managers to navigate, creating disincentives for qualified applicants to seek employment with the Nation.”
The Jobs Apply Portal home page opens with “Job Search” that shows all the available tribal positions. Next is “Create Account” to make applying easy. “Returning Candidates” allows applicants to track the status of their applications.
If applicants have questions or need to speak to a person, the portal has a number to call, 928-871-6330, and an email address, [email protected].
The first step for new applicants is to create a profile to browse through job vacancies to find the one that suits them best. A profile will enable various tribal departments to learn more about an applicant’s skills and experience. A complete and well-written profile increases applicants’ chances of finding the perfect job.
“I think it’s terrific,” said Charlotte Bigthumb, Human Resources director. “This is something that should have been done a long time ago. We’re really excited about it. We’ve been advertising in the Navajo Times, the Gallup independent, our website and our Facebook page. So now we’re here.”
She said she’s eager to see the portal cut down on paperwork, reduce the Nation’s job vacancies, get Navajo job seekers into positions they want, and help ease the workload of the current workforce.
“This is part of what the executive order was asking for,” Bigthumb said. “It took off with the support that we got from President Nygren. The idea is a year old. We said we’ve got to do it, and we did.”
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