Chicago job seekers can now get help wanted listings sent directly to their handsets as part of the newspaper's effort to expand its classified offerings and appeal to a younger, mobile demographic.

The newspaper claims it is the first in the country to mobilize its job listings. Cellit Mobile Marketing is powering this initiative.

"The Chicago Tribune is trying to provide an additional tool for the reader of tribune classifieds, allowing them to request additional information on their phone, get extended additional information via email and provide a simple link to more information online when they get in front of a computer," said David Wachs, president of Cellit, Chicago.

"The mobile initiative will provide a method to track the relative effectiveness and readership of tribune classifieds and will help the paper drive more direct traffic to the CareerBuilder Web site," he said.

QuickText allows job seekers to text a unique Web ID to a specific number to instantly receive a detailed job listing on their mobile device.

When the user texts this Web ID to a short code, they are immediately sent additional information to their phone, in the best format possible for their phones.

The Chicago Tribune can then log in to a special backend to see which jobs are most popular.

The service debuts this week in conjunction with the printed jobs listings within the Chicago Tribune's Tuesday Business section and RedEye, a free daily newspaper.

In September, Chicago Tribune will launch a similar program for new and used car listings. And, before the end of the year, it will debut one for real estate listings.

"QuickText -- the name the tribune gave the service -- provides an additional value for advertisers, allowing readers to take the ad with them, request additional information and enable response tracking," Mr. Wachs said.

Chicago Tribune Media Group presents mobile information offerings such as breaking news and sports alerts, RedEye's Celebrity text alerts, which are sent every weekday afternoon to more than 1,000 subscribers.

The newspaper also offers its audience Metromix's Best Bets, a listing of notable Chicago area events via mobile as well.

It has held mobile polls and trivia throughout the pages of RedEye.

This program bridges the gap between print and mobile media. The paper's readers want information right away but aren't always at the computer.

QuickText serves job seekers by sending them listings when they want them and to wherever they choose, whether its email or their mobile phone.

"We're committed to growing our business in the multiplatform media world and extending our brands in print, online and now mobile," said Alison Scholly, vice president of the interactive group at Chicago Tribune, Chicago. "This helps us build for a strong future in a delivery method for classifieds that shows much promise.