Heart over reason: Canadians value relationships and intuition when it comes to managing their careers, says Randstad survey

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - According to the recent Randstad Canada online survey on career management and personal branding, nearly half of Canadians (43%) revealed they would stay at a job that left them unfulfilled if they were surrounded by a great team. When it comes to managing their careers and being happy at work, today's employees place a great deal of emphasis on their personal network and their working relationships.

Having a good working relationship with colleagues even trumped good pay and benefits when it came to evaluating what makes a job enjoyable. To the question What makes you enjoy a job the most?, respondents identified Great colleagues (52%) as the most important factor, followed by Trustworthy leadership (51%) and Good pay and benefits (51% ). Canadians were least attracted to the idea of being in authority, with only 32% indicating it was important.

When defining career success, Canadians rank doing what they love (45%) at the peak of workplace success and place making a certain salary at the very bottom of the list; 51% respondents don't even consider salary as a success factor. 

The survey also revealed that 60% Canadians have a pretty good idea about their career plans but are open to exploring different avenues, whereas only 20% say they have clear objectives and stick to it.

According to Tom Turpin, President, Randstad Canada, the results say a lot about the motivations and aspirations of today's job seekers and employees. "Today's Canadian workers are very connected, informed, mobile and flexible'', says Turpin. "The results seem to show that pursuing a leadership role or reaching a specific salary figure are not the main driving forces behind Canadians' motivation at work. Employers who want to attract and retain the best talent need to pay a lot of attention to their internal communication initiatives, team dynamics, and training and career development programs, to keep their employees driven and passionate about what they do.''

Other highlights from the survey:

• 28% respondents say that they are inspired by innovative thinkers, and only 8% say they are inspired by well-known, corporate CEOs.
• Close to 46% respondents say they never or almost never use a mentor to help them defining their professional goals, whereas less than a third indicating that they use a mentor.
• When it comes to marketing themselves professionally, the majority of respondents (64%) say they always or almost always rely on regular contacts with friends and colleagues, and 46% said they never or almost never use networking and events.
• 42% respondents say they don't use social media for professional purposes, but only for personal purposes.
• Respondents think that experience has a greater impact (39%) than education (13%) on their short and long-term career prospects.

Randstad Canada's career management and personal branding survey, which collected the views of over 500 respondents is part of the Find a job that fits you campaign, leading up to National Career Day. Today September 10^th, as of 8:00 a.m., candidates from all across the country are invited to visit one of Randstad's 65 branches for interviews. For additional information, please visit: http://w.randstad.ca/ncd-2014/

About Randstad Canada: Randstad Canada is the Canadian leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services. As the only fully integrated staffing company in the country, we understand the recruitment needs and demands of employers and job seekers across all levels and industries. Through our insightful knowledge of local markets, employment trends and global network of recruitment experts, we are shaping the Canadian world of work. Visit randstad.ca  

SOURCE: Randstad Canada

Marie-Noelle Morency, Telephone: [phone] x233