The 2008 Universe IDEAL(TM) Employer Survey says that undergrads’ desire to work for Google is growing. The survey also reports that the demand to work for Ernst & Young made a big jump over laster year. Job security and the work-life balance are reportedly top concerns.
Nearly one in five undergraduate students chose Google (17.1 percent this year) as their IDEAL(TM) Employer. Google’s popularity grew this year, 13 percent of undergraduate students chose it as IDEAL(TM) in 2007.
Walt Disney (who came in 13 percent this year) cam in second in the survey results. Apple Computer (10 percent) was third, and Ernst & Young jumped up eight positions since 2007 to be fourth. Ernst & Young edged out the U.S. Department of State (who came in at 9 percent). Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Peace Corps, NASA, and PricewaterhouseCoopers completed the top 10 list.
For the 2008 survey, 43,313 students from 195 colleges and universities participated in the Undergraduate Edition of the Universum IDEAL(TM) Employer Survey. This was the largest survey of its kind in the United States.
In the survey, undergraduate college students answered questions about their career expectations like their top industries, their career goals, their communication preferences, their salary expectations, and their IDEAL(TM) employers.
According to the the UNIVERSUM Communications, “The career goals of undergraduate respondents directly reflect attitudes about work and current economic and social events. An overwhelming 64 percent of students feel that a work-life balance is the most important career goal, job security and stability (45 percent) came second. Third on the list is being dedicated to a cause or to feel they are serving a greater good (44 percent) followed by being competitively or intellectually challenged (39 percent), and to be a leader or manager of people (33 percent).”
UNIVERSUM Communications says that Working in an organization like the U.S Dept. of State allows undergraduate students to achieve top career goals like giving back to the community and their financial goals which is why government/public service remains the No. 1 industry. Healthcare came in second followed by accounting (public), education/teaching, and marketing/advertising.
This year, undergraduate students are expecting, on average, $50,640 one year after graduation, and $96,438 after five years.