Skip to Content
Back to Press Room


CareerBuilder.com Survey Shows More than 70 Percent of Salespeople Satisfied with Jobs

One-Third Still Plan to Change Jobs This Year

CHICAGO, May 21, 2003 - CareerBuilder.com's "Men and Women at Work 2003" survey revealed 72 percent of salespeople were satisfied with their jobs as compared to 59 percent of workers in all industries. In addition, salespeople were more satisfied with the experience they gained on the job and career development opportunities than those in all industries. However, the survey also found that one-third of salespeople said they still planned to change jobs this year for a better pay off for their work.

"Salespeople are tasked with looking for the bigger, better deal for companies," said Mary Delaney, chief sales officer at CareerBuilder.com. "It makes sense that the same concept would apply to their own careers even if they are currently satisfied with their positions. Employers need to make sure they are offering the right motivation to attract and keep top performers."

Salespeople ranked pay and sense of accomplishment as their primary motivators to work, followed by a desire to help others. As in all industries, pay rated highest in importance amongst salespeople with half of salespeople saying they were satisfied with current compensation. When asked if they would exchange a pay cut for a more satisfying job, 60 percent of salespeople indicated they would decline such an offer.

Salespeople were optimistic about their chances to land a new job. Fifty-six percent expected to find a new job within one month while 82 percent expected to find a job in three months.

Salespeople were more likely to work with a mentor to advance their careers than those in other industries. Sixty-two percent of salespeople indicated they had worked with a mentor while only 54 percent of those in all industries had worked with a mentor.

"One of the bright spots in today's employment landscape is the hiring for sales positions," continued Delaney. "At CareerBuilder.com, we saw a 27 percent increase in the number of postings for sales positions in the last six months. Employers know that, within a short period of time, salespeople of all experience levels become revenue generators for their organizations."

The Survey
The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Men and Women at Work 2003," was conducted from March 20 to March 27, 2003 of 640 men and 665 women, all employed full-time. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder.com commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The results of this survey are accurate within +/- 4 percent (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder.com makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 400,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB) and Knight-Ridder Inc. (NYSE: KRI), CareerBuilder.com includes the Web's top newspaper sites - the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or visit http://www.careerbuilder.com

CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com