6700 Beta Drive, Suite 300
  Mayfield Village, OH 44143
  Phone: 440/684-9700 | Fax: 440/684-9760
  www.ercnet.org | www.northcoast99.org | www.erchealth.com

Contact: Marty Mordarski, Director of Membership, mmordarski@ercnet.org

Press Release
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Online Career Centers: A Growing Trend

Cleveland– Eight of every ten corporate websites include information targeted toward job seekers, according to the results of the 2007 Online Career Center Study, published by ERC. In the study of 3,449 websites, over 80% of employers devoted a section to information and tools designed to help job seekers learn about employment at their organization. This has been a growing trend since ERC conducted its first study in 2003. (See graph below.)

“To effectively compete for top talent employers must have a presence online,” says ERC Senior Consultant and Trainer, Tom Tomasula. “Every year, more employers tell us they are finding a majority of their candidates and new hires online. Organizations who don’t use their corporate websites to tell people about their culture and how to apply for a position are now at a significant disadvantage in the war for talent.”

Other studies conducted by ERC support Tomasula’s statement. Since 2004, NorthCoast 99 Winners (organizations recognized as great places to work for top talent in Northeast Ohio), have reported that their first and second most effective recruiting sources are employee referrals and the Internet.

Another annual study conducted by ERC in collaboration with SBN Magazine has shown similar trends. ERC’s Director of Research & Membership, Marty Mordarski, explains that, “In 2002, a little over half of the employers we surveyed routinely used Internet job boards to recruit for open positions, compared to 74% in 2007. In addition, the average percent of employers’ recruiting budgets used for online advertising has jumped from about 17% in 2002 to 35% in 2007. At the same time, the average spent on classified ads has dropped from as high as 38% down to 23% in 2007.”

The 2007 study, which also includes a survey conducted by Careerboard.com of over 1,600 job seekers, includes observations on new and innovative online recruiting trends and resources to help employers set up or enhance their own Online Career Centers. It can be downloaded for free at the ERC website at www.ercnet.org/research/studies.asp and at the NorthCoast 99 website at www.northcoast99.org/reports/careercenters.asp.

ERC is Northeast Ohio’s largest organization dedicated to HR and workplace programs, practices, training and consulting. The organization also hosts NorthCoast 99 and sponsors the ERC Health insurance program. For more information about ERC, check out www.ercnet.org.

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