Workplace Technology Brings Changes to Job Seeker Etiquette, Polls Find; Monster Poll Finds Employers Prefer Email Thank-You Notes to Traditional Letters

MAYNARD, Mass., Sep 5, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Job interviews are a vital part of the job search process, and according to the latest Monster Meter poll, a majority of employers and job seekers still view sending a thank-you note after an interview as an important element of proper job searching etiquette. However, job seekers from both Monster and MonsterTRAK, a career resource for college students and alumni, still prefer the traditional thank-you letter route, while Monster employers would rather receive thank-you notes via email. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster(R), the leading global online careers property and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW), is an ongoing series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy, and the workplace.

The question of whether or not to send a thank-you note after a job interview has been an age-old debate for decades. However, with the advent of email in the workplace in the 1990's, another option has been added for job seekers. According to a recent Monster poll, 60 percent of job seekers send thank-you notes after job interviews (41 percent indicated that they send a traditional letter, while only 19 percent said that they use email). On the MonsterTRAK poll, 64 percent of the college and young alumni job seekers send thank-you notes (38 percent mail their thank-you letters the traditional way, while 26 percent email them).

Conversely, 65 percent of Monster employers expect a thank-you note of some kind (36 percent indicated that they actually prefer thank you notes sent by email, surpassing the 29 percent who would rather receive the traditional letter variety).

"Regardless of the current economic environment, sending a thank-you note after a job interview can be instrumental in securing employment or that dream job. By sending a thank-you note, job seekers are showing the interviewer common courtesy and respect, and appreciation of his/her time," said Marcel Legrand, senior vice president of product, Monster. "These recent polls demonstrate that a majority of employers expect a thank-you note of some form. Job seekers should use it as an opportunity to reiterate interest in the position and his/her qualifications."

The Monster Meter asked, "Do you send thank-you notes following interviews?"(a)

-- 41% said: "Yes, I mail a thank-you letter."
-- 40% said: "No, it's an antiquated practice that doesn't really impress anyone."
-- 19% said: "Yes, I send an email."

MonsterTRAK asked, "Do you send thank-you notes after interviews?"(b)

-- 38% said: "Yes, I mail a thank-you letter."
-- 36% said: "No, it's an antiquated practice that doesn't really impress anyone."
-- 26% said: "Yes, I send an email."

Monster Office HQ asked employers, "Do you expect to receive thank-you notes after interviews?"(c)

-- 36% said: "Yes, but I'd prefer to receive them in email form."
-- 35% said: "No, it's an antiquated practice."
-- 29% said: "Yes, I expect a traditional thank-you letter."

(a)The results of the current Monster Meter are based on 23,814 votes cast by Monster users from August 15th to August 22nd, 2002 on the Monster homepage. 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/.

(b)The results of the current MonsterTRAK poll are based on 2,107 votes cast by MonsterTRAK users from August 12th to August 26th, 2002 on the homepage of MonsterTRAK (http://www.monstertrak.com). Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The content of the MonsterTRAK site is targeted specifically to college students and is a password-protected site. Only students and alumni who have a password from their career center can go further than the homepage. Anyone interested in voting in MonsterTRAK's current online poll may do so by logging onto MonsterTRAK at www.monstertrak.com. Users may review the results of past polls by going to http://content.monstertrak.monster.com/polls.

(c)The results of the Monster Poll are based on 217 votes cast by Monster employer users from August 19th to August 25th , 2002. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

About Monster

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 44.9 million unique visits during the month of August 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 8,500 employees in 33 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 490 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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