When considering jobs, what factors do college students find most important? A new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) provides insight.
Survey Findings
The NACE Class of 2017 Student Survey* asked members of the Class of 2017 which among 18 aspects of a job or employer are most important.
Responding students indicated that the opportunity to develop job-specific skills and the opportunity to develop applied skills—which are broader—are most important.
Students essentially find 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 coworkers (81 percent), and a good benefits package (74 percent) are also highly important to responding seniors.
Money Matters
These results are consistent with observations throughout the post-recession years, when the most highly preferred aspects of a job or employer provide 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.
Aspects of a Job
Here are the 18 aspects of a job included in the NACE study, and how students rank them.
| Aspects of a Job or Employer | Percentage |
| Opportunity to develop job-specific skills | 84.0% |
| Opportunity to develop applied skills | 82.6% |
| Job security | 82.2% |
| Friendly coworkers | 81.2% |
| Good benefits package | 74.3% |
| Recognition for good performance | 72.2% |
| Clearly defined assignments | 69.6% |
| Opportunity to improve the community | 68.5% |
| Clear agenda of corporate social responsibility | 64.6% |
| Diversity-conscious employer | 64.1% |
| Opportunity for creative expression | 59.2% |
| Opportunity for rapid advancement | 56.0% |
| Located in a diverse/inclusive community | 54.4% |
| High starting salary | 53.7% |
| Sustainable operations/products | 49.7% |
| Casual atmosphere | 46.9% |
| Located close to home | 44.2% |
| “Brand name” company | 41.1% |
Source: Class of 2017 Student Survey Report, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The percentages represent students who planned to enter the workforce immediately after graduation and who indicated that the respective employee job/employer aspect was either “very” (4) or “extremely” (5) important on a 5-point scale.
*Nearly 22,000 students across all degree and year levels at colleges and universities nationwide took part in the NACE Student Survey. However, the report referenced above focuses on 4,213 bachelor’s degree students who indicated that they would be graduating—or already had graduated—during the 2016-17 academic school year (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017), and were thus members of the Class of 2017.