Top 5 Attributes College Grads Want In Their Employer

New college graduates prize opportunity for personal development in potential jobs and employers, according to results of a new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Responses from the nearly 20,000 graduating seniors taking part in NACE’s 2011 Student Survey show job security and good insurance benefits are also attributes they value highly in a job or employer. In contrast, for those graduating from 2008 through 2010, “opportunity for advancement” was never further down the list than second place. Among Class of 2011 respondents, “opportunity for advancement” didn’t even make the top five most important job/employer attributes. 

Prompting the change? One possibility is the effect the recession and the subsequent competitive job market have had on expectations about jobs and employers. 

“We’ve seen personal development moving up the list since the recession, suggesting that students recognize they may need to look for job satisfaction in other ways,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.   

In fact, results from a NACE study from the early 1980s show a similar reaction to a highly competitive and difficult job market: Class of 1982 graduates taking part in the survey also cited “opportunity for personal development” as the most important attribute of a job or employer. 

The top five attributes of employers most desired by the Class of 2011 are:

1. Opportunity for personal development;
2. Job security;
3. Good insurance benefits;
4. Friendly co-workers; and
5. High starting salary.