Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: How Do You Beat the Career Competition?

By Job Journey on Friday, September 2, 2016

When it comes to finding work, you’re most likely not the only one trying to land the job you have your eyes on. In fact, the career competition can be pretty tough. Since there are many ways you can set yourself apart from other job seekers, we recently asked what steps you take to beat the competition.

The Results
The overwhelming majority of respondents (35%) selected the option “research the company,” followed by 17% who chose “follow-up after interview.” Another 15% of readers “keep an updated resume,” 14% “possess a strong set of references,” and 14% “rehearse interview scenarios.”

An additional 8% of respondents selected the “Other” option and provided the following answers:

Eye contact during the interview
Project a sense of teamwork
Maintain active communication
Target the cover letter
Build comradery and show interest
Talk about how you will add to their return on investment

Adjust Your Game Plan
If you’re one of the 35% of job seekers who research the company before an interview, that’s great. But, what about that other 14% who rehearse interview scenarios? They may be one step ahead of you, and it could cost you the job. Consider taking additional steps, like sending a thank-you note or updating your resume, to ensure you’re doing all you can to stay ahead of the career competition.

What other ways do you beat the competition? Share your tips in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: What Does Your Dream Job Look Like?

By Job Journey on Monday, August 8, 2016

At some point in your life, you’ve likely been asked the question, “What is your dream job?” In fact, sometimes recruiters will even ask candidates about it in an interview. Because everyone is likely to have a different answer, we wanted to know what Movin’ On Up readers would say their dream job looks like.

The Results
According to our poll, “challenging or meaningful work” was the number one characteristic of respondents’ dream jobs garnering 29% of the votes. “Working from home” (22%) was the second most popular option, followed by “growth opportunities within the organization” (17%) and “friendly workplace” (16%).

Fewer respondents selected “frequent travel” (5%) and “no travel” (1%) as dream job descriptors, while 6% of respondents said they are still figuring out what their dream job looks like.

Readers were also able to select the “other” option and provide their own responses. Of the 4% who selected that option, responses included:

Work-life balance
Living wage
A combination of the provided choices
Flexibility
Good benefits
$12/hour
Own business

How often have you been asked about your dream job in an interview? Let us know in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: How Do You Give Back?

By Job Journey on Friday, July 8, 2016

When you’re busy working or job searching, it can be hard to find time to volunteer or give back to your community. But, the benefits of giving back are numerous. Giving back not only makes a positive impact on your community, it also helps you gain new skills, find networking opportunities, and position yourself as a more attractive candidate to employers.

Because there are many ways to give back to your community, we recently asked Movin’ On Up readers what they’re doing to make an impact.

Survey Results
The survey results revealed there are three major ways readers give back to their communities. Those ways are:

Donating food, clothes, or other items – 32%
Volunteering – 30%
Donating money to charitable organizations – 26%

While those three ways make up the majority of responses, an additional 8% of readers said they donate blood through blood drives.

Creative Ways to Give Back
Readers were also given the option to select “Other” and provide their own response. Five percent of respondents did so, and their responses give valuable insight into creative ways you can give back in your community, including:

Hosting events
Chairperson for an organization
Helping needy friends and family
Volunteer firefighter
Outreach to the homeless community
Serving on nonprofit boards
Working with a church on community improvements
Sponsoring children in underdeveloped countries

How do you give back? Share your stories in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: How Would You Describe Your Ideal Workplace?

By Job Journey on Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Finding the right company culture to align with your personality can be a big part of your engagement and success. With the many workplace types and countless personalities of job seekers, we wanted to know what Movin’ On Up readers look for in an ideal workplace.

The Results
According to our poll, the ideal workplace for most respondents is one that implements a casual dress code (18%), is relaxed (15%), and is on the smaller side (15%) in terms of company size. Additionally, approximately 13% of voters prefer a quiet workplace, while another 12% would prefer a remote office.

