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Retention > Talent Acquisition

1 in 5 Workers to Pull a “Sharon from ‘The Bachelor’”

That is…they plan to leave their current job in pursuit of better opportunities. 

As you might not admit that you know, Sharon is a contestant on the new season of “The Bachelor” who resigned her position as a high school Spanish teacher to be on the show.   Likewise, according to this press release by CareerBuilder.com, 19 percent of American workers also want to leave their current positions in search of better offers this year. 

And - much like the reality TV contestant who isn’t intimidated by the knowledge that 29 other girls are competing for her crush’s affections – they’re not letting predictions of slower hiring in 2009 discourage them from going after their goals. (Okay, I’m done with this analogy now.)

Anyway, no surprises here – nearly 50 percent of workers looking for new jobs listed better pay and/or career advancement opportunities as reasons for changing jobs.  That’s followed by 14 percent of workers, who are seeking an environment where they feel more appreciated, and another 10 percent who want to work for a company that is making a difference. 

As for the most important attributes workers look for in employers, a company’s stability and longevity in the market got the top vote, followed closely by good career advancement opportunities, a good work culture, and finally, the ability to offer a flexible schedule.

So if you want to retain your high performers this year – or recruit new ones – pay attention to these key factors influencing job satisfaction and company loyalty, according to the survey:

  • Pay - One in four workers report being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their pay. Thirty-five percent of workers didn’t receive raises in 2008, and a quarter of those who did only got 2 percent or less.
  • Career Advancement - Twenty-six percent of workers reported dissatisfaction with the career advancement opportunities with their current employers. Eighty percent did not ask for or receive a promotion in 2008, and 20 percent felt they were overlooked.
  • Work/Life Balance - Eighteen percent of workers are dissatisfied with work/life balance, and 54 percent report their workloads have increased over the last six months.
  • Training/Learning - Twenty-three percent of workers say they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with training and learning opportunities provided by their current employers.
Mary Lorenz

About Mary Lorenz

Mary is a copywriter for CareerBuilder, specializing in B2B marketing and corporate recruiting best practices and social media. In addition to creating copy for corporate advertising and marketing campaigns, she researches and writes about employee attraction, engagement and retention. Whenever possible, she makes references to pop culture. Sometimes, those references are even relevant. A New Orleans native, Mary now lives in Chicago, right down the street from the best sushi place in the city. It's awesome.
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Sharon

This is a great article to whoever wrote it. "Pulling a Sharon from The Bachelor" was worth it! It was the experience of a lifetime, and I currently do have a job. My advice to everyone is follow your heart, live your life to the fullest, and never regret not taking advantage of an opportunity.

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mike

I guess if you put this into prospective it's kind of like applying for a job.

1. She saw the ad on ABC.com com. A job seeker can view jobs on a Job board.
2. She applied for the position, much like a job seeker.
3. She was interviewed, again like a job seeker.
4. she was given an offer....a job seeker recieves an offer letter.

However here is where things differ. When a job seeker gets an offer you won. She recieved an offer to be one of 30 finalist with NO guarantee of winning.

So I am not sure that is a wise move in this economy....however I have one final comparison.... She took a chance and even if she does not get the job, millions of other "suitors" have gotten a look at her and she may find a match even if the bachelor does not work out. Kind of like adding your resume to the resume database to be viewed by thousands of companies looking for you particular “skills”.

Interesting blog...it made me think and I like the comparison!

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Sharon

This is a great article to whoever wrote it. "Pulling a Sharon from The Bachelor" was worth it! It was the experience of a lifetime, and I currently do have a job. My advice to everyone is follow your heart, live your life to the fullest, and never regret not taking advantage of an opportunity.

share
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  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
mike

I guess if you put this into prospective it's kind of like applying for a job.

1. She saw the ad on ABC.com com. A job seeker can view jobs on a Job board.
2. She applied for the position, much like a job seeker.
3. She was interviewed, again like a job seeker.
4. she was given an offer....a job seeker recieves an offer letter.

However here is where things differ. When a job seeker gets an offer you won. She recieved an offer to be one of 30 finalist with NO guarantee of winning.

So I am not sure that is a wise move in this economy....however I have one final comparison.... She took a chance and even if she does not get the job, millions of other "suitors" have gotten a look at her and she may find a match even if the bachelor does not work out. Kind of like adding your resume to the resume database to be viewed by thousands of companies looking for you particular “skills”.

Interesting blog...it made me think and I like the comparison!

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like

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