It's well-known job-search advice in some circles: You should talk to others to learn about job openings rather than rely on classified ads and Internet postings. But a recent study from outplacement firm DBM suggests that unemployed professionals in the U.K. don't turn to networking nearly as often as their U.S. counterparts, even though outplacement professionals generally agree it's the most effective way to land a new position. The survey of nearly 7,000 job seekers in 42 countries shows that while 61% of U.S. respondents found re-employment through networking, only 43% of U.K. job seekers used this method. Slightly over half of all survey respondents reported finding employment this way.

Why the somewhat stiff upper lip among British job seekers when it comes to networking? Frank Schroeder, president of DBM Europe, believes that they simply are reluctant to push themselves, even a little, on friends and contacts. "It's not a criticism, because it's kind of nice that they're not so 'in your face,' " says Mr. Schroeder, a Decatur, Illinois, native who lived in England for 11 years but is now based in Paris. "They are less forthcoming and they don't want to impose," he says.

What's more, Mr. Schroeder believes that layoffs and restructurings have affected so many people in the U.S. that "being in transition" and calling contacts in one's Rolodex have lost much of their stigma. "People understand, and it's OK to ask [for help]," he says. In contrast, such churn has been somewhat less prevalent in Europe and the U.K. Plus, severance packages and employment laws tend to be more favorable to employees in those places compared to the U.S., so the urgency to find a new position may not be as great, he adds.

The more-generous unemployment benefits may explain why the DBM survey showed that U.K. and Europe residents who went through outplacement counseling required between 18 and 20 weeks to find a new job; the average in the U.S. is 14 weeks.

Other survey findings illustrate differences between U.K. and U.S. job seekers. Classified ads appear to be a better resource for the unemployed in the U.K. One quarter of U.K. survey respondents said they found new jobs via print advertising, compared to only 4% of U.S. job seekers.

Similarly, 21% of U.K. survey respondents said they had found work through a search firm, while this resource helped a mere 5% of U.S. respondents. Mr. Schroeder attributes this difference to the presence of more "search and selection" print advertisements in the U.K. "In the U.S. in the search world, fewer big jobs are advertised. Search firms have done a good job of developing their own market," he says. "In Europe and the U.K., they'll advertise a bit more."