Heroes For Hire: TheLadders Announces Fourth Of July Survey Results

NEW YORK, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Independence Day, the comprehensive job-matching service, TheLadders, polled more than 450 of its military-affiliated members to gauge their perception of today's job market. Interestingly, the results indicate that America's current and former troops face significant challenges in the civilian workplace, and that retirement benefits are one of the most important factors in a new job search.

After salary, when asked to prioritize what is "most important" in a new job in the private sector or government, the majority (32%) selected 401k benefits, followed by workplace camaraderie (26%), flexible hours (19%), healthcare (15%), vacation time (6%), and child-care (2%). The job seekers, both men and women representing the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy, described their current employer as: private sector (48%), military (21%), government (12%) and other (5%). Almost one-fifth (14%) are unemployed.

"Since launching almost a decade ago, we at TheLadders continue to pride ourselves in being able to gather unique intelligence from our more than five million members, of which 14,000 are military personnel," said Alex Douzet, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of TheLadders. "We wanted to pay homage to our troops by conducting a Fourth of July survey, enabling us to better understand and support their workplace needs, while educating recruiters to better meet them."

As part of the survey, respondents were provided seven statements and were asked to select all of the options they personally have experienced, if any. Below are the results:

• People assume I will have problems with corporate culture                                    (38%)
• People assume I will have problems relating to coworkers                                     (22%)
• People assume I will have better discipline                                                           (27%)
• People assume I will have better leadership skills                                                 (29%)
• People assume I will have better training at what I do                                            (12%)
• People assume I will have a different emotional/physical state than civilians            (31%)
• None of the above                                                                                              (28%)

Given these assumptions, TheLadders then asked the job seekers to describe their job search compared to people without military experience. Exactly half (50%) claimed it is harder, 12% said it was easier, and more than one-third (38%) claimed no difference. Compared to non-military, Navy personnel view their job search as less challenging than the other four branches.

On an ongoing basis, TheLadders conducts primary user-experience research and analyzes quantitative data provided by its more than five million members to gauge current behavioral trends in the job-search process. TheLadders uses this research to gain valuable insights, which it uses to improve the customer experience and provide expert advice to the marketplace. An infographic illustrating TheLadders Independence Day survey can be downloaded at TheLadders Blog.

On June 27, 2012, TheLadders will be exhibiting at the Fort Bragg Officers Club in North Carolina at the Heroes for Hire Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Career advisors and resume writers from TheLadders will be available at the booth.

About TheLadders
With more than five million members, TheLadders has been committed to finding the right person for the right job since 2003. With a unique suite of personalized products and resume services, this career-focused online service helps job seekers connect with employers and recruiters more effectively and efficiently. Given its heritage as the leader in the $100K+ job search, TheLadders is dedicated to the science behind the job search and optimally positioned to help all career-driven professionals in finding the right jobs. Expanding services to include sub-$100K+ positions allows recruiters and employers more options when looking to hire professionals at other stages of their careers. TheLadders is headquartered in New York with offices in London. For more information, visit TheLadders Blog and theladders.com. Your career is our job.™

SOURCE TheLadders