Canadians Using The Internet To
Promote Their Careers

Toronto, ON - It appears that Canadians are beginning to use the internet as a means by which to promote their careers, with a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of MSN revealing that many Canadians are using a variety of online tactics to advance themselves in the professional world.

Indeed, three in ten (27%) Canadians agree that they are hoping to take their careers to the next level and would like to use the internet to promote themselves. Further, one quarter (23%) of Canadians maintain that they already have used the internet to promote themselves for personal or professional gain.

• Interestingly, individuals in British Columbia (30%), Ontario (29%) and Alberta (29%) are the most likely to indicate that they are interested this type of promotion, while those in Quebec (24%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (21%) and Atlantic Canada (16%).
• Men are also more likely (32%) than women (21%) to agree that they are hoping to take their career to the next level and would like to use the internet to promote themselves.
• Some of the other tactics that Canadians attempting to advance their careers are employing include joining a social networking site in order to network with others and promote themselves, while two in ten (17%) have even used the internet to promote themselves using a carefully constructed message and strategy. However, not all Canadians have subscribed to this method, with four in ten (37%) claiming that they do not know how to use the internet to promote themselves or their careers.
• Canadians aged 35 and older are more likely (40%) than those aged 18 to 34 (30%) to indicate that they don't know how to use the internet to promote themselves.
• Women (40%) are more likely than men (33%) to indicate that this is the case for them.

Perhaps understanding that items posted on the internet are in the public domain and therefore have an impact on one's image, three quarters (76%) of Canadians indicate that when they are online, they are conscious of the impact that their activities could have on their image. In this vein, most Canadians (87%) like to keep their private and professional lives separate from each other. What is more, a similar proportion (85%) avoid putting personal information about themselves on the internet with the goal of protecting their privacy and reputation in mind.

• Women (81%) are more likely than men (70%) to indicate that they are conscious of the impact tht their online activities could have on their image. Regionally, Quebecers (84%) are the most likely to agree with this sentiment, followed by Albertans (80%), Ontarians (78%), Atlantic Canadians (76%). Those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are less likely (69%), as are British Columbians (54%).
• There are significant differences among age when it comes to Canadians avoiding posting personal information about themselves on the internet. In fact, 92% of older Canadians, aged 55 and older, maintain that they do this, while 89% of middle aged Canadians, aged 35 to 54, and just 73% of younger Canadians, aged 18 to 34, indicate that they avoid posting personal information about themselves on the internet.

Many Canadians are even checking up on themselves on the internet, so to speak. In fact, six in ten (59%) have used an internet search engine to see what comes up online when they search their own name. Perhaps to the shock of some, two in ten (20%) admit that they have seen pictures of themselves on the internet that they had not posted on their own accord.

• Men (64%) are more likely than women (55%) to have used a search engine to see what comes up when they search their own names.
• Younger Canadians are more likely (69%) than middle-aged (59%) or younger Canadians (51%) to have searched for their own name online. Younger Canadians are also much more likely (43%) to have seen pictures of themselves on the internet that they have not posted themselves than are middle-aged (12%) or older Canadians (8%).
• Canadians living in Alberta are the most likely (69%) to have used a search engine to see what comes up when they type in their own name, compared to 61% of Ontarians, 60% of British Columbians, 56% of Atlantic Canadians, 55% of Quebecers, and 52% of Canadians living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of MSN from May 15 to June 9, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1011 adult Canadians was interviewed online. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Canadians And Their Email Addresses...

Overwhelmingly, Canadians (93%) are using the internet for their personal communications, whether it be through email of instant messaging. However, other uses of the internet include research and entertainment (59%), the use of social networking sites (42%), photo sharing (38%), the storing of files and important documents (38%), and bogging (7%). But for many, it appears that it is email that is taking up their time, with two thirds (67%) of Canadian email users indicating that they that they have multiple email addresses. In fact, just one in three (33%) have only one email address, while a similar proportion (35%) maintain two email addresses. One quarter of Canadians (22%) have three email addresses, while one in ten (10%) claim to be managing four or more email addresses simultaneously (10%).

• Men are more likely (12%) than women (9%) to maintain four or more addresses, and they are also more likely (29%) than women (15%) to have three email addresses. Women, however, are more likely (41%) than men (29%) to have two address, or one address (35% women, 31% men).
• Among younger Canadians, 17% have four or more addresses, 27% have three addresses, 38% have two addresses, and just 18% have one address.
• The trend is distinctly opposite among middle-aged and older Canadians. In fact, for middle aged Canadians, the division is roughly equal among one address (32%), two addresses (33%) or three addresses (26%). Just 8% of individuals aged 35 to 54 have four or more addresses.
• Among older Canadians, nearly one half (48%) only have one address, while one third (34%) have two email addressees. Just one in nine (11%) have three addresses, and even fewer (7%) have four or more addresses.

The data also reveals that emailing is popular among the young and old alike. In fact, three in ten (29%) Canadians were 45 years of age or older when they first got an email address, while two in ten (19%) Canadians were 36 to 45 years old. Furthermore, two in ten (18%) were between the ages of 26 and 35. and a similar proportion (16%) were 18 to 25 years old or 10 to 18 years old (16%) when they got their first email address. Interestingly, one percent (1%) of Canadians studied were below the age of 10 when they first got an email address.

Canadians also say that they've been wired online with an email address for quite some time now. Almost one half of Canadians with email addresses have had one for six to ten years (48%), while two in ten (16%) have had an address for over 10 years. Just four in ten (36%) are relatively new to email, indicating that they've had an address for less than 5 years.

• It is often thought that email logins and online aliases are an extension of a person's personality. In this regard, eight in ten (78%) Canadians would describe at least one of their logins or aliases as `personal', where it is a variation of their name, a nickname, a personality trait, or a fun or suggestive name. One quarter (23%) say that their email addresses could be described as `professional', where it includes their name, a company, or the like. One in ten (9%) would describe their email login or alias as `community', reflecting their personal interests or hobbies.

And thinking specifically about an email address that is a personal account and not affiliated with work, four in ten (42%) would describe that email login as `their name' (42%), while two in ten (17%) were unable to use their specific name, and so their login is an extension of their name. One quarter (23%) use a fun word or name that reflects their interests and hobbies, while one in eight (13%) use a fun word or name that represents an image that they would like to portray online.

In terms of those online aliases and email addresses, three quarters (75%) of Canadians are happy with their email alias or login ID. However, on in ten (10%) feel like they have outgrown their login or alias, but do not change it for fear of losing contact with their old friends. Fewer (4%) say that they would change their login or address if they could get their first request of new address or alias when they do change, while fewer still say that they either regret the name or email alias or login that they have chosen (2%), or that they feel like the email address that they created when they were younger no longer reflects their current personality.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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