NEW YORK (Reuters) - Monster Worldwide Inc (>> Monster Worldwide, Inc.) is open to selling all or part of itself and expects to have data ready for potential buyers fairly soon, Chief Executive Sal Iannuzzi said in an interview.

"At a certain price, anything's for sale," said Iannuzzi, whose company runs the Monster.com jobs-search Website.

Monster shares are up about 17 percent so far this year, outpacing the 12 percent gain of the Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX>, having rallied since Iannuzzi told an investor conference early this month that the company was considering "strategic alternatives."

The company has "gotten considerable interest" since he made those comments on March 1 but has not yet begun formal talks, Iannuzzi said.

Iannuzzi said he did not believe that rival CareerBuilder.com had the financial wherewithal to buy his company.

The New York-based company, whose model of job ads is facing new competition from social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn Corp (>> Linkedin Corporation), said in January it would cut 7 percent of its staff, or 400 jobs.

Its technology initiatives include Power Resume Search, which makes it possible to identify workers with specific skills, and BeKnown, a way for employers to reach candidates via Facebook. That "app" could make it easier to find so-called passive job candidates who are currently employed.

Monster shares were off 2 cents at $9.28 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting By Nick Zieminski in New York; Writing by Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

By Nick Zieminski