TRB Tribune

New Company Helps Employers Maximize the Value of Their Workforces CHICAGO, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- CareerBuilder.com the nation's largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.6 million jobs, has launched Personified, a consulting firm that helps employers understand and leverage the relationship between talent management and company performance. Some of the talent solutions the company will provide include: employee acquisition and retention; recruitment process outsourcing; employment branding; inclusive culture development; and employee engagement. The goal of Personified is to develop customized talent solutions that allow employers to get the best return on their investment in people, processes and technology. The company differentiates itself through its deep understanding of the online environment and access to a vast talent pool and in-depth employment data. Personified evolved from CareerBuilder.com's Human Capital Consulting Division, which successfully launched in 2006, and will allow the CareerBuilder.com network access to a greater share of the $18.4 billion global human resources consulting industry(i). "Personified will operate independently, but will leverage the knowledge and resources of CareerBuilder.com to deliver unmatched insight into the behavior of job seekers and employees," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.com. "The new company was formed to address increased demands from the market for more robust talent management solutions." Personified is being launched in the wake of a tightening labor market driven in large part by the impending retirement of many Baby Boomers and the lack of skilled talent to fill the knowledge gap. According to CareerBuilder.com's annual job forecast(ii), 41 percent of employers say they have positions for which they can't find qualified talent. "Personified helps employers navigate a new era of talent management, where employees and job seekers are empowered by the Internet and can find a new career opportunity or get insight on a company at a moment's notice," said Mary Delaney, President of Personified. "The average tenure of an employee continues to decline -- making the talent marketplace extremely competitive and employers' ability to retain intellectual capital much more challenging. In fact, a quarter of employees plan to leave their current position in the next two years(iii)." Despite the hiring environment becoming more competitive every day, nearly half (48 percent) of employers surveyed by CareerBuilder.com reported that they don't have a recruitment strategy in place(iv). Personified will be focused on four key areas of recruitment and retention to help employers propel their businesses forward: 1. Talent Acquisition More than a quarter (27 percent) of employers surveyed by CareerBuilder.com say, due to a tight job market, they have retained workers whom they otherwise wouldn't due to performance issues or a slowdown in work(v). Personified helps employers optimize their recruitment process and more effectively staff their business through recruitment process outsourcing and analysis of a company's current recruitment processes from the perspective of the candidate, recruiter and hiring manager. 2. Employment Branding Seventy-eight percent of employers surveyed say their companies do not have an employee brand(vi). Personified works with companies to build and communicate an employment brand that sets them apart from competitors and establishes a company as a desirable place to work -- which ultimately leads to higher quality talent, reduced recruitment costs and improved employee retention. 3. Workforce Culture -- Diversity/Inclusion Forty-six percent of workers do not believe their workplace mirrors national demographics(vii). More employers are recognizing the positive impact a diverse workforce has on the bottom line. Personified helps employers identify and build the right culture within their organizations to create an inclusive environment that better mirrors their customer base, embraces diverse viewpoints and boosts innovation. 4. Employee Engagement -- Training When job seekers were asked to identify the defining moment when they started looking for a new employer, the top reason cited was the feeling that there was nothing left to learn or no challenge or growth potential(viii). After identifying what initially attracts candidates to their opportunities and whether the corporate environment delivers on its promise, Personified builds training programs in recruitment, leadership, sales, diversity, and project management. For more information about Personified, visit: http://www.personified.com/ About CareerBuilder.com CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.6 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,200 partners, including 140 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 300,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 26 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. CareerBuilder.com and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/. (i) Kennedy Information: HR Consulting Marketplace 2006-2010 (ii) CareerBuilder.com "2008 Job Forecast" conducted by Harris Interactive December 2007 (iii) CareerBuilder.com "2008 Job Forecast" conducted by Harris Interactive December 2007 (iv) CareerBuilder.com Q2 2007 Employment Forecast (v) CareerBuilder.com Q4 2007 Employment Forecast (vi) CareerBuilder.com Q2 2007 Employment Forecast (vii) CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services Discrimination Study conducted by Harris Interactive June 2007 (viii) CareerBuilder.com "2008 Job Forecast" conducted by Harris Interactive December 2007 Media Contact Tanya Flynn 773-527-5393 DATASOURCE: CareerBuilder.com CONTACT: Tanya Flynn of CareerBuilder.com, +1-773-527-5393, Web site: http://www.careerbuilder.com/ http://www.personified.com/

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