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WikiJob Poll Analysis: What's the most important factor in choosing a job?

Submitted by WikiJob on 24 April 2009 - 5:51pm

This is this is the first of an ongoing series of fortnightly posts which will analyse the results to the latest poll on WikiJob.

The latest poll looked at what WikiJob users thought was the most important factor to choosing their job, mirroring a previous poll from last year. the latest poll also included an option for 'Job Security' in light of the current jobs climate.

Results are very similar...

The differences between the two sets of poll results are very minimal. But there has been a clear shift from career progression and pay towards training and job security. A clear reflection of the dramatically different graduate job market we are in compared to last year. As you would expect in a time of uncertainty over the future of jobs, let alone companies, WikiJob users have altered their decision making to take into account aspects of future jobs which will ensure they have good training (and are thus more employable should the worst happen) and the perceived job security of the offer reflected in the increased popularity of public sector graduate schemes).

WikiJob users are, I would say from my experience, quite an ambitious lot; a reflection of the biggest sections on WikiJob, namely financial and professional services, and the competitiveness of those industries. So that 'Career Progression' is the biggest result with 43% is not a surprise. Interestingly I can't really recall many organisations stressing the career progression available to their graduates, but I have probably been looking at a slightly different cross-section of organisations from the most common WikiJob users.

Second place is occupied by 'Pay' (with 25% maintaining second place from last year), maybe not quite as high as reality due to perceived negative connotations of choosing a job based on how much money you get. Undoubtedly it is an important factor for most graduates, especially now that those who had to pay top-up tuition fees are graduating this year with ever larger amounts of debt.

The option which I expected to come out top was 'Training' coming in third place (18%), which is my preference, but this may again be a reflection of the different groups of WikiJob users, with those seeking a move into accounting probably take into account the importance of getting good training and gaining a professional qualification.

'Job Security' came a distant fourth (9%), which tells us that graduates are worried about their careers suffering an early setback due to the economic problems currently being experienced. I would take this as reflecting the rise in demand for public-sector, and careers perceived to be more secure, graduate schemes.

'Working Hours' and 'CSR' finished at the bottom of the pile with 3% and 2% respectively. One thing I have always questioned is companies' keenness on stressing how socially responsible and 'green' they are, do graduates really care that much? I'm sure a minority do, but at the end of the day does it bother people sufficiently to accept or reject an offer based on how socially responsible they say they are.

How can employers react to meet these desires?

From these results I would suggest that employers (if targeting WikiJob users) should ensure that their graduate schemes provide graduates with a clear path of progression up the ranks of the organisation; obviously easier in some industries than others, and rapid progression should not be a requirement if a good graduate does not want it. They also need to provide a clear commitment to high quality training and personal development, whether through professional qualifications or just internal training courses and development opportunities. Both of these need to materialise, they cannot just have lip-service paid to them, in this era of openness (with the likes of WikiJob and social networking sites) businesses cannot afford for people disgruntled with unmet promises broadcasting to the world.

Are WikiJob users different from others? More ambitious, money mad?

Do these results conform to received wisdom on what grads want?

What, and why, is your most important factor? Tell everyone in the forum thread here, hopefully we can get a good discussion going.

Ucayman (WikiJob Stats Man)