U.S. Congressman Ed Towns Teams Up with Monster.com’s Nationwide Keep America Working Career Fair as it Rolls into Brooklyn

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (NY-10) will be collaborating with Monster.com, the leading global online career and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW), as the company’s national Keep America Working career fair tour travels to Brooklyn on August 5. Rep. Towns will be speaking to attendees at 11:00 a.m., and representatives from his office will be on hand, along with Monster.com experts, to speak with job seekers about local unemployment benefits and services, and offer career advice to help connect them with employers in this tough market. In addition to Brooklyn, the tour will stop in Vienna, Va., today, Whippany, N.J., on August 6 and Braintree, Mass. on August 7.

“There is no denying how challenging the job market is during this economic downturn. It is encouraging for me to see companies like Monster put together events that open the door to potential employment opportunities for job seekers in our community,” said Rep. Towns. “After seeing the benefit Monster’s Keep America Working tour provided to job seekers across the country, I knew it was important to collaborate with them and to bring this event to Brooklyn.”

“Monster’s mission with the Keep America Working Tour has been to do our part to help job seekers find work by providing them with access to not just employers, but also to the tips and advice they need,” said Melissa Wojciak, vice president of government affairs, Monster. “Part of that mission is our constant search to work together with other companies who can help, like Dress for Success and Career Gear. By collaborating with Rep. Towns, we are able to jointly use our collective missions to benefit the people of Brooklyn.”

In a break with tradition for both Monster and other job fair organizers, Monster’s Keep America Working job fairs are free of charge to both job seekers and Monster employers with current job openings, to eliminate any cost barrier, and to encourage the greatest number of employers with available jobs to link face-to-face with people who need those jobs.

The Keep America Working Tour includes more than 100 stops across the nation throughout 2009. Since its kick-off in Boston at the end of February, the tour has featured 1408 employers with more than 33,000 jobs to fill in 53 major markets. The nearly 33,000 jobs represented at the fairs are backed up by tens of thousands of jobs listed on Monster.com in Brooklyn and these metropolitan areas.

Monster has also augmented the Keep America Working (KAW) Tour with a presence on Facebook and Twitter which allow job seekers to interact and connect. Both the Monster Twitter @MonsterKAW and Facebook pages, offer real-time updates from the floor of the event which provide seekers with insight into what jobs are available as well as what hiring managers are looking for in their candidates. In addition, the Facebook page has become a place for seekers to interact and connect with Monster’s KAW Tour, sharing updates on their own job qualifications, and helping to spread the buzz about employers/jobs on site at various event stops across the country. Monster’s Facebook and Twitter sites also equip seekers with career advice, tips for job hunting and interview preparation as they take on a challenging work environment.

Monster has also teamed with Career Gear and Dress for Success, international not-for-profit organizations that promote the economic independence of disadvantaged men and women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. Representatives and clients from the Career Gear and Dress for Success chapters in Brooklyn will also be on site to participate in pre-fair training sessions with Monster Career Advice Specialists. These sessions help demystify the career fair experience, while providing tips and tools to approach and speak with employers.

The Keep America Working Tour brings together the tools and expertise job seekers need to not only find a job, but to also help to manage their careers. Job seekers who attend the career fairs can learn from Monster’s Career Experts by attending live theater presentations for advice and techniques they need to truly stand out from the crowd in today’s tough job market. On-site Kiosks feature Monster's new career exploration and management tools, including Career Snapshots, Career Benchmarking and Career Mapping. Job seekers can make the most of the on-site opportunity to meet face-to-face with market-leading employers looking to fill local jobs now, while employers meet highly-qualified candidates they need to strengthen their recruiting pipelines and fill their open positions in an efficient manner.

For more information about the job fairs in Monster’s Keep America Working Tour, visit http://monstervjf.adicio.com/ or follow Monster’s Keep America Working Tour on Twitter @MonsterKAW and connect on Facebook.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), parent company of Monster, the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to inspire people to improve their lives. With a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, Monster works for everyone by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally. Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. Monster Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 index. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://about-monster.com.