- Wednesday November 4, 2009
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Best Places to Launch a Career 2009
To determine which employers are best for entry-level workers, BusinessWeek uses a three-part methodology.
First, we surveyed career services directors at U.S. colleges to learn which employers were tops on their lists. We 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 USA, a Philadelphia research company, the results of its 2009 survey of more than 60,000 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.
For more information, click on the employer's name and check out its online profile, which includes details on pay and benefits, training programs, and hiring.
Click column heading once to reorder from highest to lowest. Click twice to reorder from lowest to highest.
2009 Rank | 2008 Rank | Employer | Industry 1 | Entry-Level Hiring 2009 vs. 20082 (%) | Top Degrees Among Entry-Level Hires | Most Desirable Trait | Employer Survey Rank | Student Survey Rank3 | Career Services Survey Rank4 | Average Pay ($000) | Management Training Program5 |
| 13 | 15 | Abbott Labs | Health | -41.3 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 2 | 44 | 36 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 69 | 98 | Abercrombie & Fitch22 | Retail | -50.5 | Business/Economics | Cultural Fit | 61 | 55 | 63 | $50-$55 | No |
| 11 | 47 | Accenture10 | Consulting | -30.2 | Other | College Major | 5 | 38 | 15 | $60-$65 | No |
| 21 | 58 | AFLAC | Insurance | -11.1 | Business/Economics | Analytical Skills | 9 | 55 | 62 | $50-$55 | Yes |
| 60 | 33 | Amazon.com19 | Retail | -18.2 | Computer Science | Analytical Skills | 58 | 21 | 55 | $75 + | No |
| 67 | 60 | Ameriprise Financial21 | Financial Services | -69.5 | NA | Leadership | 7 | 55 | 63 | NA | Yes |
| 42 | NR | Aramark | Hospitality | NA | Hospitality | Leadership | 35 | 52 | 55 | $40-$45 | No |
| 38 | 38 | AT&T | Utilities | -64.4 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 36 | 34 | 63 | $35-$40 | Yes |
| 57 | NR | BAE Systems | Manufacturing | NA | Engineering | College Major | 52 | 48 | 49 | $60-$65 | Yes |
| 30 | 25 | Boeing | Manufacturing | -27.5 | Engineering | Technical Skills | 41 | 15 | 35 | $45-$50 | Yes |
| 63 | 80 | Booz Allen Hamilton | Consulting | 187.7 | Business/Economics | Communication | 64 | 42 | 41 | $55-$60 | No |
| 65 | 118 | C.H. Robinson | Transportation | -48.3 | Business/Economics | Communication | 65 | 55 | 60 | < $35 | No |
| 23 | 37 | Central Intelligence Agency | Nonprofit/Government | NA | NA | College Major | 45 | 7 | 29 | $45-$50 | No |
| 58 | NR | CIGNA18 | Insurance | NA | Business/Economics | Leadership | 48 | 55 | 46 | $50-$55 | Yes |
| 43 | 31 | Cisco Systems | Technology | -50.1 | Computer Science | Work Experience | 43 | 35 | 37 | $70-$75 | Yes |
| 68 | 100 | Comcast | Utilities | -9.4 | NA | Communication | 38 | 55 | 63 | < $35 | Yes |
| 62 | 88 | Credit Suisse | Investment Banking | -35.9 | Business/Economics | Analytical Skills | 66 | 41 | 33 | $60-$65 | No |
| 44 | 93 | Dell | Technology | -74 | Business/Economics | College Major | 41 | 32 | 59 | $40-$45 | Yes |
| 1 | 2 | Deloitte6 | Accounting | -1.1 | Business/Economics | College GPA | 1 | 8 | 1 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 35 | NR | Entergy | Utilities | NA | Engineering | College Major | 28 | 55 | 52 | $60-$65 | No |
| 15 | 26 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | Transportation | -7.6 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 28 | 51 | 4 | < $35 | No |
| 2 | 1 | Ernst & Young | Accounting | -19.7 | Business/Economics | College Major | 6 | 3 | 6 | $50-$55 | Yes |
| 16 | 18 | General Electric | Manufacturing | -36.4 | Engineering | College Major | 19 | 16 | 9 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 12 | 24 | General Mills11 | Consumer Products | -18.3 | Other | Leadership | 3 | 33 | 28 | $60-$65 | Yes |
| 6 | 4 | Goldman Sachs | Investment Banking | -57.1 | Business/Economics | College GPA | 3 | 13 | 15 | $60-$65 | No |
| 51 | 76 | Grant Thornton16 | Accounting | -46.5 | Business/Economics | College Major | 53 | 36 | 24 | $50-$55 | No |
| 27 | NR | Hyatt | Hospitality | -81.7 | Hospitality | Cultural Fit | 21 | 27 | 58 | $35-$40 | No |
| 10 | 9 | IBM | Technology | NA | Business/Economics | Leadership | 11 | 17 | 13 | $60-$65 | Yes |
| 20 | 36 | Intel | Technology | -24.9 | Engineering | College Major | 14 | 23 | 63 | $60-$65 | Yes |
| 47 | 69 | Internal Revenue Service | Nonprofit/Government | -31.7 | Business/Economics | Technical Skills | 46 | 25 | 45 | $35-$40 | No |
| 9 | 10 | J.P. Morgan | Investment Banking | -25 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 13 | 12 | 17 | $60-$65 | No |
| 41 | NR | Johnson & Johnson | Health | NA | Business/Economics | Leadership | 62 | 10 | 12 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 50 | 94 | Kohl's | Retail | -6.7 | Business/Economics | Communication | 44 | 55 | 32 | $40-$45 | No |
