Execs trapped by 'glass walls'

Does the C in CIO stand for 'career claustrophobia'? The UK's senior execs are feeling glassed in, says a new survey.

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When looking for a new job nearly three-quarters of senior execs admit to feeling trapped in their current job and unable to advance their career by moving between companies, according to the research.

The survey of senior managers and C-level execs found 70 per cent of those polled feel trapped in their job as if they are surrounded by 'glass walls'.

Forty per cent of those who said they feel 'glassed in' put it down to not having enough contacts in the senior space, while 38 per cent said there is a lack of opportunity available to them and a quarter said they don't understand the high end job market.

Only 20 per cent of the execs feel in complete control of their careers, according to the research which was conducted by online recruitment agency TheLadders.co.uk.

Jim Hunter, consultant business psychologist for TheLadders.co.uk, said while mature professionals are entrepreneurial in a business sense, they often lack confidence on a personal level.

He said in a statement: "In spite of a buoyant job market, many fear lack of opportunity, lack of contacts, lifestyle changes and increasingly they lack faith in the recruitment marketplace."

Almost half (46 per cent) of senior execs on the lookout for a new job are more likely to put their faith in networking than professional headhunters, according to the survey.

More than half (52 per cent) of respondents described headhunters as 'ineffective', compared to just 23 per cent with the opposite view.