OIA Establishes Outdoor Industry Career Center

Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced today it will partner with Boxwood Technology, Inc., the leading provider of online career centers for associations, to create an Outdoor Industry Career Center and job board. The Outdoor Industry Career Center is a natural progression in OIA’s ongoing effort to ensure the growth and success of the outdoor industry.

“OIA recognizes the relationship between the success of the outdoor industry and the strength and vitality provided by hiring passionate and qualified employees to be the foundation of the outdoor recreation economy,” says Frank Hugelmeyer, president of OIA. “Investing in the Outdoor Industry Career Center to promote the outdoor industry as a viable career path will be an opportunity from which the entire industry can benefit.”

Most people believe large commercial job boards dominate the online recruiting market. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, in 2006, online recruitment-advertising market share by revenue revealed niche job boards control the market, and their market share is expanding. Analysts project that by 2011 there will be a 64% increase in online recruitment advertising dollars.

With the trends favoring niche job boards, the Outdoor Industry Career Center is poised to attract the most talented individuals available to the outdoor industry. With more than 29,000 visitors a month to the OIA website, the Outdoor Industry Career Center offers OIA members—and the industry at large— the resources to identify candidates with the right combination of passion and skills.

“Building a top-notch staff is a company’s biggest competitive edge,” explains Candie Gerakos, director of membership and business development for OIA. “It’s about understanding how to attract and retain the right kind of employees. This takes an outdoor-minded specialist, and OIA has over 1,000 talented OIA member companies in our association.”

In addition, OIA announced that Backpacker Magazine (www.backpacker.com), a leading consumer magazine for the outdoors, has signed on as a media partner to help promote the Career Center. The partnership includes program awareness in Backpacker’s eNewsletter to industry and advertising clients, along with promotion in the magazine’s March issue.

“Backpacker is in the unique position to reach many talented people who have a passion for the outdoors, but may not currently work in the industry,” says Kent Ebersole, publisher of Backpacker. “Our readers are creative, passionate people, the very group the outdoor industry needs to tap into to grow and thrive. We are delighted to partner with OIA to raise the profile of their Career Center.”

Long-term benefits for outdoor businesses include the opportunity for more effective HR planning. The Outdoor Industry Career Center is the largest database in the industry, which provides an opportunity for companies to hire the best potential candidates to help grow the industry. On average, the total cost of filling an open position is approximately $7,000*. The Outdoor Industry Career Center allows outdoor industry companies to be very targeted in their recruitment efforts, reducing the overall hiring costs.

Both members and non-members can use the Outdoor Industry Career Center to reach qualified candidates. Employers can post jobs online, search for qualified candidates based on specific job criteria, and create an online resume agent to email qualified candidates daily. Employers also benefit from online reporting that provides job activity statistics. OIA members receive substantial discounts on posting and special package pricing is available.

For job seekers, Outdoor Industry Career Center is a free service that provides access to employers and jobs in the outdoor industry including many of the most sought-after brands. In addition to posting their resumes for optimal exposure to outdoor industry companies, job seekers can browse and view available jobs based on their criteria and accumulate jobs for later review if they choose. Job seekers can also create a search agent to provide email notifications of jobs that match their criteria.

The job postings are available to registered job seekers and are additionally broadcast through the www.outdoorindustry.org network on a weekly basis.

*According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost to fill a position ranges from $2,546 (non-exempt) to $6,943 (exempt).


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About Outdoor Industry Association
Outdoor Industry Association® (OIA) is a national trade association whose mission is to ensure the growth and success of the outdoor industry. OIA provides trade services for over 4000 manufacturers, distributors, supplier, sales representatives and retailers in the outdoor industry. OIA programs include representation in government/legislative affairs, market and social research, member cost saving benefits and outreach initiatives. Educational events include the annual Outdoor Industry Rendezvous, Outdoor University, and the Capitol Summit. Outdoor Industry Association is the exclusive endorser of the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow. For more information visit http://www.outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.