Senior professionals in Singapore value money and family: LinkedIn survey

• Having high income (60%) and family (56%) their top measures of success
• However, 40% said that leaving work to start a family is difficult

WHEN it comes to defining success in life, senior professionals in Asia Pacific seem to have a balanced set of priorities across their work and personal lives, according to a recent study, Life of a Professional, by LinkedIn.
 
More than half surveyed in Singapore cite having a high income (60%) and a family (56%) as their top measures of success, followed by owning a nice house (39%), LinkedIn said in a statement.
 
Life of a Professional is a study that delves into the aspirations and evolving needs of professionals through the different phases of their career, said the online professional network, which claims more than 332 million members worldwide and 61 million in Asia Pacific.
 
There are slight differences across markets – the senior professionals in Singapore who rated having a high income as the top yardstick for success outnumbered their counterparts in Asia Pacific (51%).
 
A strong entrepreneurial spirit is also displayed by senior professionals in Hong Kong, as becoming an entrepreneur (50%) was the No 2 measure of success along with high income (53%).
 
In comparison, early professionals in Asia Pacific (those less than a year of experience) rate having a family (55%) and a high income (54%) as the two top measures of success.
 
Interestingly, this group ranked becoming an entrepreneur (38%) higher than senior professionals (32%) as amongst the top measures of success, LinkedIn said.
 
LinkedIn partnered with CensusWide to survey more than 6,000 individuals comprising students and professionals to better understand individuals across different stages in their career.
 
Respondents over the age of 16 were surveyed in Asia Pacific, from India, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.
 
The company defined ‘senior professionals’ as those with more than 11 years of experience.
 
‘Having it all’
 
Although having a family was cited as the top measure of success, 33% of the senior professionals in Asia Pacific said that leaving work to start a family is difficult.
 
In this group, the largest number is in Singapore (40%) followed by India (36%), Hong Kong (35%) and Australia (20%).
 
Thirty-seven percent of the senior professionals surveyed in Asia Pacific also said that they found it difficult to move from full-time work to a part-time arrangement.
 
Senior professionals in Singapore (44%) had the most difficulty with the transition, followed by Hong Kong (39%) and India (38%), while those in Australia (26%) found it the least difficult.
 
More than a third (35%) of the senior professionals in Singapore said that they would find it hard to take a sabbatical.
 
Thirty-six percent of those surveyed in this group would use their social networking contacts if they were to get back to work after a sabbatical and if they were looking to change career paths.
 
What they could have done differently
 
One in two (51%) senior professionals surveyed in Singapore said that on hindsight, they would have proactively built and expanded their professional networks to advance their careers.
 
They also emphasised the importance of skills development – such as acquiring more qualifications (45%) and attending more training courses (35%) to advance their careers then.
 
What they do on LinkedIn
 
The top three uses of LinkedIn cited by senior professionals across the region are keeping in touch with former colleagues (33%); maintaining their networks (29%); and looking out for jobs (27%).
 
This is closely mirrored in Singapore, with 34% of senior professionals using LinkedIn to maintain their network, followed by keeping in touch with former colleagues (32%), and looking for jobs (31%).
 
Hari Krishnan (pic), LinkedIn managing director of Asia Pacific & Japan, said: “As these professionals advance in their careers and take on senior roles, the desire for stability and recognition is a common denominator.
 
“However, as they continuously strive for the tangibles – a steady income or a strong family unit – they should consider leveraging softer skills to achieve their goals.
 
“This can be through being a mentor and sharing their experience, or engaging meaningfully with the industry and other professionals through a professional networking site such as LinkedIn to enhance their standing as industry experts,” he added.
 
Here are some tips on how best to do this, according to LinkedIn:

• Build your personal brand: Creating a compelling LinkedIn profile can help you market yourself better and at the same time attract prospective employers. Your LinkedIn profile can be your ticket to a variety of new professional opportunities like partnerships, mentorships, volunteering, jobs or new business.

• Share your knowledge by publishing posts on LinkedIn: Share your expertise with other professionals on LinkedIn by publishing long-form posts. Write about topics relevant to your profession or industry. Publishing posts will help you build your reputation as a go-to resource in your area of expertise.

• Learn from successful leaders: With hundreds of the brightest and most successful business minds among LinkedIn’s Influencers, you can exchange and get insights to help take your business and career further. Follow leaders of your favourite companies and industry experts to see how they have achieved success.

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