Monster Announces Relationship with Brainbench for Online Skills Certifications

According to Recent Monster Poll, 87% of Job Seekers View Job Skills and Certifications as Very Important

MAYNARD, Mass., Apr 10, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Further bolstering its suite of tools and services for both job seekers and employers, Monster(R) today announced a new skills certification offering. The offering is designed as a measurement of skills and credentials for job candidates to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, and also to give employers a new criteria to find quality candidates. Monster, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW), has joined forces with Brainbench, the leader in online skills certification, to create a new co-branded site on Monster, giving job seekers and employers new tools to match the most qualified job seekers with the best job opportunities at top companies.

According to the latest Monster Meter poll, 87% of Monster users view job skills and certifications as very important elements in a resume, with 58% of respondents saying that it is extremely important.

The Monster Meter asked, "How important is it to highlight job skills and certifications on your resume?"

In March/April 2002, a total of 28,111 votes were cast, revealing:
--58% (16,353 votes) said: "Extremely."
--29% (8,151 votes) said: "Very."
--9% (2,622 votes) said: "Somewhat."
--4% (985 votes) said: "Not at all."

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster users from March 25th to April 1st, 2002. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monster's current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. Users may review the results of past polls by going to http://midcareer.monster.com/polls/.

The new offering with Brainbench enables Monster job seekers to get a step up on their peers through online skill certifications, providing them quantifiable proof of their skills sets and value as potential employees. Job seekers can register for a variety of tests and take them directly online. The certification brings a significant component to a job seeker's resume, enhancing their worth as a candidate. Certifications also give job seekers a fast, easy way to validate newly obtained skills and to target additional learning and career development opportunities. Once they complete an exam and add it to their Brainbench transcript, it can be attached to their Monster resume. Accessible from within My Monster (http://my.monster.com/), Brainbench has nearly 400 online, computer adaptive certifications in the variety of fields, including IT, finance, sales, administration, healthcare, and other categories.

The Brainbench online certifications also create a new standard for employers to evaluate abilities and work-related skills. Skill certifications provide employers an objective qualification and quantification of job candidates' skills and a detailed assessment of their professional abilities, enabling hiring managers to select the most qualified employees.

"In joining forces with Brainbench to provide access to this valuable offering, job seekers will now have an additional industry-leading tool to market and distinguish themselves," said Steve Pogorzelski, Monster's president, North America. "Through alliances with leading companies, we will continue to offer job seekers the tools that can help them manage their careers and best compete for their ideal jobs."

"We are excited to complement Monster's comprehensive suite of career tools with a certification solution for the job seeker and employer," said Mike Russiello, President and CEO of Brainbench. "This relationship arms corporations with the most complete combination of experience and skills data available today for the hiring decision process."

According to the 2002 Salary Report from Brainbench, those holding certifications are approximately 30% more likely to receive higher increases than those without certifications, showing that hiring managers view certifications as a way to predict how fast a potential candidate can become a productive team member. (A free copy of the complete Brainbench 2001-2002 IT Salary Survey report is available for download from Brainbench at: http://www.brainbench.com/links/toitsalary.html.)

About Monster

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 38.8 million unique visits during the month of February 2002 according to independent research conducted by I/PRO. Monster connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster global network consists of local content and language sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland. Monster is the official online career management services sponsor of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams. More information about Monster is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

About TMP Worldwide

Founded in 1967, TMP Worldwide Inc., with more than 11,000 employees in 32 countries, is the online recruitment leader, the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency network, and one of the world's largest Executive Search and Executive Selection agencies. TMP Worldwide, headquartered in New York, is also the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and a provider of direct marketing services. The company's clients include more than 90 of the Fortune 100 and more than 480 of the Fortune 500 companies. In June 2001, TMP Worldwide was added to the S&P 500 Index. More information about TMP Worldwide is available at www.tmp.com.

About Brainbench

Brainbench, now with more than 3.6 million registered users, pioneered online skills measurement. Brainbench provides nearly 400 professional online certification exams and employment assessments in IT, finance, sales, administration, healthcare and other categories. Since 1999 Brainbench has administered over 5 million tests and maintains the largest ISO 9001 certified library of exams in the world today. Corporate customers include Autodesk, IBM, EDS, Qwest , Element K, PeopleSoft, Cable & Wireless, Manpower Professional, and Booz Allen & Hamilton. Major investors include Manpower, Thomson Learning, Terra Lycos and Primus Venture Partners. For additional information about Brainbench, point your browser to www.brainbench.com.

Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

CONTACT:
Kevin Mullins
Monster
978-461-8751
kevin.mullins@monster.com
or
Eileen Townsend
Brainbench
703-674-3430
eileen.townsend@brainbench.com