Uncle Sam Leads as Employer of Choice for New Grads
Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
June 6, 2012
Overall, Class of 2012 graduates would most like to begin their careers in government, according to results of NACE’s 2012 Student Survey.
As a first employer, government leads students’ preferences, followed by human services, education, professional services, and social services.
Government is also popular among “in-demand” majors (engineering, computer science, accounting, business administration, and economics). In fact, these graduates rank government second after professional services, but above finance, computer/electronics, and manufacturing as a preferred employer.
Driving the desire to work for the government is new grads’ desire to do meaningful work. In fact, “nature of work” is the single-most important factor for new grads considering job offers.
Overall, nearly 32 percent of 2012 grads identified “nature of work” as key to their decision when weighing a job offer, with compensation (17.6 percent) trailing. Results just for “in-demand” majors mirror this: Nearly 31 percent of “in-demand” grads identified “nature of work” as the primary factor they consider, followed by compensation (18.1 percent).
The implication for for-profit employers: Your branding needs to address head-on this generation’s need to do meaningful work.
NACE’s 2012 Student Survey was conducted mid-January through April 30, 2012. Nearly 48,000 college students nationwide, including 15,715 seniors at the bachelor’s degree level, took part in the survey. A report based on results from graduating seniors will be available this summer.
For additional information on how to locate federal employment copy and paste this link into a browser to watch the video Finding and Applying for Federal Employment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahg1fselvMg&list=PL4E58D6A9FC4D4315&index=1&feature=plcp
Also contact Career Services at 575-646-1631, www.careerservices.nmsu.edu for additional assistance.
Your Tomorrow Begins Here