| 4 | 5 | KPMG | Accounting | -35.6 | Business/Economics | College Major | 17 | 11 | 5 | $50-$55 | No |
| 54 | 63 | L'Oréal USA | Consumer Products | 3.8 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 56 | 19 | 53 | $50-$55 | Yes |
| 31 | 41 | Liberty Mutual | Insurance | -46.9 | Business/Economics | College GPA | 26 | 46 | 30 | $45-$50 | Yes |
| 48 | 8 | Lockheed Martin | Manufacturing | -37.4 | Engineering | College Major | 59 | 14 | 17 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 36 | 56 | Macy's | Retail | -73.7 | Business/Economics | Analytical Skills | 49 | 22 | 19 | $40-$45 | No |
| 34 | 6 | Marriott International | Hospitality | -70.2 | Hospitality | Leadership | 36 | 19 | 57 | $35-$40 | Yes |
| 37 | 77 | Merck | Health | -21.1 | NA | Communication | 39 | 30 | 37 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 40 | 50 | MetLife | Insurance | -35.1 | Business/Economics | Communication | 33 | 43 | 61 | < $35 | Yes |
| 18 | 13 | Microsoft | Technology | -58.4 | Computer Science | Technical Skills | 28 | 9 | 34 | $75 + | Yes |
| 25 | 45 | Nestlé USA | Consumer Products | 29.2 | Engineering | Leadership | 20 | 31 | 44 | $50-$55 | No |
| 33 | 28 | New York Life13 | Insurance | 75.7 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 24 | 45 | 48 | $35-$40 | Yes |
| 26 | 20 | Norfolk Southern | Transportation | -12.9 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 16 | 55 | 47 | $50-$55 | Yes |
| 46 | 23 | Northrop Grumman | Manufacturing | -30.2 | Engineering | College GPA | 53 | 29 | 11 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 29 | 34 | Northwestern Mutual12 | Insurance | -3.5 | Business/Economics | Cultural Fit | 26 | 49 | 27 | $40-$45 | Yes |
| 56 | 92 | Peace Corps17 | Nonprofit/Government | NA | NA | Leadership | 69 | 4 | 10 | < $35 | No |
| 53 | NR | PepsiCo | Consumer Products | NA | NA | Leadership | 57 | 24 | 23 | $55-$60 | Yes |
| 17 | 32 | Philip Morris USA/Altria | Consumer Products | -63.1 | Business/Economics | Leadership | 8 | 50 | 19 | $55-$60 | Yes |
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Note: All data excluding survey ranks are self-reported by employers. NR=Not Ranked; NA=Not Available. Fifty-seven employers ranked last year were not ranked this year. Most did not make the cutoff on the career services survey used to determine finalists; others chose not to participate. Bear Stearns was acquired by J.P. Morgan and Wachovia merged with Wells Fargo. (1) Comparison group for employer survey. (2) First five months of 2009 vs. same period in 2008. For 55 of the employers, hiring for 2009 is not yet complete, and individual companies may be earlier or later in their hiring cycle than they were in 2008. For 14 others, 2009 hiring is complete, and figures shown represent full-year 2008 vs. full-year 2009 hiring. (3) Data supplied by Universum USA. (4) Ranking for Walt Disney combined with ESPN and ABC; ranking for PepsiCo combined with Frito Lay. (5) Only entry-level rotational programs of more than a year, excluding analyst programs at investment banks and financial services companies. (6) Hiring data based on July 1-June 30 fiscal year. (7) Hiring data includes individuals starting later this year. (8) Hiring data is for Foreign Service Officer and Foreign Service Specialist positions not requiring advanced degrees; pay data is for Foreign Service Officer hires only. (9) TFA members are paid by the school districts that hire them; salaries vary by district. (10) Top degrees in "other" category include Management Information Systems, Computer Information Systems, and Organizational Behavior. (11) Hiring data includes entry-level hires with graduate degrees; pay figure includes salaries of MBAs in entry-level jobs. (12) Hiring data includes corporate employees and sales agents. (13) Salary data is for corporate employees only; agents paid on commission basis. (14) Salary figure does not include 13% of entry-level hires who are hourly workers. (15) Hiring figures for consulting-practice employees only. (16) Hiring data includes individuals starting later this year. (17) Peace Corps volunteers are paid a living allowance, which varies by location, plus $6,000 readjustment allowance upon completion of service. (18) Hiring data includes graduate and undergraduate hires. (19) The average salary shown is for engineering students. The average for business majors is $55,000 to $60,000. (20) Hiring data includes individuals starting later this year. (21) Salaries for 79% of entry-level hires are less than $35,000. (22) Top major does not include design, store management, or part-time positions. Salary is for employees in corporate training programs only.
Data: BusinessWeek, Universum USA, Cambria Consulting. Research: Lindsey Gerdes and Louis Lavelle
