exec-apppointments.com and Classic FM in concert

A unique link-up between leading online jobsite exec-appointments.com and Classic FMís 6.7 million listeners will radically change how businesses find senior staff.

For the first time, executive jobs will be advertised via radio and the web, with a speedy, international reach at a fraction of the cost of broadsheet newspaper ads.

exec-appointments.com chief executive, Betty Thayer, said: ìRadio has never been used this way before for senior jobs. Now any company looking for an executive is not tied to the sole option of the weekly recruitment pages.

exec-appointments.com was launched a year ago to provide a high-quality online service for career, interim and contract jobs, as well as non-executive director and senior voluntary positions. The deal with Classic FM - the UKís largest commercial radio station and the biggest classical music station in the world - gives exec-appointments.com access to the stationís audience through an integrated on-air and online service.

Classic FM listeners will hear ads on the radio and then be able to look for jobs on classicfm.com through its link to exec-appointments.com. Executives will also be able to listen to Classic FM while visiting exec-appointments.com.

Betty Thayer said: ìThis partnership shows that online recruitment for senior staff is increasingly efficient, cost-effective and here to stay. Our users and Classic FM listeners have a similar profile and complementary values. The technology has allowed us to develop a loop - using the radio, internet and soon, text messaging - to create a unique service that newspaper advertising canít break into.

She said the link-up was good news for FTSE 350 companies and SMEs who may not have the budget for high-cost recruitment advertising but, nevertheless, should be widening their search for staff, particularly following the Higgs review.

Steve Cray, head of digital sales at Opus, who negotiated the deal on behalf of Classic FM said: ìThis exciting, new service allows employers access to an enormous and unique audience of potential candidates at a fraction of the cost of traditional print advertising.î