Execs See International Post as Path to Fast Track

New York, NY ñ Parlez vous promotion? The majority of executives in the $100K job market are becoming increasingly aware that the path to advancement may involve outsourcing themselves. According to a survey conducted by TheLadders.com, the worldís leading $100,000 jobs Web site, 70% of executives said the prospect of an overseas assignment would be ìan exciting opportunity.î

While the clear majority of executives would jump at the chance to work internationally, 23% of the surveyís respondents said that working overseas is not an option theyíd entertain. Seven percent said theyíd do it, but called it an opportunity theyíd rather live without (see chart below).

In most cases it wouldnít take much coaxing to get these executives packing. When asked: What kind of incentive would you need to relocate; 40% said paid moving expenses would do the trick. Twenty one percent would look for a standard of living increase, while 21% would require a paid travel package allowing them to commute home on weekends. Only 13% of the surveyís respondents expected to have their housing expenses paid in full. Five percent said they wouldnít need any incentive at all (see chart below).

Family plays the most critical role in making the final decision. When asked: What are the factors that would keep you from relocating; 54% of the survey respondents said family. This was followed by increased living expenses (22%); an unfavorable climate trade-off (12%); and regional attractions, such as big cities, oceans and mountains (9%). Concern over adapting to a new culture claimed just 3% of the vote (see chart below).

As for what parts of the world are up for grabs, the survey showed a mixed response. When asked: Where would you relocate for a great job opportunity; 32% said theyíd go anywhere in the U.S. Then, clustered in the middle, 17% percent said theyíd go to any G8 country outside of the U.S.; another 17% said theyíd go to a different state within the same region; and 15% said theyíd go absolutely anywhere in the world. Thirteen percent said they wouldnít relocate even for a great opportunity and 6% said theyíd move, but would still want to stay in their home states.

ìIt is an absolute fact that multinational corporations groom their top talent in international posts,î explained TheLadders.com President and CEO, Marc Cenedella. ìBut just as the offer of an overseas assignment is likely to be a vote of confidence, a refusal to take that assignment can hinder an executiveís ascent through the ranks.î

TheLadders.comís look at relocation is based on a series of independent surveys of registered $100k executives conducted on TheLadders.com Web site between July 11th, 2005 and July 22nd, 2005. The number of responses and margin of error for each survey is as follows:

I feel that the prospect of an overseas assignment is _______.
863 Responses; Margin of Error: 3.4%.

What kind of incentive would you need to relocate?
930 Responses; Margin of Error: 3.3%.

What are the factors that would keep you from wanting to relocate?
862 Responses; Margin of Error: 3.4%.

Where would you relocate for a great job opportunity?
904 Responses; Margin of Error: 3.3%.

Now reaching over 450,000 readers and featuring over 20,000 new $100k job listings each month, 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.