What Do New College Grads Want Most in a Job?

Class of 2017 Report — Image Credit: NACE

When considering employment, what factors do college students find most important when looking for a job? For Class of 2017 graduates who planned to enter the work force immediately after graduation, the opportunity to develop their skills tops the list, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s Class of 2017 Student Survey Report asked members of the Class of 2017 to determine which among 18 aspects of a job or employer are most important. These students indicated that the opportunity to develop job-specific skills and the opportunity to develop applied skills – which are broader – are most important. (See Figure 1.)

Students essentially found these aspects to be equally important, with 84 percent giving top ranking to the opportunity to develop job-specific skills and 83 percent noting the importance of having the opportunity to develop applied skills.

Job security (82 percent), friendly co-workers (81 percent), and a good benefits package (74 percent) were also highly important to responding seniors.

These results are consistent with observations throughout the post-recession years, when the most highly preferred aspects of a job or employer provided the opportunity for growth. Pre-recession results, however, were different. For the classes of 2007 and 2008, for example, a high starting salary and the opportunity for rapid advancement were highly coveted, while the opportunity for development was a fairly middling preference.

That said, when Class of 2017 seniors were asked how they would choose between two otherwise equal job offers, salary was the leading factor, cited by nearly 14 percent of respondents.