Sam Malone has been working at Ace Express for the past 6 years.

Ace is a shipping company based in Hong Kong.

It ships dangerous chemicals to all parts of the world.

Last year Sam was promoted to Vice President.

Along with the promotion, he was given a beautiful office.

He was also given a 20% raise in salary.

Sam is well respected within the company, and he likes his co-workers.

However, he wants to take on new challenges and is looking for a change.

If he stays at Ace, he doesn't see any chance of another promotion.

He is also beginning to worry about the company's future.

He thinks there is a high probability that the company will be acquired.

If that happens, he may lose his job.

Last month he started looking for a new job.

According to his research, about 40% of jobs are found through acquaintances.

So the first thing he did was to contact his closest friends.

He let them know that he was looking for something new.

Many of his friends and acquaintances are in the shipping business, but some have moved into other industries.

He also checked out several companies on the Internet and updated his resume.