E-recruiter helps companies create an interactive relationship with would-be candidates who may not be actively job hunting. "Part of recruiting IT talent is getting access to people who aren't in play," says Dave Tyner, director of human resources at telecom carrier US West Inc., which has been using E-recruiter for six months.

The application lets companies gather information at their Web sites about what kinds of jobs visitors would consider, at what salary range, and in what regions. The software matches those requirements with available positions and notifies registrants via E-mail when a job listing that fits their criteria comes up.

Candidates contacted by E-mail are asked to fill out a questionnaire to further narrow their qualifications. A scoring system determines if candidates move to the next step.

The Web is US West's largest source of IT talent, and the company posts links to its jobs page on as many as 80 sites. But E-recruiter offers cost savings and quality benefits, Tynersays. "We have a directive to keep our costs per hire down, and this program helps because we're not sifting through hundreds of resumés that aren't related to the jobs we want to fill."