ECONOMY SLOWS, BUT AREA JOB PROSPECTS REMAIN GOOD VIRGINIA, MARYLAND RANK HIGH ON MARCH JOB OPPORTUNITY INDEX (JOI)

Reston, VA, March 28, 2001

Despite a slowing economy, Virginia and Maryland continue to rank among the top ten states in the country for job seekers, according to the March edition of the Job Opportunity Index (JOI), a monthly report released by FlipDog.com and its strategic partner, HireStrategy.

"The Washington area job market has cooled considerably," says Paul Villella, President and CEO of HireStrategy, who advises FlipDog.com researchers on the monthly JOI. "Companies are delaying their hiring and being much more selective than they were last year. We think the job market will be rough for at least the next several months. Still, the March JOI shows that this area is still one of the best places in the country to find a job."

Topping the March report as the state with the best opportunities for job seekers is Massachusetts, followed by New Hampshire, Minnesota and California. Virginia and Connecticut are tied for fifth, followed by Vermont, Colorado, Maryland and Washington State. At the other end of the scale, West Virginia, a state where unemployment is high and job opportunities are limited, is tied with Louisiana for fiftieth in the nation on the March JOI.

The monthly JOI analyzes the job opportunity climate across the United States, describing states where job seekers have the advantage versus states where employers and recruiters have the upper hand.

The JOI ranks all 50 states according to their current job opportunity climates. The JOI is based on statistical methodology that utilizes FlipDog.com's sample of jobs listed on employers' Web sites, along with unemployment and workforce data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The JOI is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of U.S. employers.

"This is a time of change, and job seekers need to recognize what that means for them," says Brett Walker, vice president of marketing at FlipDog.com. "Companies are focusing on the business at hand and going after top talent with slightly less intensity. But there are still plenty of opportunities for motivated individuals to get jobs that will challenge them and contribute to their professional growth. But they cannot expect to receive the lavish perks and sign-on bonuses that were common last year."

According to the March JOI, qualified job seekers in the following states currently have a greater advantage due to lower unemployment and higher number of available openings:

States with high unemployment and limited job opportunities have a tougher opportunity climate. In these states, companies have an advantage when it comes to whom they hire and what they pay.

About FlipDog.com

FlipDog.com, Provo, Utah, is the Web's largest commercial career site (www.flipdog.com), with over 650,000 jobs from more than 54,000 employers, and is ranked by PC Magazine as one of the Top 100 Web Sites in the world.

HireStrategy, Reston, Virginia, is a Web-enabled executive recruiting firm serving technology businesses and professionals. HireStrategy's innovative approach combines the power of the Internet with personal relationships built on years of highly successful management consulting experience. The company's Web site (www.hirestrategy.com) provides valuable career development resources for job candidates and proven recruitment and retention strategies for companies. HireStrategy's proprietary technology (the HireGuideTM) enables personalized service through Internet channels for candidates and employers. The company, founded in January 2000, was recently named one of the hottest executive recruiting firms in the area by Washington Business Forward magazine.