CTIA, IDEALWAVE LINK ON WIRELESS RECRUITMENT

The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association has joined forces with a wireless industry search firm to help support its members' executive recruiting efforts. The association's partnership with IdealWave Solutions provides CTIA members with access to the search firm's services at a discount and is intended to complement the CareerSite tool on www.ctia.org.

Matthew Corbett, managing director of IdealWave, said the goal of the partnership is to provide wireless companies with a package of more industry-specific search capabilities than can be found on broader online recruitment sites.

“Historically, search firms and the Internet have looked at each other as rivals,” Corbett said. “But we talked to a lot of clients who said we should be able to help each other rather than look at each other as competitors. So the two leading search resources in wireless are helping people hire more economically.”

The CTIA felt that it needed to provide a more targeted recruiting capability to its membership to complement its online efforts, said Stephanie Bauer, Web product manager for the association.

“Online job sites are so broad — you're targeting everyone instead of just people with experience in wireless,” Bauer said. “IdealWave is one of the only search firms I know that's focused directly on wireless. Their experience and reputation is critical to this partnership.”

Corbett said the CTIA's obvious focus on wireless is also why he sought the partnership. “The whole reason we approached CTIA is because they only work in wireless,” he said. “If we did it with a broader online search presence it would negate the point.”

Corbett added that IdealWave's business is growing rapidly — business in the fourth quarter of 2003 was up 39% over the second quarter — as the economy strengthens and the wireless sector continues to improve.