Universum Releases 2013 IDEAL Employers Ranking, Undergraduates Weigh In

Employer brand research firm Universum just released its 2013 rankings of the IDEAL™ Employers. The rankings derive from a survey of almost 66,000 undergraduate students, which assessed the employers that are attracting students and why. Companies such as NASA, JP Morgan, Deloitte and Nike made the lists categorized by the top 10 in business and top 10 in engineering. Google, Apple and Walt Disney Company were the only three companies to appear on both lists, with Google claiming the top spot in business and 2nd place in engineering.

Respondents listed having work/life balance and a secure job as the top overall career goals, a trend with the survey results since 2009.

“Work/life balance is such an elusive term,” said Melissa Murray Bailey, President – Americas at Universum. “It may be this difficulty to pin down a definition that explains the shift – is it that employers are listening and creating a new work/life balance that students have come to expect as a standard offering? Or are more students realizing that success often comes with hard work and sacrifice?”

Media and Advertising was also popular, with a significant number of business students looking to enter this industry. Software Computer Services was also still a very popular industry for graduating students surveyed, which, according to Universum, “is highly associated with providing a creative / dynamic work environment and innovation.”

The overall rankings in Business and Engineering  are:

Top 10 in Business               

1. Google

2. Walt Disney Company

3. Apple

4. Ernst Young

5. Nike

6. J.P. Morgan

7. Deloitte

8. PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)

9. Goldman Sachs

10. KPMG LLP

Top 10 in Engineering

1. NASA

2. Google

3. Boeing

4. Apple

5. Microsoft

6. Lockheed Martin Corporation

7. General Electric

8. Walt Disney Company

9.  U.S. Department of Energy

10. Exxon Mobile Corporation

View the complete rankings here.