Companies that are fast-paced, large in size, or require a professional dress code were among the less desirable workplace attributes at 9%, 8%, and 6% respectively. The fewest Movin’ On Up readers selected “loud” as the word to describe their ideal workplace, garnering only 2% of votes.
Readers were also able to select the “other” option and provide their own responses. Of the 3% who selected that option, responses included:

Mid-size company
Flexible work schedule/control own hours
“Employee-first” culture
Caring
Routine
Friendly atmosphere

What else do you look for in an ideal workplace? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Leadership Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: How Do You Prepare for a Future Leadership Role?

By Job Journey on Friday, April 1, 2016

A company is ultimately shaped by those in leadership positions, for better or worse. Because of this—and because having the right leadership is vital to company success—we wanted to know how Movin’ On Up readers might prepare for future leadership roles.

The Results
According to our poll, the majority of respondents (49%) said they prepare for a future leadership role using a combination of the following: pursuing higher education, finding a mentor, and learning new skills, among others.

Approximately 15% of respondents selected “learn new skills through work or volunteering” as the sole way they prepare for a leadership role, while “study leadership” and “pursue higher education” tied with 10% of the votes.

In addition, each of the following choices received less than 10% of the votes:

Find a mentor
Become involved with networking or industry organizations
Change careers

Readers were also able to select the “Other” option and provide their own answers. Of the 3% who chose this option, responses included utilizing personal connections, going beyond the average duty of their jobs, and taking responsibility for special initiatives—just to name a few.

To learn more about how you can prepare for a future leadership role with every day habits, check out this article.

Do you aspire to be in a leadership position someday? Are there other ways you’re preparing for a future leadership role? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Reader Surveys

Poll: How Would You Describe Your Ideal Workplace?

By Job Journey on Wednesday, March 30, 2016

At some point, you’ve likely been asked about your dream job, but what about your dream workplace? According to Forbes, when your personality lines up with company culture, you’re more likely to be engaged and successful. Finding the right work environment can play a key role in determining your overall job satisfaction and productivity.

Because definitions of the perfect workplace vary from person to person, unique to personality and work style, we want to know what yours would look like.

Do you think finding the right workplace is important for job satisfaction? Let us know in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: What Factors Contribute to Your Job Satisfaction?

By Job Journey on Monday, March 7, 2016

Many job seekers focused on their goal of finding a job at the beginning of the new year, and now that 2016 is well underway, it’s important to understand the key factors that contribute to job satisfaction in order to know that the job you’re trying to get is right for you. To help determine the factors that go into job satisfaction, we recently polled Movin’ On Up readers and the results are in!

Keys to Job Satisfaction
According to our poll, there are two main factors that go into overall job satisfaction. Tied with 27% of votes each, “feeling valued” and “engaging or meaningful work” are the most important factors to Movin’ On Up readers. Another 14% of respondents chose “compensation,” followed by 10% who chose “job security.” Additionally, 6% of respondents chose “leadership,” 5% chose “company benefits” and 4% chose “room for advancement.”

Readers were also able to select the “other” option and provide their own responses. Of the 6% who selected that option, responses included:

Variety of work
People
Environment
Work-life balance
Enjoyable work
All of the above

Results Compared to 2015
Last year, we asked the same question and received very similar results. In 2015, 32% of respondents selected “engaging or meaningful work.” Additionally, 29% of readers chose “feeling valued” as the key factor for job satisfaction.

What Leaders Think
Interestingly, it seems there may be a disconnect between a company’s decision makers and those trying to secure a job. On Refresh Leadership, the Express blog for business leaders, we asked the same question and the results were very different. In fact, the number one factor business leaders cited was “poor leadership” with 47% of the vote. That’s a sharp contrast to the job seekers’ opinion that leadership matters most (6%), and it suggests a divide between what employers think is needed and what employees want. The number one factor for job satisfaction among job seekers was recognition and feeling valued (27%), but only 16% of employers believe that as a factor in employee engagement.

What other factors contribute to your job satisfaction? Let us know in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.