MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LinkedIn, (NYSE:LNKD) the world's largest professional network with more than 150 million members worldwide, today released data about professionals' attitudes toward career negotiations like asking for a raise or closing a business deal.
LinkedIn surveyed more than 2,000 professionals globally for the study. The study shows a direct correlation between being a more frequent user of LinkedIn and being more comfortable with negotiating. Forty-eight percent of professionals who visit LinkedIn on a daily basis report feeling confident about negotiating, while only one third of professionals who visit LinkedIn fewer than five times per month have the same feeling of confidence.
Professionals in eight countries were surveyed. Globally, 35 percent of people report feeling anxious or frightened about negotiating. Thirty-four percent are confident, while 10 percent say negotiations are exciting and 10 percent are indifferent about them.
- According to LinkedIn's study, Brazilian professionals had the highest percentage of respondents that stated they were frightened by negotiating (21 percent).
- Germans have the most positive outlook on negotiating, with the highest rate of respondents reporting they are excited about negotiating (21 percent) and the second-highest ranking for feeling confident (43 percent).
- India ranked as the most confident country when it comes to negotiating, with 47 percent of survey respondents from India reporting that they feel confident about negotiating.
- Professionals in the United States are the most anxious about negotiating (39 percent).
- Survey respondents from South Korea report feeling the most indifferent about negotiating (21 percent).
The study also found that men feel more confident about negotiating than women, with 37 percent of men saying they feel confident compared to only 26 percent of women.
When asked to compare negotiating to various situations, more than one out of every five respondents (22 percent) feel that negotiating is similar to playing a game of poker, where players are forced to make moves based on incomplete information.
"While it's true that there's a flat-out fear of negotiating among a percentage of professionals, all of us can benefit from getting smarter about making requests at work," said Selena Rezvani, author of the new book, PUSHBACK: How Smart Women Ask—And Stand Up—For What They Want. "Whether that means consulting a salary calculator, conferring with a second-degree connection on LinkedIn to learn your counterpart's style, or using a negotiating app on your phone for practice, careful preparation is a worthy investment of your time."
Today PayScale unveiled a new tool that will easily allow professionals to prepare for salary negotiations. The PayScale Instant Salary Report application uses LinkedIn's Application Programming Interface or API to allow LinkedIn members to log in with their LinkedIn account on the PayScale site. Professionals can then select a current title from their LinkedIn Profile and automatically see a salary report based on what similar professionals are currently earning.
In addition to the new application that was launched today, here are some other tips that will help you become a negotiating ninja:
Consult with Your Network: Your professional network is your most underused tool in a negotiation. Friends, peers and your LinkedIn connections (even your second and third degree connections) can offer all kinds of insights and motivation.
Do Pre-Work: Negotiators can gain an advantage by taking the initiative to write a draft plan for whatever is they are proposing. Try joining some of the same LinkedIn Groups your counterpart is a member of to gain insight into his or her motivations, attitudes and interests.
Don't Give In: While in a negotiation, draw out the conversation – or even postpone it – if need be. Don't just accept the first pushback you receive and surrender after your first attempt.
Learn more about LinkedIn's negotiating study by visiting the LinkedIn's Blog.
About LinkedIn
Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. With more than 150 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the Internet. The company has a diversified business model with revenues coming from member subscriptions, marketing solutions and hiring solutions. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, LinkedIn has offices across the globe.
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