Stefan Lake is a successful communications consultant and expert in brand positioning. As Country Manager Germany at Universum Communications, he deals, among other things, with employer positioning. For allmaxx he talks about the details and gives you tips on how to recognize an attractive employer.
Attractive employers for students
Choosing your first employer sets the course for your future career path. That's why students should get as much information as possible about the companies they are interested in. Employer rankings offer a good initial indication of this.
How are employer rankings created?
In order to properly assess the employer rankings, you have to understand how they come about. At Universum, we present survey participants with lists of up to 130 companies and organizations, depending on their field of study, and ask them to first select the employers they are generally considering. The respondents then select up to five employers for whom they would most like to work - their ideal employers. But we don't just ask about the ideal employers, but also how they are perceived, what is fundamentally important to students about an employer and what career goals the students are pursuing.
Car manufacturer in front
Car manufacturers have been at the top of our rankings for years - both among economics students and among those who have chosen an engineering course of study. The leading trio is Audi, BMW and Porsche. The Max Planck Society enjoys the best reputation among natural science students, followed by Bayer and the Fraunhofer Society. Google, Microsoft and Apple are the most popular employers for IT students.
What makes an attractive employer?
When you ask students what makes an attractive employer for them, an attractive basic salary, a friendly working environment and a secure job are at the top of the wish list. Management expects career development and support, a good leadership style, open communication and feedback.
Work-life balance required
Work-life balance has been the most important long-term career goal for students for several years, followed by job security and intellectual challenge. Work-life balance is of course a broad field. As part of our study, we therefore also asked what students understand by this. The answers show that the students primarily understand this to mean a positive working atmosphere. When it comes to work-life balance, it is also important to them that family and career planning do not interfere and that they have enough free time.
A total of 30,189 students at 140 universities in Germany took part in the Universum Student Survey 2014 between November 2013 and March 2014. The students were asked about their assessment of companies as employers, their career goals and other topics relating to work and careers. You can find information about the Universum Student Survey 2014 here .
Stefan Lake has been Country Manager Germany at Universum since February 2011 and has particular expertise in the development of authentic and sustainable employer positioning as well as in quantitative and qualitative market research, brand consulting, brand development and communication consulting.
About Universe
The international research and consulting company Universum supports companies in building their employer brand. Universum surveys around a million students and professionals every year to investigate their employer preferences and career ideas. You can also find out more about Universe here .
You don't know yet what makes a really attractive employer, bet? Read our article from an expert who tells the story!
