Olympic Athletes Face 'What's Next?' as 2002 Olympic Winter Games Come to a Close; Monster Connects Employers With Olympians

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002--Sunday's Closing Ceremonies brought the Olympic competition to a close in Salt Lake City.

With the Olympic flame extinguished, many Olympians are now forced to address the "What's Next?" question for the first time, as they begin the next phase of their lives. Many athletes do not have lucrative sponsorship or endorsement deals waiting for them upon retirement, and most have spent so much time and energy training they haven't considered pursuits after their sporting careers.

As the online career management sponsor of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Monster(R) is tackling these career issues for athletes. Monster created TeamUSAnet (http://teamusanet.monster.com), the first ever career management website designed exclusively for U.S. Olympic athletes and Olympic hopefuls. A joint effort between Monster and the U.S. Olympic Committee, TeamUSAnet features an assortment of career management tools including a resume builder, job search access, an Olympic mentoring network, and other content specifically geared to athletes. Monster is the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW).

"Our Olympic sponsorship commitment does not end after the 17 days of the Olympic Games, but truly begins when we can provide retiring Olympians with a place to go after the medals are awarded and the spectators head home," said Jeff Taylor, founder and chairman of Monster. "We believe that TeamUSAnet is a legacy program that will grow and be used by athletes for many years to come."

The Monster Olympian Career Study, the first comprehensive career study of Olympic athletes and hopefuls, found that 60% of Olympians are concerned about managing their professional careers after they retire from Olympic competition, and 67% of Olympians fear an emotional letdown after the Games. Yet the study also found that Olympians develop a highly valued set of skills, including discipline, a strong work ethic, the ability to perform under pressure, and team spirit. These qualities can lead to success in the workplace and may be particularly attractive to prospective employers in many fields.

Amy Gamble, a team handball Olympian in 1998, offers this advice to athletes considering retirement after the 2002 Olympic Games: "It is important to acknowledge that there will be a letdown after participating in the Olympics. Hang in there through the transition period and be kind to yourself as you learn new skills and adjust to corporate cultures. Recognize that other people will look at you differently because you are an Olympian -- some with admiration, others who think you will fail because you can't make the transition. Olympians have a high level of intensity and very high standards, and you need to know how to balance this drive for perfection." Gamble returned to school after retiring from competition, and is now a National Account Director with AstraZeneca, one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Many employers already appreciate the power of the Olympian profile and are eager to capitalize on the desirable skills of Olympians. As a new enhancement to TeamUSAnet, Monster is putting out a worldwide appeal to potential employers to post their job opportunities on the site. Effective immediately, Olympians and hopefuls will be able to search job postings customized for their unique skill sets, including part-time and full-time employment opportunities, sponsorship and endorsement packages, speaking engagements and appearances, coaching positions and more.

Monster encourages those interested in posting career opportunities on TeamUSAnet to visit http://hireolympians.monster.com or call 1-800-MONSTER. Existing customers can contact their customer representative for more information.

About Monster

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 41 million unique visits during the month of January 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, 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.

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CONTACT:
Cone
Sandy Yusen, 617-272-8317
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or
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Kellie Buckley, 978-461-8364
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