Undergraduate business students preparing to enter the workforce have some distinct ideas on which employers are best suited to help them make their marks on the world.
Google, Walt Disney and Apple top the list of employers undergrads find attractive, but student interest is also growing in fashion, media and retail sector companies, as well.
To determine business students’ employers of choice, advisory firm Universum recently surveyed almost 82,000 undergraduates at 366 universities across the country.
Survey respondents included more than 25,000 business majors. The survey, conducted over a three-month period beginning in October 2014, asked students to review a list of 230 potential employers and indicate whether they have applied with the companies or intend to.
Factors That Matter to Students
Courtesy of an improved economy, undergraduates are being exposed to a larger number of potential employers.
Universum found that overall undergrads are likely to consider up to 34.4 employers during their job search, up from 26.4 in 2012.
When seeking employment opportunities, students are looking for ideal employers based on a number of key factors they deem important.
Universum delved into traits that make employers attractive to students and found that personal development features, such as work-life balance and dedication to a cause, tend to rank higher with undergrads than organizational goals such as professional autonomy and expertise.
Business students seem especially drawn to companies that have a focus on environmental and social impacts through their work.
Employer attributes deemed among the most important to business students included supportive leaders, job security and the opportunity for students to eventually rise through the ranks to earn leadership roles.
Workplace environmental factors, including respect for staff and friendliness, lagged near the end of requirements with a company’s ethical standards ranking the lowest.
Companies that Ranked High
Universum’s survey revealed these companies as the top 15 most attractive employers for undergrads:
- Walt Disney
- Apple
- Nike
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- EY
- Goldman Sachs
- Deloitte
- PwC
- FBI
- Amazon
- Microsoft
- Coca-Cola
- Major League Baseball
- Nordstrom
Universum’s Attractive Employers survey has been conducted for the past 25 years.
The survey is designed as a tool to “help employers understand, attract and retain current and future employees through its research, strategic consulting and activation services,” according to its website.
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