Google, Walt Disney Co. and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, young millennials want to work for you.
A new survey by the National Society of High School Scholars found those are the most preferred employers among high school students, college students and young professionals.
The NSHSS Scholar 2015 Millennial Career Survey showed the upcoming workforce is particularly interested in health-related and STEM-focused jobs (science, technology, engineering and math).
Forty-one percent expect to work in the medical field while 28% want to work in science. Twenty-one are pursuing technology and engineering careers and 20% are seeking arts, entertainment, media, business or corporate jobs.
Started in 2008, the online survey is conducted annually to determine the opinions and attitudes of high achieving students on the path toward entering the workforce.
This year’s survey asked 18,000 students ages 15 to 29 several questions about employment preferences, career planning and educational goals to help employers better understand what their future workers are looking for in a job.
When it comes to deciding where to work, the majority of respondents said the top factor was working for a company that treats employees fairly. About half said corporate social responsibility was the most important, followed by brand image and prestige.
While salary ranked high (46%), even higher was a desire to have flexible hours and schedule (70%) and benefits (59%). Performance bonuses trailed at 20%.
Students said they placed a strong emphasis on diversity in the workplace, with nearly half saying it helps an organization generate new ideas and solutions. Others said it stimulates learning and helps a company become more socially responsible.
While students are optimistic about finding employment, they aren’t naïve. Forty-one percent said they expect to land a job right after graduation, but 27% said it would take six months and 12% said it would take six months to a year.
To get a job, the majority (68%) said they planned to look at companies’ websites and 51% said they would go through their school counseling or career service office. Other methods mentioned included job fairs, national job websites and recruiters.
Overall, students hoped to find jobs with companies that treat people fairly, show corporate social responsibility and offer good benefits.
The survey was conducted by Hanover Research May 18 through April 3 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 0.9 percentage points.
