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Tribune Launches Strategy to Connect
Hourly Workers and Employers
Introducing
CareerBuilder Connect in Los Angeles, Chicago, South Florida
and Hartford
CHICAGO, August 6, 2002 -- Tribune
Company (NYSE:
TRB) today introduces CareerBuilder Connect, a new online
recruitment product that matches hourly workers and employers
quickly and efficiently. CareerBuilder Connect provides job
seekers an easy way to apply for hourly jobs online or via
phone and gives employers access to a database of experienced
candidates and the ability to search and sort by job qualifications,
compensation requirements and geography. Tribune will launch
the product this week in Chicago and Hartford, Conn.; the
Los Angeles and South Florida markets will follow the week
of August 12.
"CareerBuilder Connect combines the reach
of newspapers, the functionality of the Internet and the ubiquity
of the telephone," said Craig Besant, Tribune Classified
Services vice president/recruitment. "Tribune newspapers
have long been the primary resource for job seekers and employers
in the hourly recruitment segment. This new multimedia product
builds on that leadership."
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
more than 70 percent of U.S. workers are in jobs that require
education/training that is less than an associate's degree.
However, until now, there have been limited Internet-based
resources to serve this marketplace.
"A lot of job seekers don't have access
to the Internet and many don't have prepared resumes. CareerBuilder
Connect makes it easy for them to find jobs," said Robert
Montgomery, CareerBuilder chief executive officer. "We
look forward to working with our other newspaper partners
to introduce the product in additional markets."
Tribune's CareerBuilder Connect enables hourly
workers to complete a pre-interview profile questionnaire
that details their skills, experience and contact information.
The profiles are then consolidated into a single database
for employers to review online.
During the next two weeks, job seekers in Los
Angeles, Chicago, South Florida and Hartford can begin completing
CareerBuilder Connect individual profiles by dialing a toll-free
phone number and following interactive voice commands, or
by logging on to latimes.com/careerbuilder,
chicagotribune.com/careerbuilder,
sun-sentinel.com/careerbuilder
and hartfordcourant.com/careerbuilder.
The profile questionnaires-available in English
and Spanish via phone and in English online-include approximately
20 general and job-specific questions. General background
questions include: "Indicate the number of years of experience
you have" and "What is the highest level of education
you have achieved?" Job-specific questions help detail
relevant experience and qualifications. For example, a position
for a home health aide includes: "Do you have experience
checking a patient's pulse, temperature, respiration and blood
pressure?" and "Are you certified as a Home Health
Aide?"
Initially, the CareeerBuilder Connect database
will collect profiles for jobs in six employment categories
and/or industries. The categories, representing the skill
sets most in demand in today's hourly marketplace, are: customer
service; healthcare; hotel and hospitality; office administration;
restaurant and food service; and sales and retail. Additional
job categories will be added in coming months.
Employers can purchase access to the CareerBuilder
Connect Web-based profile database to search, qualify and
contact experienced hourly workers. Employers will be able
to use filters to best search the profiles and weight the
significance of certain profile responses. This flexibility
saves employers time, narrowing their selection to identify
the most qualified candidates.
"Large and small businesses need more
efficient ways to screen and hire hourly workers," said
Besant. "CareerBuilder Connect was designed to meet that
need."
Tribune will promote the product through in-paper
and Web site advertising and via a targeted email campaign
to Los Angeles, Chicago, South Florida and Hartford-area job
seekers currently using CareerBuilder.com.
"Tribune Web sites and CareerBuilder have
a distinct advantage over other online job boards," added
Besant. "We are uniquely positioned to aggressively promote
CareerBuilder Connect through our newspapers and Web sites."
Tribune will introduce CareerBuilder Connect
at its seven other newspapers in the coming months: Newsday,
The Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel, The Morning Call (Allentown,
Pa.), Daily Press (Newport News, Va.), The Advocate (Stamford,
Conn.) and Greenwich Time (both serving Connecticut's Fairfield
County).
Tribune created CareerBuilder Connect with
the assistance of Wonderlic, Inc., a recognized leader in
recruiting, assessment and retention products and consulting
services for businesses and academic institutions. Wonderlic
developed the CareerBuilder Connect pre-interview questionnaires
as well as the software technology used to capture profiles
and assist employer reviews.
"Wonderlic is excited about its new partnership
with Tribune and the opportunity to help create this innovative
online recruitment service," said Charles Wonderlic,
Jr., Wonderlic, Inc. president. "Our expertise in pre-qualifying
more than 130 million job-seekers in the last 64 years and
Tribune's unparalleled local reach and trusted newspaper brands
make for a powerful combination. CareerBuilder Connect makes
the process of filling job openings with qualified job seekers
significantly easier, quicker and more efficient than traditional
alternatives."
To view CareerBuilder Connect, visit: http://www.chicagotribune.com/careerbuilder
or http://www.hartfordcourant.com/careerbuilder.
:: :: ::
Tribune Interactive, Inc., a subsidiary
of Tribune Company (NYSE:
TRB), operates leading interactive news and information
sites in major markets across the United States, including
18 of the top 30 markets. Tribune Interactive's Web sites
attract approximately 8 million unique visitors per month,
and rank among the top 20 interactive news/information networks
in the country. More information on Tribune is available on
the Internet: www.tribune.com.
CareerBuilder is a leading online source
for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches
with superior products, customer service and technology. In
partnership with Tribune Company (NYSE:
TRB) and Knight-Ridder Inc. (NYSE: KRI), CareerBuilder
includes the Web's top newspaper sites -- the most trusted
employment sources in recruiting. For more information about
CareerBuilder products and services, call 888/670-TEAM or
visit CareerBuilder at www.careerbuilder.com.
Wonderlic, Inc. is a recognized leader
in recruiting, assessment and retention products and consulting
services for businesses and academic institutions. The company
has helped more than 50,000 organizations worldwide identify,
select and retain qualified people. Wonderlic products and
services include an array of well-known and highly respected
tools including the Wonderlic Personnel Test, Wonderlic Basic
Skills Test and the Comprehensive Personality Profile, all
of which are currently offered online. Other services include
multi-rater feedback systems, team building and exit interviews
as well as customer satisfaction and employee opinion surveys.
From the NFL to MENSA, Wonderlic tests, assessments and human
resource technologies have been administered an average of
2.5 million times annually for the last 64 years.
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