Job Fulfillment Tops Total Compensation on Executive Wish List

New York, NY ñ As we enter career assessment season, what are the factors that are most important to Americaís top wage earners? Itís not the money, according to a survey job seekers in the 100k market conducted by executive job search service TheLadders.com. When asked: ìWhat is the single most important factor when considering a new job?î the top response was ìfulfillment.î

Of the 1,566 executives surveyed, 37% said that job fulfillment was more important than the compensation package when considering a job change. It was a close race, though, with 32% of respondents placing the higher value on compensation. Twenty-one percent said that ìroom for growthî was the most critical factor, and only 10% have had it with the commute, ranking ìproximity to existing homeî as the most important career consideration.

The survey of registered 100k executives was conducted on TheLadders.com Web site from October 8, 2004 through November 3, 2004. The margin of error is 2.47%.

ìAt a certain level a job becomes more than just a job; it is also a big part of your identity,î explained TheLadders.com founder and president, Marc Cenedella. ìSo, it doesnít surprise us much that fulfillment is the most important factor among executives earning $100k . The money is certainly important, but it is really only one piece of the bigger picture that brings true job fulfillment.î

Now reaching over 190,000 readers and featuring over 3,000 new 100k job listings each week, TheLadders.com is the largest online job search service catering exclusively to the 100k market. Marc Cenedella founded TheLadders.com in July 2003 after a tenure as Senior Vice President, Finance & Operations, at HotJobs.com, ultimately shepherding that companyís sale to Yahoo, Inc. (NASD: YHOO) in 2002. In May 2004 he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by award-winning marketing newsletter, MarketingSherpa, which cited TheLadders.comís unique business model as a key to its sustained growth.