Best Places to Launch a Career 2007
To determine which employers are best for entry-level workers, BusinessWeek used a three-part method.
First, we surveyed career services directors at U.S. colleges to learn which employers were tops on their list. We then asked those employers to complete a survey on their hiring, pay, benefits, and training programs, which we then compared with others in the same industry. Finally, we obtained from Universum Communications, a Philadelphia research company, the results of its 2007 survey of 44,000 U.S. undergraduates who were asked to identify their five most desirable employers.
The employer survey counts for 50% of the final ranking, while the career services and student surveys count for 25% each.
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Click column heading once to reorder from highest to lowest. Click twice to reorder from lowest to highest.
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| 81 | -99 | AIG (17) | AIG | Insurance | 87 | Business | Analytical Skills | 75 | 84 | NA | $45-$50 | NA | | 30 | -99 | Prudential | PRU | Insurance | 102 | Business | College Major | 11 | 83 | NA | $45-$50 | Yes | | 47 | -99 | New York Life (14) | 8221763 | Insurance | 2518 | Business | College GPA | 32 | 81 | 55 | $40-$45 | No | | 74 | -99 | Unilever | UN | Consumer Goods | null | Business | Analytical Skills | 69 | 81 | 53 | $45-$50 | Yes | | 69 | -99 | Calif. State Auditor | | Nonprofit/Government | 29 | Intl Relations, Public Policy, Poli. Sci. | College Major | 56 | 80 | NA | $35-$40 | No | | 58 | 19 | Ameriprise Financial | AMP | Financial Services | 2335 | NA | Communication Skills | 43 | 79 | NA | $35-$40 | Yes | | 89 | 44 | Kraft Foods | 4155690 | Consumer Goods | null | NA | NA | 89 | 78 | 42 | NA | Yes | | 85 | -99 | Aramark | 34812306 | Hospitality | 425 | Culinary, Food Svc. Mgmt., Hospitality | Work Experience | 82 | 76 | 60 | $40-$45 | No | | 76 | -99 | Ingersoll Rand | IR | Manufacturing | null | NA | Leadership Skills | 68 | 76 | NA | $50-$55 | Yes | | 71 | -99 | BlueCross BlueShield | 160225 | Insurance | 46 | Other | Communication Skills | 60 | 73 | NA | $45-$50 | No | | 46 | -99 | Sprint | S | Telecommunications | 150 | Engineering | Analytical Skills | 33 | 73 | 56 | $50-$55 | Yes | | 38 | 11 | Verizon | VZ | Telecommunications | 35072 | Business | Analytical Skills | 19 | 73 | NA | $35-$40 | Yes | | 53 | 37 | Progressive | 34036339 | Insurance | 2858 | Other | Communication Skills | 38 | 70 | 57 | LESS THAN $35 | Yes | | 79 | 46 | Southwest Airlines | LUV | Transportation | 2304 | NA | Fun-loving attitude | 80 | 70 | 29 | LESS THAN $35 | No | | 80 | -99 | Duke Energy | DUK | Energy | null | Science | Leadership Skills | 76 | 70 | NA | $35-$40 | No | | 82 | -99 | Nationwide | 2117325 | Insurance | null | NA | Communication Skills | 77 | 68 | NA | LESS THAN $35 | NA | | 22 | -99 | Capital One (11) | COF | Financial Services | 190 | Engineering | Analytical Skills | 6 | 68 | NA | $55-$60 | Yes | | 55 | -99 | Nike | NKE | Consumer Goods | null | Other | College GPA | 73 | 67 | 14 | NA | Yes | | 52 | 40 | Booz Allen Hamilton | 160233 | Consulting | 240 | Business | Communication Skills | 47 | 64 | 48 | $50-$55 | No | | 57 | -99 | Hewlett-Packard | HPQ | Technology | 257 | Business | College Major | 52 | 64 | 43 | $70 AND ABOVE | Yes | | 39 | -99 | Chubb | CB | Insurance | 458 | Business | Analytical Skills | 22 | 64 | NA | $45-$50 | No | | 56 | -99 | Aetna | 6497782 | Insurance | null | NA | Leadership Skills | 41 | 62 | NA | $40-$45 | Yes | | 73 | 34 | Grant Thornton | 102027 | Accounting | 570 | Business | Leadership Skills | 65 | 62 | NA | $50-$55 | Yes | | 63 | -99 | Walgreen | WAG | Retail | 17359 | NA | Communication Skills | 54 | 59 | NA | NA | No | | 48 | 47 | Kohl's | 4160171 | Retail | 131 | Business | Communication Skills | 34 | 59 | NA | $40-$45 | No | | 44 | -99 | St. Jude Medical | STJ | Pharmaceutical | 175 | Engineering | Teamwork | 31 | 59 | NA | $65-$70 | Yes | | 64 | -99 | Sherwin-Williams | SHW | Consumer Goods | 780 | Business | Leadership Skills | 55 | 56 | NA | LESS THAN $35 | No | | 75 | 35 | SunTrust Banks | STI | Financial Services | 211 | Business | Analytical Skills | 70 | 56 | NA | $45-$50 | No | | 70 | 39 | IRS | | Nonprofit/Government | null | Business | College Major | 72 | 56 | 34 | $35-$40 | No | | 61 | -99 | Dell | DELL | Technology | null | Business | Communication Skills | 63 | 53 | 30 | $55-$60 | No | | 54 | -99 | Liberty Mutual | 162456 | Insurance | 667 | Business | Communication Skills | 46 | 53 | 54 | $45-$50 | Yes | | 40 | -99 | Intel | INTC | Technology | 1425 | Engineering | College Major | 40 | 53 | 24 | $55-$60 | No | | 29 | 49 | Exelon | EXC | Energy | null | Engineering | College GPA | 12 | 51 | NA | $55-$60 | Yes | | 