Type in 'Jobs in Nigeria' in Google and the first listing that comes up is Careers Nigeria. The site is only a year old but already changing the way Nigerians look for jobs. Jaco Maritz asked founder Victor Okezie about running a successful online business in Nigeria.

Give us a history of Careers Nigeria.

I started Careers Nigeria in April 2007 as a way to reconnect back to Nigeria. I have lived in Europe the last 5 years and wanted to create an easy way for Nigerians to find jobs online. I had regular Internet access, so the aim was to find jobs in my spare time and post them on the site. Those days, and even now, many candidates did not have much access to the Internet due to cost and availability.

What are the challenges you face in operating such a website in Nigeria?

I had to make sure that the jobs where genuine in order to maintain credibility. Another issue was to find people who will use the site and get feedback from their experience. Hence, I invested in several online and offline marketing campaigns. Operating from the UK, I needed to hire and trust a Nigerian-based team. So it was an effort to find the right calibre of people to actively market the site to candidates and clients. Currently we employ five people.

You use a typical blog format for the site, what is the reason for this layout?

This is an interesting question. Before starting the site I have created some web applications and most of them required a lot of investment and management. This was exhaustive. I decided on the blog approach because it is simple, cost effective and easy to update real time. Also the blog platform is flexible and search engine friendly.

Where are your users based?

Around 90% of our visits come from within Nigeria. We have decided to focus on Nigerians currently living in the country. We do however receive visits from the UK and abroad and will soon target these candidates for specific features we intend to launch in the furture.

Why are users allowed to comment on job postings?

Yes, some of the comments can be silly but some are insightful and reasonable. It is all to get feedback from readers. I want it to be an open community where job seekers can express their excitement or anger related to jobs posted. Employers are also reading the comments and taking note. The comments show that real life, everyday people are visiting the site. Very irrelevant or hurtful comments are however deleted.

Are you deliberately posting certain kinds of jobs?

We have a healthy mix of jobs. The jobs are ideal for at least a university graduate. Hence it could range from entry level/trainee roles to experienced/professional jobs. The idea is to have a wide audience. If a graduate finds a job suitable for his uncle who is experienced, then he/she can forward the job and vice versa. However, if any relevant advertiser comes by and wants to pay for a job or any of our services, then we are happy to assist them.

How do you market the site to potential advertisers and users?

Most of our marketing has been online via emails over the past months. We have also started with direct marketing in Nigeria by visits and phone calls. However, the Internet has been useful as more advertisers and candidates now search for jobs on search engines like Google and find us. Word-of-mouth marketing has also helped us as people tell one another about the site.

How does Careers Nigeria make money?

The site generates revenue through paid for job ads and banner ads. We have just done our first year and it has been good. Over the next years we will deliver the financial success we envisage. It will be excellent.

What opportunities would you say are there in online publishing in Nigeria?

The opportunities are huge. More and more people are getting online in Nigeria and it is critical to find out what people are interested in and delivering this to them.