Recruiting.com, the Seattle online recruiting startup formerly known as Jobster, has quietly been sold in a deal of unknown size to Phoenix, Arizona-based Jobing, TechFlash has learned. The acquisition, which closed in July, marks the final chapter for one of Seattle's most heavily funded Internet companies of the past decade. Founded in 2004 by Internet entrepreneur Jason Goldberg, Recruiting.com raised $55 million from a slate of investors that included Ignition Partners, Reed Elsevier Ventures, Trinity Ventures, Mayfield Fund and others.

At one time, Recruiting.com employed more than 150 people. But the company fell on tough times, cutting staff and switching gears amid a tough economic climate.

By the time Jeff Seely arrived as CEO in late 2007, the company had lost much of its momentum. Reached on his cell phone, Seely confirmed that the company had been sold. But he declined to disclose the terms of the deal or discuss whether it was a good financial outcome for investors.

Seely said that Recruiting.com brand had a lot of value and it made for a nice strategic fit for the buyer. "It was the right time to do a transaction, and the option of going out to do another financing in a tough environment, made that much more appealing," he said.

Jobing operates online job boards in a number of cities, including Seattle, San Francisco and Portland. It also has the naming rights to the Phoenix ice arena where the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes play. We've reached out to the company for comment on the acquisition, and we'll update the post if we hear more.

Seely left Recruiting.com shortly after the deal closed. The former chief executive at Sharebuilder said he's not sure what he'll do next, but he's not ready retire.

"I am definitely not going to hang up the spurs," said Seely, adding that he is working on a few projects at the moment. "I still have a lot of energy, and a lot of ideas."

The purchase of Recruiting.com marks the second acquisition in the online recruiting arena in the Seattle area this year. Just last week, we reported that Seattle startup TalentSpring had been acquired by Talent Technology Corp.

Earlier this year, Recruiting.com sold off the Jobster assets to Zapoint for an undisclosed price.

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