Oct 14, 1997: The Monster Board Selected By Microsoft As Exclusive Online Recruitment Solution For Skills 2000 Program

FRAMINGHAM, MA - October 14, 1997 - The Monster Board, owned by TMP Worldwide (NASDAQ: TMPW), today announced a strategic relationship with Microsoft Corp. in which the Web site (http://www.monster.com) will provide the exclusive online recruitment solution for Microsoft's Skills 2000 initiative, launched by Microsoft to help its channel partners recruit trained information technology (IT) professionals.

Under the agreement, The Monster Board will provide Microsoft Certified Solution Providers (MCSPs) with a customized Internet-based solution for recruiting qualified IT professionals, via an ongoing "Microsoft Skills 2000" area where MCSPs can advertise employment opportunities. By simply clicking on the Microsoft Skills 2000 button on the top of the home page, job seekers will have instant access to a specially created section where they can search and apply online instantly to thousands of technical job openings posted by MCSPs.

Currently, Microsoft's channel partners are estimated to have more than 41,000 open jobs worldwide. To ensure the success of the Skills 2000 initiative, Microsoft is committed to an extensive marketing program to drive both MCSPs and professionals who have completed Microsoft Certification courses to The Monster Board site.

"Online recruitment continues to provide the most cost-effective and efficient solution to attract and hire qualified IT professionals," said Jeff Taylor, executive vice president of TMP Interactive. "By hosting the Microsoft Skills 2000 area on The Monster Board, we will be able to provide thousands of additional quality career opportunities to job seekers, while delivering highly skilled candidates to Microsoft's MCSPs."

"It makes perfect business sense to use the Web to recruit technical staff, and through The Monster Board, we can offer our channel partners an ideal solution for reaching talented IT professionals," said Nancy Lewis, general manager of Microsoft Training and Certification. "The Monster Board's multi-faceted approach to online recruiting will enable our partners and customers to reach job seekers from IT and other industries 24 hours a day -- whenever it is most convenient to look for a job."

Job seekers and employers also will have access to The Monster Board's comprehensive database of both technical and non-technical jobs, as well as its extensive career resources and employer information. Within The Monster Board site, the Microsoft Skills 2000 area will offer special features, including:

• Job Search - MCSPs can list open IT jobs that can be searched according to location, keyword, or professional expertise, like Microsoft Certification.
• Resume City - MCSPs will have access to The Monster Board's searchable database of more than 250,000 resumes.
• Resume Builder - Job seekers can create and submit resumes to MCSPs and Resume City.
• Personal Job Search Agent - Job seekers can create personal "Job Profiles" listing the location and type of job desired. The Personal Job Search Agent automatically will search and return job matches in the user's personal in-box or via e-mail, even when the user is off-line.
• Valuable Information - Additional features that will be beneficial to MCSPs and job seekers include links to Microsoft's Training and Certification site for easy access to training opportunities, MCSP Career Fair dates and information and background on the Microsoft Skills 2000 program.

The area will be live on The Monster Board site in early November. MCSPs can visit The Monster Board or call 1-800-MONSTER to participate in the program.

The Monster Board is the premier site on the Internet's World Wide Web connecting career seekers with top employers online. The Monster Board provides free access to more than 50,000 current job postings, as well as employer profiles. More than 4,000 companies are currently posting jobs on the site, and more than 250,000 resumes are available to employers through The Monster Board's "Resume City." Each month more than 1.3 million visitors to The Monster Board look for positions and gather information on furthering their careers.

The Monster Board, based in Framingham, Mass., is the flagship product of the Interactive Division of TMP Worldwide, the 14th largest advertising agency in the country and the largest yellow page and a leading recruitment advertising agency worldwide. TMP intends to continue to develop alliances that will provide additional value-added content to its list of career center Web sites, which currently includes The Monster Board, Online Career Center, Be The Boss and MedSearch.

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The Monster Board is a registered trademark of TMP Worldwide. Online Career Center, Be The Boss and MedSearch are service marks of TMP Worldwide. Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.