Elite Networker Study

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- When the pink slip arrives or necessity calls for a job change, most professionals reluctantly start networking, but those who network consistently instead of as needed earn much more and are better protected finds a new study from Upwardly Mobile, Inc. with the assistance of the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University. Among the findings:

1. Elite professionals earning more than $200,000 a year, more so than other respondents, cited networking as important to their careers and self-reported a greater networking ability. They leverage their network more, use job sites less, and consider networking a lifestyle rather than a tool to be used when needed.
2. Thirty-one percent of elite high-earning professionals versus 19% of the non-elites spend one to two hours each week networking.
3. Twenty-nine percent of the non-elite network only when there is a need versus 18% of the elites.
4. Fifty-seven percent of elite professionals say job sites have no impact on their career advancement while less than 35% of those in the non-elites felt job sites have no impact.
5. More than 80% say networking impacts income. Fifty-eight percent believe a skilled networker could see up to a 100% increase in income.
6. Forty percent of respondents said networking is how they found their current job.
7. The highest earners said the single most critical factor in determining the value of their network isn't the depth of their relationship with contacts or the size of their network, but breadth of connections with the right contacts--contacts willing to recommend them.
8. Among the online network management tools used by respondents, LinkedIn is seven times more popular than its nearest contender.

"What surprised us was that most people use networking as a one-time reaction to unemployment or a recession instead of long-term protection that can smooth career transitions," says Promise Phelon, CEO of Upwardly Mobile, Inc. "It's clear that a regular, purposeful networking habit, not just a profile on your favorite professional networking site, will lead to greater mobility and downside protection during tough economic times."

For a free PDF download of the 28-page study, please log on to: http://www.upmo.com/knowledge/recent-research.html