65 | -99 | Deutsche Bank | DB | Investment Banking | 278 | NA | Communication Skills | 66 | 51 | 33 | $60-$65 | No | | 77 | -99 | Cisco | CSCO | Technology | 343 | Engineering | Communication Skills | 78 | 50 | 37 | NA | Yes | | 86 | 36 | Shell | 23899432 | Energy | 157 | Engineering | College Major | 87 | 48 | 38 | NA | No | | 15 | 10 | Abbott Labs | ABT | Pharmaceutical | 980 | Engineering | Leadership Skills | 2 | 48 | 47 | $50-$55 | Yes | | 35 | 16 | L'Oreal USA | 854696 | Consumer Goods | 55 | Engineering | Leadership Skills | 41 | 47 | 22 | $50-$55 | Yes | | 67 | -99 | Bear Stearns | BSC | Investment Banking | null | NA | Analytical Skills | 66 | 46 | 49 | $60-$65 | No | | 62 | -99 | Nestle | NESN | Consumer Goods | 28 | Engineering | Leadership Skills | 64 | 45 | 39 | $40-$45 | No | | 45 | -99 | Marriott International | MAR | Hospitality | 269 | Hospitality | Leadership Skills | 49 | 41 | 26 | $35-$40 | No | | 32 | 27 | Eli Lilly | LLY | Pharmaceutical | 574 | NA | College GPA | 21 | 41 | 31 | $55-$60 | No | | 28 | 7 | Raytheon | RTN | Manufacturing | 1082 | Engineering | College Major | 17 | 41 | 32 | $60-$65 | Yes | | 68 | -99 | Union Pacific | UNP | Transportation | null | Business | Analytical Skills | 61 | 41 | NA | $40-$45 | No | | 37 | -99 | Travelers | 4164657 | Insurance | null | Business | Analytical Skills | 25 | 40 | NA | $35-$40 | Yes | | 42 | -99 | UBS | UBS | Investment Banking | 263 | Economics | Communication Skills | 38 | 39 | 41 | $55-$60 | No | | 21 | -99 | Hyatt | 9328956 | Hospitality | 330 | Hospitality,Culinary, Facility Mgmt. | Communication Skills | 7 | 37 | NA | LESS THAN $35 | No | | 87 | -99 | Motorola | MOT | Technology | null | Engineering | College Major | 88 | 37 | 35 | $50-$55 | No | | 84 | 45 | Northwestern Mutual (18) | 6949027 | Insurance | 1619 | Business | Entrepreneurial Spirit | 84 | 36 | NA | $45-$50 | Yes | | 83 | 55 | BearingPoint | BE | Consulting | 1344 | Business | College Major | 81 | 35 | 62 | $45-$50 | No |
Note: All data are self-reported by employers. Eight employers ranked in 2006 were not ranked this year. Bain & Co. declined to participate; National Instruments, Pepsi Bottling, MTV Networks, NASA, CapGemini, the Comptroller of the Currency, and Progress Energy were not selected by career services directors as top employers for new college graduates.
(1) Comparison group for employer survey.
(2) Data provided by Universum Communications.
(3) Only training programs of more than a year, excluding analyst programs at investment banks and financial services companies.
(4) Entry-level hires for fiscal year (July 1-June 31); excludes 5-year accounting students working toward BS and MS simultaneously. Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified Deloitte Consulting as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(5) Entry-level hires for fiscal year (July 1-June 31).
(6) Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified IBM Consulting as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(7) Walt Disney footnote: Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified ESPN and ABC as top employers for entry-level hires.
(8) Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified GE Healthcare as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(9) Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified JPMorgan Chase as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(10) Entry-level hires include Foreign Service Officers, Foreign Service Specialists, and Civil Service employees.
(11) Entry-level hires for campus recruiting only; based on academic year.
(12) Ranked as Federated Department Stores in 2006. Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified Bloomingdale's and Federated Department Stores as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(13) Entry-level hires includes salaried employees only; unionized hourly employees excluded.
(14) Top degree for agents only.
(15) Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified BellSouth and Cingular as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(16) Ranked as Ferguson Enterprises in 2006; Wolesely is Ferguson's parent company. Career services survey rank also reflects respondents who identified Ferguson Enterprises as a top employer for entry-level hires.
(17) Entry-level hires includes only those hired into entry-level training programs.
(18) Entry-level hires are independent contractors affiliated with branch offices; their compensation is commission-based.
(19) Pay data for non-sales positions only.
Data: BusinessWeek, Universum Communications Inc., Cambria Consulting. Research by: Lindsey Gerdes, Louis Lavelle, Frederick F. Jespersen, Sophia Asare, Jenna Goudreau, Ben Levisohn, and Erica Pelzek.
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