Mark Jones a specialist in the field of Internet recruiting told the Institute of Personnel

Mark Jones, a specialist in the field of Internet recruiting, told the Institute of Personnel and Development's recruitment conference this week that "geeks, nerds and academics" were no longer the only people who looked for positions via the World Wide Web. Employers can carry out their searches using 18 criteria, including degree subject and work experience.The idea, says the company, is to enable graduates to get more than 500 trained recruitment consultants around Britain working on their behalf by completing just one application form. Employers, meanwhile, gain by being able to tap into top talent throughout the country, whether to supplement their milk round activities or as a substitute for them.The service is free to graduates, and free to employers until they employ candidates.The initiative comes as recruitment experts are predicting an explosion in the use of the Internet for job searching. "At last, here is a service which offers companies cost-effective access to top graduates, and graduates easy access to a host of opportunities throughout the country," he says.Under the system, graduates or final-year students submit their CVs via the Internet, e-mail or on floppy discs supplied free by Reed. In return, they get a free hard copy of their CV reworked into a standard format by Reed.The details, with contact information kept in confidence, are then made available to employers via the Reed Graduate database, which can be searched either centrally or in any one of Reed's 200-plus branches around the UK. Various organisations are using the Internet and other forms of modern technology to put employers and job candidates in touch with each other. But Reed Graduate claims to be the first electronic recruitment service for graduates to be backed by a nationwide network of professionally qualified consultants. Alec Reed, founder and chairman of Reed, says: "I have a strong belief in the potential the UK's new graduates offer employers - and feel certain that smaller organisations as well as blue-chip multinational can benefit from this."But Tom Lovell, manager of Reed Graduate, says the service will be especially useful for small and medium-sized enterprises that have been unable to justify the expense of the traditional milk round.

Reed Personnel Services claims to have such a strong demand for graduates that it today launches what it says is a "completely new type of dedicated graduate recruitment service". There are many applicants, but "it's difficult to attract the right calibre". He seeks graduates with people skills, leadership qualities, the ability to react quickly to situations and says "as they progress, they've got to be analytical". These are the skills needed to succeed in any major retailing organisation.. They can take charge of as many as 50 stores, or enter property management, finance and administration, warehousing and distribution, or purchasing.However, as Aldi's UK managing director, Trevor Coates, points out, it's a tough environment. Working for Safeway, you could have four managers and 50 staff reporting to you.The rewards and career prospects offered by CORTCO members and other top retailers are good.

However, it is one of the recent entrants to Britain who is setting the pace. Aldi, a food discounting chain with 4,500 stores in nine countries, offers new graduates a starting salary of pounds 26,000 plus a car. After nine months' intensive training they are expected to become district managers with responsibility for between five and seven stores, progressing to regional managers. She added: "I went to 25 careers fairs last year and the stands for Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys and other retailers were among the busiest.