CHICAGO, IL (March 9, 2006) Leading advocates for Chicago-area employers and job seekers announced today the first-of-its-kind integrated employment matching system to improve the quality and efficiency of hiring job candidates throughout the region.  As one of the most comprehensive workforce initiatives across Chicagoland, partners from education, government, community and business have joined together to launch a revolutionary and seamless online system to link job seekers with employers in a way that keeps information private until a mutual match is secured.

Based on the QuietAgent.com technology, the innovative job matching program is being offered to employers and job seekers through organizations including City Colleges of Chicago*, Chicago Public Schools, University of Illinois-Chicago (School of Business Administration), National Able Network®, Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, Chicago Housing Authority, Career Advancement Network, Inc. (through a grant by the McCormick Tribune Foundation), Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce, Barrington Chamber of Commerce, Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Mayor’s Office of Aurora, and The Field Museum.

“We have all come together in a commitment to invest in the technology, training and best practices that will vastly improve the quality and efficiency of hiring Chicago-area residents,” comments Grace Jenkins, President and CEO, National Able Network®, one of Chicago’s largest nonprofit employment and training agencies that is currently using the QuietAgent™ system to assist job seekers through its five Illinois locations. “This collaborative use of the QuietAgent.com™ technology will serve as the catalyst to make Chicago one of the best places for businesses, small and large, to recruit and retain qualified employees.”

Unlike any other job search program, the new integrated program now available throughout Chicago and suburban areas keeps the employer and job seeker information anonymous until a qualified two-way match is secured. A match is only solidified when all the employer’s requirements meet the job seeker’s skills and, in turn, the candidate’s desires or needs are met by the employer. In addition, job seekers are linked to a quick and easy flash-based assessment tool to explore 1,200 careers in the Department of Labor’s job database.

With the cost of hiring an employee in America averaging $3,500 to $5,000, there are also the incalculable costs and decreases in productivity resulting from hiring an unqualified candidate. Employers are in need of an efficient and cost effective system that will hone in on qualified job seekers and more accurately match the job skills to the position prior to the interview process. The QuietAgent.com™ technology is designed to more efficiently and effectively connect employers and job seekers, while providing unique tools to educational institutions, government agencies, community-based groups, and businesses to perform the job training, matching and placement tasks specific to their organizations.

The new internet-based system not only supplies businesses with better technology to source candidates, but it also connects with all types of job seekers including those already employed or underemployed, as well as students and candidates outside the Chicago area. Employers will now have access to a larger and more diversified pool of job candidates, and the new online recruiting tool can be used for every type of job including volunteer, internships, holiday, full and part-time.

“It’s a critical time for workforce and economic development in Chicago and as groups from education, government, business and the community join forces to embark on filling the employment pipeline, we can make a longstanding impact on individuals, families and businesses,” adds Gerald Roper, President & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. “With the launch of this seamless quality job matching process, businesses of all sizes and types across Chicagoland will now have an advanced and trusted recruitment tool at their fingertips.”

The new job matching system offers job seekers of all ages, skill level and background free access to career coaching and continual updating of their electronic resume. With QuietAgent™, job seekers are protected from job alerts and spam, and only receive qualified job invitations from employers that have actually reviewed their public resume information and wish to
invite them to release their private contact details. Employers only pay a $10 to $20 fee once their selected candidate accepts an invitation to release further information and go on to an interview.

“For the last nine years, the market has been dominated by job boards that have frustrated both job seekers and employers as they do not allow for two-way matching or an anonymous exchange of real time employment information,” explains Gary Scheier, CEO, StaffCV, United States, developers of the QuietAgent.com™ technology.

“With QuietAgent, job seekers also get the benefit of having an electronic resume or passport that is completed one time and then updated on a continuous basis according to the candidate’s skills and needs,” adds Scheier.

Employers that tap into the new job matching program will have informed access to job seekers who are not only skilled in the traditional sense, but who are uniquely suited to the position they desire, and thus lead to optimal retention and job satisfaction. In addition, unique career exploration tools are available for educational institutions such as City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools and University of Illinois, as well as community-based organizations and government agencies.

For more information on the QuietAgent™ based job matching program, job seekers and employers can contact National Able Network at (312) 580-0389 and Gary Scheier at (847) 714-0077, or visit the following websites:

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce (www.chicagolandchamber.org)
Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce (www.chicagosouthland.com)
Evanston Chamber of Commerce (www.evchamber.com)
Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce (www.naperville.net)
Barrington Chamber of Commerce (www.barringtonchamber.com)
City Colleges of Chicago (www.ccc.edu)