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.