Most popular employers
SOURCE: FT.com, 1st May 2008, by David Turner
The list of graduates' most popular employers is splendidly diverse. It includes prestigious public-sector organisations, led by the BBC, followed by MI5 and the National Health Service. But the majority of the most popular organisations are private-sector companies, led by second-placed Apple. The company has raced to a commanding position from virtually nowhere last year, helped by the hipness of its newly launched iPhone.
The next two leading private-sector companies, Microsoft and Google, are also in the technology business – leaving PwC, the top financial services firm, in seventh place in the overall rankings. Is there any rational pattern in this hierarchy? Yes and no. Goldman Sachs, at ninth place, makes sense for those motivated by money – although this is clearly not its sole attraction. It is perhaps the most prestigious of the investment banks, which, together with law firms, are the top payers.
The BBC's top ranking makes sense for those interested in both power and public service, given its influential role in shaping public opinion. But MI5's third place confirms that many graduates are more interested in adventure than power. The domestic espionage service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office rank much higher than the Civil Service Fast Stream, at a lowly 31st.
Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, notes that the top 10 employers include some, such as the NHS, that have an extensive and well-known graduate programme. But others, such as the BBC, do not. The corporation declined to answer the FT's enquiries. Since it is at the top or near it in most such surveys, it does not really need to do so.
Mr Gilleard hints at an element of the irrational in some of the choices. "Maybe a lot of graduates are bright but a bit clueless," he muses. He concludes that there are definitely "fads". How else might one explain the sudden rise of Apple? It is a well respected company, but sceptics might argue it cannot be rational that it has almost no visibility in the 2007 survey, and then suddenly comes second in the 2008 version. Surveying the rankings, Mr Gilleard notes with a tone of indulgence: "We are talking about young people."
