.Jobs Universe Expansion Enables Job Seekers to More Easily Find Open Positions in Their City and Area of Expertise

INDIANAPOLIS, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DirectEmployers Association, a non-profit consortium of leading global employers, today emphasized the importance of helping job seekers more easily find open positions in their city and area of expertise, by expanding the .Jobs Universe on the internet.

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"Unemployment remains high in the U.S., yet companies are picking up the pace of hiring and there are more open positions available than at any time since the downturn began," said Bill Warren, Executive Director of DirectEmployers Association and an early pioneer in online recruiting.  "We need a more centralized, efficient way of connecting employers with job seekers and the .Jobs Universe is the answer.  Now, by expanding the .Jobs Universe to include geographic locations and career specialty keywords, we are adding the capability for job seekers to easily search based on their location or area of expertise."

Adds Warren, "It's free.  There is no cost to the employer, and no cost to the job seeker.  All companies, regardless of size or industry, can list jobs free of charge, automatically enter new listings on a daily basis and automatically distribute job listings to relevant web sites.  It's the most simple, powerful, cost-effective way to bring hiring companies together with qualified candidates."

For example, Rhonda Stickley, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at Providence Health & Services, is regularly seeking top medical professionals.  She said, "If we can distribute our openings for nurses in Seattle, for example, to multiple relevant websites such as www.seattle.jobs, www.nursing.jobs and www.seattlenursing.jobs, that is a big win for both Providence Health & Services and the job seeker."

Employers have rallied around the .Jobs platform since its launch in January, with jobs from over 90,000 employers including some of the largest companies in the world. The .Jobs Universe was created to transform how people use the Internet to quickly and efficiently locate valid employment opportunities.

Rodney Moses, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition for Blackberry manufacturer Research In Motion, said, "The .Jobs Universe creates an environment of seamlessly integrated employment domains which is revolutionary for the online recruitment industry. We are always seeking top-notch talent around the globe, and this initiative will help foster that effort."

Concurs Mike Rickheim, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition for global consumer products marketer Newell Rubbermaid, "Newell Rubbermaid is always interested in identifying new avenues to attract and retain top talent.  The .Jobs Universe launch represents one of the most promising and most innovative means of linking job seekers with hiring employers.  This provides our organization with the opportunity to source and secure a diverse slate of highly-qualified talent in a cost-effective way."

Recently, questions have been raised about how the .Jobs Universe expansion will be governed.  Warren said DirectEmployers Association is addressing these concerns while staying focused on the goal to make it easier and more efficient for job seekers to connect with hiring companies.  "The support that we have received from job seekers and recruiting leaders is phenomenal.  It speaks volumes about the direction and the potential of the .Jobs Universe."

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, 550+ member employer trade association.  Its members include many of the largest U.S. and global employers in the world. The Association's mission is to provide employers an employment network that is cost-effective, improves labor market efficiency and reaches an ethnically diverse national and international workforce.  DirectEmployers Association provides a wide-range of products, services and engagement opportunities to its members—included but not limited to: Indexing Member jobs and syndicating them to thousands of job sites across the Internet; A robust analytics platform providing detailed job seeker traffic data; A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) platform generating rapid SEO ranking growth and trust; A comprehensive suite of programs and services that assists participating Members with OFCCP Compliance and Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA) regulations; in addition to many other services.

SOURCE DirectEmployers Association