Corporate America Searching for Ways to Separate Wheat From Chaff When Recruiting On-line.

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1999--

-- On-line Recruiting Shows Tremendous Promise If Done Right, Says

Top Recruiter -- Companies Besieged by Unqualified On-line Job Applicants -- New Technology Puts Humans Back in Loop

With over 3,500 job sites and thousands more corporate sites now posting jobs on the Internet, one would think that it's never been easier for corporations to fill positions on-line.

Not so, according to Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI), the world's largest search and recruitment organization and a subsidiary of staffing and outsourcing leader CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI). In fact, the chances of a company finding the ideal applicant for a job over the Internet are still comparable to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, says Neil Fox, Chief Information Officer at MRI.

"The on-line job market is still fragmented and the process is haphazard, which greatly reduces the chances for successful job matches between an employer and job seeker," said Neil Fox. "Most job sites today are based on a traditional classified ad model. Jobs are posted and candidates are essentially left to their own devices to follow-up on potential opportunities. Many don't even get past the application process. If they do, the artificial intelligence used on these sites based on an automated "key-word" system, often is not sophisticated enough to truly match the best candidates to a particular job. So there is a lot of wasted effort involved.

"What also happens far more often than not," continued Fox, "is that even if a candidate does submit a resume for a job, nothing ever happens. No one even contacts the person. One reason this occurs is that companies posting jobs may receive literally hundreds or thousands of resumes for one job and simply don't have a filtering process in place to identify the top candidates in a timely manner. Companies are growing increasingly frustrated that many applicants, because of the ease of applying on-line, end up submitting resumes for positions they are clearly unqualified for. Some companies have even complained about short order cooks putting in for senior management jobs."

MRI has recently launched a next-generation career web site, BrilliantPeople.com, to try to remedy some of the flaws in the current Internet job search model. Unlike most job boards, BrilliantPeople.com offers job seekers direct contact with and advice from a network of 5,000 recruiters in 1000 offices around the world. The recruiters, organized into virtual villages serving specific industries, actively partner with job candidates and companies to create the most powerful on-line recruiting space in the industry today.

"BrilliantPeople.com tries to take the sheer luck out of on-line job hunting," added Neil Fox. "Our site follows an executive recruiting model that recognizes the critical role a recruiter can play as an advocate on behalf of job seekers and as an advisor in managing their careers. From the employer's perspective, a recruiter is best able to quickly sift through resumes and identify only the best candidates for a particular position. Recruiters also understand the cultural match that needs to be achieved between a company and the career goals of a candidate. These are critical new elements that only BrilliantPeople.com brings to the world of on-line recruitment."

BrilliantPeople.com is a user-friendly site that enables job candidates to post their resumes and search for job opportunities in a simple manner, but with powerful results. Here's how it works: You can set-up a confidential personal account in just minutes that allows you to create a profile of your skills, background and experience. You then submit your resume and set up "job agents" -- smart electronic utilities -- which e-mail to you job opportunities that fit your profile. Your resume is also automatically routed directly to the recruiters in one of the dozen or so recruiter villages that specialize in your field and area of expertise. This method allows for direct matching and also for a focused job search with the collaboration of MRI recruiters around the country.

Candidates at BrilliantPeople.com also get free career advice from the experts at MRI, and feedback on the number of times their profile has been viewed by a recruiter. Coming later in the year will be personalized tips on how candidates can increase the number of recruiters in a village who look at their resumes. Potential confidentiality concerns are also fully addressed at MRI's new site. Unlike some job sites, there's no chance that one's boss will see one's resume posted on BrilliantPeople.com because only MRI recruiters see the resumes.

Management Recruiters International, Inc. (www.BrilliantPeople.com), is the world's largest search and recruitment organization with 1000 offices worldwide. Based in Cleveland, MRI has system-wide billings of over $500 million and places 40,000 people in jobs annually. MRI is a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based CDI Corp. (www.cdicorp.com), one of the world's largest staffing and outsourcing service providers. CDI increases the productivity and competitiveness of its Fortune 1000 customer base through customized technical, information technology, professional and administrative staffing and outsourcing solutions. CDI employs 31,000 people and generated $1.54 billion in revenue in 1998.