New Year, new career: Monster polls reveal Americans are focused on career goals in 2004

93 percent of Americans plan to look for a new job in the New Year

The New Year signifies a fresh start - one that typically encourages workers to reevaluate career goals and job seekers to re-energize their search for the perfect job. Recent Monster Meter polls support these traditions, revealing that 93 percent of Americans plan to look for a new job in the New Year and 61 percent say getting a new job is No 1 on their New Year’s Resolution list.

The Monster Meter is an ongoing series of online polls that gauge users’ opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace.

The start of a new year provides an opportunity to reevaluate career aspirations, said Jeff Taylor, founder and chief monster. Our latest poll findings indicate the majority of workers, both those currently employed and job seekers in search of new opportunities, are ready to make a change and take control of their careers. Monster’s new brand campaign, ’Today’s the Day,’ supports this empowering message - one that encourages job seekers as well as employers to bring their goals to fruition.

The 2004 Monster New Year Survey The Monster Meter asked, Do you plan to look for a new job in the New Year?(a) 93% said: Yes. 7% said: No. The Monster Meter asked, What is at the top of your 2004 New Year’s resolution list?(b) 61% said: Get a new job. 19% said: Lose weight. 13% said: Improve my work life balance. 7% said: Become more organized. The Monster Meter asked job seekers, Do expect to receive a holiday bonus this year?(c) 75% said: No. 25% said: Yes.

The Monster Meter asked, Do you think the economy is finally turning the corner?(d) 56% said: No. 44% said: Yes.

The Monster Meter asked employers, Is your company planning to give bonuses this year?(e) 60% said: No. 40% said: Yes. These poll results are telling, and it’s an important message for employers to hear as we finish the year. Companies can do a great service to their employees by communicating their excitement about opportunities and plans for 2004, added Taylor. Monster Teams Up with WeightWatchers.com In addition to improving careers, weight-loss is traditionally high on American New Years’ Resolution lists. In fact, 19 percent of Monster users rate losing weight as their top goal for 2004. With this objective in mind, Monster has aligned with WeightWatchers.com to launch A Fresh Start in 2004, a featured report designed to help site visitors stick to their New Year’s resolutions. This relationship cross-links the Monster and WeightWatchers.com websites, providing articles and expert-driven advice to help users maintain focus and achieve their goals in the New Year. The report is available at http://featuredreports.monster.com/freshstart/intro/.

(a) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 18,406 votes cast by Monster users from December 8th to December 9th, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monster’s current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. Users may review the results of this poll by going to http://forums.monster.com/poll.asp?pollid=6201. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. (b) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 4,522 votes cast by Monster users on December 10th, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. (c) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 15,594 votes cast by Monster users from December 4th to December 7th, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. (d) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 32,185 votes cast by Monster users from December 1st to December 3rd, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. (e) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 865 votes cast by Monster employers on the MOHQ homepage from December 8th to December 17th, 2003. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.