20 Best Employers for Recent College Grads

1. Lehman Brothers – In 2006, Lehman hired 530 college grads and analysts received an average starting salary of $60,000. Almost 90% of new hires are mentored.
2. Electronic Arts – Employees given five to 10 free games a year, average starting salary for entry level workers is $60,000, restricted stock grants (i.e., 300 shares for new software engineers), on-site gym, free DVD library, employee stock ownership plan which allows workers to buy company stock at a 15% discount. In 2006, 5,000 applied and 200 were hired.
3. PricewaterhouseCoopers – Hires 4,000 college grads as CPAs, actuaries, attorneys, and IT consultants. Starting salaries average more than $50,000 a year. All new hires mentored and, assuming satisfactory performance, promoted within three years. Most of their 2,100 interns last summer were offered full-time jobs.
4. Randstad – Global staffing company offers 14,000 on-line training courses. After 30 days on the job, new hires given full health benefits and a 401(k) plan. After 90 days, you get 18 days of paid time off.
5. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Got a bachelor’s degree in physics, nuclear engineering, or chemistry? You’re qualified for entry-level science and engineer positions with starting salaries in the neighborhood of $45,000.
6. Rockwell Collins – All employees (including new hires) at this communications, aviation and electronics engineering company receive 100% tuition reimbursement. New hires can take classes at flight ground school then take cockpit and flight training. New hires also receive nearly five weeks of paid time off, including 15 vacation days, six national holidays, and an eight-day winter break.
7. Teach for America – Since 1990, more than 14,000 college graduates have taught in mostly urban school districts and completed what some liken to a domestic Peace Corps program. The hours are long and pay is low, but how many other opportunities will you ever have to make such a huge difference in the lives of our children?
8. Qualcomm – In 2006, this telecom company hired 300 recent grads and paid them very well: starting salaries averaged more than $60,000 plus 22 vacation days, stock options, and a rich 401(k) plan.
9. Key Bank – This financial services company loves motivated self-starters and gives them 12 weeks of intensive training right away. Their 58 new college grads in 2006 were paid an average starting salary of $45,000.
10. Northrop Grumman – This aerospace and defense fir values team participation and hires recent engineering and business students who excel as leaders.
11. Intel – Always encouraging its employees to invest in themselves by furthering their education. All employees eligible for cash bonuses, profit sharing, a stock plan that lets them buy company stock at a 15% discount. Like to travel? You can work at any of its 48 worldwide locations.
12. Capital One – In 2006, they hired only 190 candidates out of 10,000 applicants hoping to work as analysts, data analysts or statisticians. One of the big reasons is that salaries for new graduates start at $53,000 per year along with a competitive bonus and benefits package.
13. Microsoft – Likes problem-solvers and creative thinkers who like a youthful work environment (average age of employees is 36.8 years). Highly competitive average starting salary around $75,000 per year, full medical coverage with no deductible, signing bonuses, options grants, and 401(k) matching. Oh yeah, and you get to play Xbox and can drink all the free soft drinks and Starbucks coffee you want. In 2006, the company hired 1,200 college grads out of 60,000 applicants; 40% of those new hires were minorities.
14. Stockamp & Associates – Small health-care consulting firm with just under 400 employees but 50 were new grads. Get lots of responsibility from the start: you’ll be assigned to a client and meet directly with them in the first week on the job.
15. Progressive Insurance – 400 new college grads were hired in 2006. Jobs tailored to meet individual interests and business-casual dress code rules.
16. Sprint Nextel – Development program teaches new grads the skills needed and helps them plan for their future career.
17. Citigroup’s global banking division – Think they’re all business school grads? Think again. More than 3,000 new college grads from many different fields, each of which had a minimum GPA of at least 3.50, applied and only 175 were accepted. New hires begin their employment with a six-week accounting and finance training program.
18. Hyatt Hotels – About 350 new college grads are hired each year and immediately placed into five-month training programs. Corporate management trainees start at an average of $36,000 and nearly 85% of management was promoted from within.
19. CDW – Like sales and computers? New hires given 401(k), profit sharing, and an employee discount on the computers, digital cameras, and other gadgets sold by CDW.
20. L’Or√©al USA – New college grads rotate through the training program to get hands-on experience in sales, marketing, management, and finance.

Source: CNNMoney.com