Finding a Job is Tough, but Networking has Never Been More Key

Even in the best of times, finding a new job is a challenge. So it is no surprise that 42 percent of people polled think it would be very difficult to find a new job in today’s tough economy, according to a survey of more than 2,500 individuals on LinkedIn® by Right Management. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services.

Forty-three percent of those responding believe getting a new job would be somewhat difficult, and 14 percent would consider it somewhat or very easy.

Men and women have nearly identical opinions on job hunting prospects, while respondents whose job function is in business development or sales are more upbeat than those in finance. The older the respondent, the more likely the individual is to consider the job search difficult, which may be explained in part by their typically higher salary levels.

Losing a job is one of the top most stressful life events, said Tony Santora, executive vice president for Global Solutions at Right Management. The job search process can be an anxiety-filled experience, even in a healthy economy. So stress typically comes with the territory.

The survey results, said Santora, may obscure the fact that people nonetheless find new employment every day. And it’s networking that continues to be the best way to do it for nearly one in two job seekers. We know that nothing beats tapping into hidden opportunities than being recommended into an organization by a trusted source.

The LinkedIn survey of 2,489 individuals was conducted in August 2009 in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Source: Right Management; www.right.com.

Reprinted with permission. © CCH

 

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