US Graduates WantTo Work For Renowed Employers That Will Kick-Start Their Career

Online, June 14, 2010 (Newswire.com) - over 43% of all graduates have either applied to their ideal employers or will soon. Of those who have applied, 37% have not yet heard back from the employer and 39% have not received a job offer. Graduates in natural sciences or humanities are most successful in receiving and accepting job offers - one fourth - compared to engineers - only one tenth. However, a mere 5% of graduates in natural sciences and humanities have sent their job applications, whereas almost one-fifth of engineering graduates have already applied. Graduates are concerned about their employer-of-choice providing a good reference to a future career; humanities students are the most insistent - over 40% - and women. Evidently, more students will apply for jobs today than a year or two ago as market conditions are pressuring them to act - affecting what they plan to earn and get.

The most wanted options in salary and benefits are: 1) good prospects for high future earnings, 2) a good career reference and 3) a competitive base salary. However, significant differences exist, when comparing graduates: 46% of IT students chose a competitive base salary compared to 28% of humanities students - similarly, in consecutive order, 38% versus 30% chose competitive benefit; 30% versus 41% a good career reference; and 24% versus 36% leadership opportunities. Business students are most impatient and want good possibilities for rapid promotion, whilst natural sciences graduates are least concerned.

Thirty-three per cent of female graduates versus forty percent of male graduates feel a competitive base salary is important. The gender difference is greater between salary expectations - female graduates want approximately $45,000 annually, whilst males demand $52,000. Among areas of study, engineers ask for the highest annual salary - over $56,000 - followed by IT majors - $52,000. Business and natural sciences students expect $47,500 and $48,600 respectively. Humanities students ask for the least - $39,500.

Mr. Kalinowski, Universum's CEO, commented: "It's interesting to see the differences in comparison to desired career goals. For example, natural sciences and humanities students find 'dedication to a cause or serving a greater good' extremely important and, unlike typical business students, feel less strongly about climbing the corporate career ladder. Naturally, all students still want to make money. Yet their expectations aren't high; they've experienced the financial crisis and want a valuable work experience first."

If you'd like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, contact Kate Balog. Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 215 546 4900 x217

About the Universum Top 100 Ideal Employer Rankings - US Edition

The results are based on the answers of 56,900 undergraduate students studying for degrees in Business, Engineering, IT, Natural Sciences and Humanities/Liberal Arts/Education, and 163,246 individual employer evaluations. Each respondent is presented with a list of 100 to130 national and international employers, nominated by the target group through an independent and structured nomination and assessment process, which prevents companies unfairly influencing their position. Respondents acknowledge those companies they would consider working for. Of the companies selected as 'considered employers', the respondents then select their five 'Ideal Employers'. The rankings, dubbed the Universum Top 100, measure the level of employer attractiveness of companies or organization on the recruitment market.

About Universum

Universum is an international company that specializes in the field of employer branding*. Founded in 1988, its goal was to improve communication between students and the employers who want to recruit them. Today, Universum's mission is to help employers excel in recruitment and retention by ensuring improvements to their employer brand. Universum delivers a full range of services in research, strategic consulting and communication solutions that enable employers to better understand, attract and retain current and future ideal employees. Universum is a trusted partner to 1,200 clients, including many Fortune 500 companies, and co-operates with 1,500 universities worldwide to conduct research on the career and employer preferences of top talent. Last year, Universum surveyed 300,000 students and 80,000 professionals worldwide. For more information, go to www.universumglobal.com *Employer branding is the strategy companies use to appeal to desired current and future ideal talent.