How to Find Employment Opportunities with Fortune 1000 Companies and Small and Mid-sized Employers

By Edward Ward

DirectEmployers Association, a non-profit consortium of more than 300 leading U.S. corporations, has launched JobCentral National Labor Exchange to provide both employers and job seekers a corporate-sponsored, cost-effective transition from federally-funded America’s Job Bank (AJB) which was phased out by the U.S. Department of Labor in a cost-cutting move in mid-2007.

The JobCentral National Labor Exchange allows job seekers to search jobs with one search across thousands of corporate web sites and leading Internet search engines such as Google, Indeed and SimplyHired. Over five million (5,000,000) jobs are available to job seekers from corporate web sites, newspapers, trade associations, and other Internet sources in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, 230 major metropolitan areas, and all U.S. cities and postal zip code areas.

JobCentral allows job seekers to search across hundreds of corporate career sites without having to go to each employer’s Web site. The site identifies links to jobs and takes the job seeker directly to the job on the corporate Web site where you can apply directly to the company without having to put your resume on a commercial job board. In addition, since the jobs are automatically indexed from corporate Web sites as many as three times per day, the site represents the most current, up-to-date listing possible of employment opportunities with FORTUNE 1000 companies as well as small and mid-sized companies.

As was the case with America’s Job Bank, many of the jobs are internships and entry-level positions which will be of great interest to college students and recent graduates who have used AJB in the past. The service is available free-of-charge to all job seekers, JobCentral has also partnered with The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and Symplicity Corporation to develop NACElink Network for college recruiting. Through links on the JobCentral site, jobs are accessible on the NACElink Network for students and alumni at a fast-growing list of colleges and universities nationwide including large research institutions, small and medium private schools as well as a wide range of community colleges.

JobCentral helps companies meet their general staffing needs at the time of an impending national labor shortage which has heightened the need for employers to attract minorities, veterans, seniors, physically challenged, students and women to the workforce. It allows companies to work directly with government officials at all levels in responding to national emergency recruiting needs such as those experienced as a result of the Katrina disaster.

The discontinuance of America’s Job Bank along with the projected labor shortage caused by baby boomer retirements and a dwindling workforce has provided a formidable challenge for all employers. JobCentral’s National Labor Exchange provides an opportunity for companies to meet their compliance and staffing requirements in an environment which is owned, managed and controlled by employers.

Working in strict compliance with U.S. Department of Labor guidelines and regulations, JobCentral plays a major role in helping companies build their workforce and comply with state and federal regulations such as Affirmative Action Program objectives, Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) obligations and Veterans hiring goals. The JobCentral National Labor Exchange site is designed to play a leading role in helping employers meet their staffing requirements and individual affirmative action goals while, as a group, better manage our nation’s workforce.

JobCentral National Labor Exchange offers extensive benefits free-of-charge to state workforce centers. Career OneStop Centers, counselors and other individuals who have Workforce Development responsibilities in each state now have access to jobs in their respective city, state, or region. Jobs are available through state or federal government job distribution sites, a link to the JobCentral site, or by providing the job search technology on the state’s employment center web site.

JobCentral National Labor Exchange has been developed and is managed by the most experienced staff in the online recruiting industry. The Association’s Executive Director is Bill Warren, a former corporate human resource executive with Rockwell International and former president of Monster, who is widely recognized as the founder of online recruiting. Warren is a recipient of Employment Management Association’s (EMA) prestigious Pericles Pro Meritus Award, an honor presented by EMA in recognition of being the founder of online recruiting.

DirectEmployers Association’s purpose is to share best practices, create new industry standards, provide research, and develop and manage systems and software for employers to increase labor market efficiency and reduce recruiting costs. Its member companies include an impressive group of industry leaders such as Abbott Laboratories, Analysts International, Allstate, ALLTEL Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, Ashland, Avaya, Bausch & Lomb, Baxter, Bell South, Cargill, Cingular Wireless, Cisco, Coca-Cola, General Electric, General Dynamics, H&R Block, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kindred Healthcare, Lockheed Martin, Mellon Financial Corporation, Merck, Harris Corporation, Home Depot, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, National City Corporation, Northrop Grumman, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Raytheon, Southern Company, Sprint, Textron, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Union Pacific, Volt  Information Sciences, and Xerox Corporation.