Do you Network consistently, or as Needed?

Timely New Study Finds Professionals Who Network Consistently Instead of As
Needed Earn More and Are Better Protected From a Recession

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:

-- 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.

-- Thirty-one percent of elite high-earning professionals versus 19% of the
non-elites spend one to two hours each week networking.

-- Twenty-nine percent of the non-elite network only when there is a need
versus 18% of the elites.

-- 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.

-- More than 80% say networking impacts income. Fifty-eight percent believe
a skilled networker could see up to a 100% increase in income.
-- Forty percent of respondents said networking is how they found their
current job.
-- 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.

-- 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."

"The study reinforces the value of networking to career advancement and the
demand from professionals for better skill development and tools as part of
their education," says Linda A. Livingstone, Dean of the Pepperdine
University's Graziadio School of Business Management. "If our economy is
telling us anything, relationships and trust matter. We hope that our alumni
and graduates of all top MBA programs understand that the relationships they
build will have a direct impact on their professional success."

Study Background:
Upwardly Mobile, Inc. with the support of Pepperdine University's Graziadio
School of Business Management, conducted research for this study in April
2008. Upwardly Mobile helps professionals more effectively leverage their
professional networks to achieve career success. Six hundred and thirty-seven
respondents completed a Web-based survey with 22 questions. A select group of
participants also elaborated on their responses during 45-minmute interviews.
The purpose of the study was to understand the guiding principles for
professional networking and how those principles translate into regular
practices and skills that enable professionals to achieve immediate and
long-term career goals.

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

SOURCE Upwardly Mobile Inc.
Mark Fortier of Fortier Public Relations, +1-212-675-6460, mark@fortierpr.com,
or F. Douglass Gore III of Graziadio School of Business and Management,
Pepperdine University, +1-310-568-5580, douglass.gore@pepperdine.edu

note from Dawn Billings: Articles like this reinforce how important networking is, especially for women. The Heart Link Network, an international women's networking organization, is dedicated to strengthening women and their relationships around the world.