Human Resources: Excellence in Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Celebrated at Third Annual ERE

SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2007 – The winners of the 2007 Recruiting Excellence Awards were announced last week at a black-tie gala dinner and ceremony at the ERE Expo 2007 Spring Conference and Exhibition, hosted by ERE Media, Inc.

Recognizing excellence in corporate recruiting, the Recruiting Excellence Awards were given out in 10 categories, ranging from Best Employer Brand to Most Innovative Use of Recruitment Technology.

The ceremony and dinner was sponsored by Monster, the leading online global careers network, and hosted by Neal Bruce, vice president of alliances for Monster.

This is the third annual Recruiting Excellence Awards ceremony, which happens each year at the ERE Expo spring conference, the leading recruitment and talent management event for the industry.

"This was our biggest Expo ever – about 50 percent larger than last year,” said David Manaster, CEO of ERE Media. “All the finalists and winners made this awards ceremony another huge success.”

AIMCO, the nation’s largest owner and operator of apartment communities, picked up top honors for Best Employee Retention Program. The Denver-based apartment investment and management company also garnered the top award for Most Effective Use of Staffing Metrics.

"I'm extremely delighted that the AIMCO team received four nominations and two awards at this year's ERE spring conference,” says Terri Heredia, AIMCO’s senior vice president, talent management. “To be recognized by a high-caliber organization like ERE is truly an honor and I share this recognition with the team members who made this possible."

Other awards presented at the evening ceremony went to Starbucks (Best Corporate Careers Web site), Tenet Healthcare (Most Innovative Employee Referral Program), Intuit (Best Employer Brand) and Ernst & Young LLP (Best College Recruiting Program).

"The extremely successful companies that are represented at our awards ceremony pave the way in the recruiting industry overall. Their innovations ultimately drive the way companies think about how talent management leads to corporate success. ERE is proud to recognize and honor those successes," says Manaster.

The 2008 awards program will take place next April in San Diego. Employers interested in applying can visit http://www.ereawards.com for more details and to download an application kit.

ERE congratulates the winners and all of the finalists for the 2007 Recruiting Excellence Awards:

BEST DIVERSITY PROGRAM
* Compuware Corporation - WINNER
* Sodexho - Finalist

BEST CORPORATE CAREERS WEBSITE
* Starbucks - WINNER
* Citigroup - Finalist
* FedEx - Finalist
* Rackspace Managed Hosting - Finalist

MOST INNOVATIVE EMPLOYEE REFERRAL PROGRAM
* Tenet Healthcare - WINNER
* Fair Isaac - Finalist

BEST EMPLOYER BRAND
* Intuit - WINNER
* Merck & Co., Inc. - Finalist
* Starbucks - Finalist

MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF STAFFING METRICS
* AIMCO - WINNER
* Microsoft - Finalist

MOST INNOVATIVE RECRUITING PROCESS OR DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURE
* Whirlpool Corporation - WINNER
* AIMCO - Finalist
* HealthEast - Finalist

BEST EMPLOYEE RETENTION PROGRAM/PRACTICES
* AIMCO - WINNER
* I Love Rewards - Finalist

BEST COLLEGE RECRUITING PROGRAM
* Ernst & Young LLP - WINNER
* Microsoft - Finalist
* Qualcomm - Finalist

MOST STRATEGIC USE OF RECRUITMENT TECHNOLOGY
* Electronic Arts Inc. - WINNER
* AIMCO - Finalist

RECRUITER OF THE YEAR
* Achuthan Nair, Wipro Technologies - WINNER
* Brian Krueger, Unisys Corp. - Finalist

About the Recruiting Excellence Awards

The Recruiting Excellence Awards honor and recognize the leading recruiting and staffing departments in the world. Awards are given out in several categories recognizing "best in class" operations across all aspects of the recruiting function. Winners are chosen among an audience of the most progressive and interesting and dynamic recruiters (truly some of the most forward-thinking recruiting leaders in the business). More information can be found at http://www.ereawards.com.

About ERE Media

ERE Media, Inc. is the preeminent source of information and networking opportunities for recruiters and HR professionals on the Internet. ERE provides information to over 40,000 active users through a series of free email newsletters, blogs, and direct networking opportunities. ERE also produces cutting-edge research reports, leading industry conferences, and publishes the Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership. For more information about ERE Media, visit http://www.ere.net.