Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
As has been true for several years, the single most important aspect that Class of 2016 job-seeking graduates who planned to enter the work force looked for in their first full-time job is the opportunity for personal growth, according to results of NACE’s Class of 2016 Student Survey.
Eighty-seven percent of bachelor’s degree graduates rated the opportunity for personal growth as either “extremely important” or “very important.” (See Figure 1.)
Other top preferences included friendly co-workers, a good benefits package, and job security. Students expressed the least interest in a casual work environment, a “green” company, a job located close to home, and a well-recognized company.
NACE’s 2016 Student Survey was conducted February 16 – April 30, 2016; more than 23,000 students at colleges and universities nationwide took part, including 5,600 graduating seniors. The survey report will be available in September.
Figure 1: Job/employer preferences
| Preference |
Extremely Important |
Very Important |
Somewhat Important |
Not Very Important |
Not at All Important |
| Opportunity for personal growth |
55.6% |
31.8% |
9.8% |
1.6% |
1.2% |
| Friendly co-workers |
41.8% |
38.3% |
16.4% |
2.1% |
1.5% |
| Job security |
41.1% |
37.5% |
17.1% |
3.0% |
1.3% |
| Good benefits package |
36.9% |
38.4% |
19.1% |
3.9% |
1.7% |
| Ability to improve community |
33.3% |
32.5% |
24.9% |
6.8% |
2.4% |
| Recognition for good performance |
27.4% |
39.1% |
26.3% |
5.3% |
1.9% |
| Clearly defined assignments |
24.5% |
40.1% |
26.6% |
6.6% |
2.2% |
| Opportunity for creativity |
26.8% |
32.8% |
27.2% |
9.9% |
3.3% |
| Diversity conscious employer |
25.8% |
31.4% |
27.3% |
9.8% |
5.7% |
| High starting salary |
19.0% |
31.7% |
37.0% |
10.2% |
2.1% |
| Opportunity for rapid advancement |
17.3% |
30.9% |
37.0% |
11.6% |
3.3% |
| Located in a diverse/inclusive community |
17.4% |
27.1% |
32.7% |
15.2% |
7.7% |
| Well-recognized company |
14.0% |
26.8% |
33.3% |
18.0% |
7.9% |
| Casual atmosphere |
10.9% |
26.1% |
40.8% |
15.6% |
6.6% |
| Located close to home |
16.6% |
25.5% |
29.1% |
16.5% |
12.3% |
| “Green” company |
9.5% |
17.9% |
37.2% |
23.0% |
12.4% |
Source: Class of 2016 Student Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers