Nearly Half of European Job Seekers Have Changed Something About Their Appearance to Appeal to Employers

The competition for a smaller number of jobs is driving some job seekers to alter their everyday appearances in the hopes of making a stronger impression. Forty-six percent of workers in Europe who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last year reported they have changed something about their appearance to make themselves more attractive to employers. This is according to a recent survey of more than 1,000 workers across Europe conducted by CareerBuilder, the global leader in human capital solutions.

Efforts to alter appearances included:
    - Eighteen percent of European job seekers have dressed up more or
      dressed to appear younger or older
    - Ten percent have lost weight
    - Six percent have changed their hair color or hair style
    - Six percent have enhanced facial features by wearing more makeup or
      whitening their teeth

More drastic measures such as cosmetic injections, plastic surgery and tattoo removal were also cited.

One-third (33 percent) of European job seekers have changed their online persona, making adjustments to their social networking profiles to appear more professional to employers.

Expanding Career Options

Half of European job seekers who were laid off in the last year have already begun spending their long-term savings as they look for new employment opportunities. Another one-in-four (25 percent) reported they didn't have long-term savings to fall back on when they lost their jobs.

Faced with one of the toughest job markets in European history, job seekers are considering new career options and applying for jobs they may not have considered before the economic crisis.

- 75 percent have applied for jobs for which they are over-qualified.
    - 74 percent would be willing to take a job with less pay to help make
      ends meet.
    - 64 percent would be willing to relocate to another city or country to
      find a job.

"Today's workers are dealing with record unemployment rates and longer job searches," said Farhan Yasin, president of CareerBuilder EMEA. "To stay competitive in the long run, employers will be looking to add jobs in areas that drive revenue, customer retention and innovation first. Keeping this in mind, see how you can make your background relevant to these areas and expand your job search to new industries and professions."

Tips for Job Hunting in Today's Economy

- Repackage your skills - Write different versions of your CV to appeal to a broader range of employers. Keep in mind that skills in communications, project management, customer service, etc are universal across industries and transferrable to new fields.

- Get involved - a great way to build up your CV and make new contacts is through volunteering. The majority of employers consider volunteering to qualify as relevant experience.

- Stock your CV with keywords - Employers use electronic scanners to rank the job applications they receive. Make sure to include keywords from the employer's job postings in your CV as it pertains to your experience, so your application is ranked toward the top of the pile.

- Leverage social media - Promote your personal brand and skills on different social networking sites. Make sure to remove any content or photos that may not convey a professional image to employers.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online by CareerBuilder among 1,100 workers who were laid off from a full-time job in the last year. The survey was conducted from May 26 to June 4, 2009. With a probability sample of 1,100 CareerBuilder users, one could say that the results of this survey are accurate at the 95 percent confidence level +/- 2.95 percentage points.

About CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to talent acquisition. More than 9,000 Web sites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Its flagship online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 32 million resumes. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com

Media Contact:
    Maria Xenou
    Maria.Xenou@careerbuilder.com
    +30-210-811-5330

Maria Xenou of CareerBuilder, +30-210-811-5330, Maria.Xenou@careerbuilder.com

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