Can't decide who to work for? Choosing a career and finding the right graduate job can be a daunting prospect, but it is one of the most important decisions you will ever take. Being well-informed is a good first step.
A good starting point is to check which employers other graduates rate and which employers the companies themselves rate. Then, carry out your own research into how sound the finances are, how viable this business is and how ethical the company is.
Also in this section you read pages on:
Top employers according to recent graduates
The Times Top 100 Graduate Recruiters 2005/6
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Civil Service
- Accenture
- KPMG
- BBC
- Deloitte
- NHS
- HSBC
- Goldman Sachs
- Procter and Gamble
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers is the largest survey of university students and provides a unique insight into Britain's most desirable employers. Around 15,000 finalists are drawn ar random to represent the full population of final-year students, not just those who had been looking for graduate jobs or had already secured employment for after graduation. The survey researches students' aspirations and expectations of life beyond university, and questions them about their views on graduate employers.
How employers were rated
Finalists rated companies based on familiarity, how likely it was that they would consider them as employers, and which were ideal employers.
You can download the full list below:
Times Top 100 Graduate Employers (pdf - 22KB)
Universum Graduate Survey - 2004: UK Edition
- BBC
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- HSBC
- Bank of England
- KPMG
- JPMorgan
- Ernst & Young
- Accenture
- Citigroup
- Deutsche Bank
The Universum Graduate Survey is an annual survey conducted by
Universum Communications in the UK and 18 other countries in Europe as well as in the USA. In the survey students within business, engineering, science and humanities disciplines answer questions about their professional career expectations and preferences. The surveys gives clear and specific insight into important recruitment and image questions.
How employers were rated
Business, humanities, engineering and science students ranked about 140 companies according to which they would consider working for and which they were familiar with. They were also asked to pick five ideal employers.
You can download the top 50 list below:
Universum Top 50 Most Attractive Employers (pdf - 36KB)
The Guardian Grad Facts Survey 2002
- BBC
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- British Airways
- Accenture
- Andersen
- Glaxosmithkline
- Virgin Group
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- AstraZeneca
- Coca-Cola
The Guardian has commissioned research into the graduate market on a regular basis since 1993. The latest piece of research was conducted in 2002, forming a comprehensive overview of the university finalist market. A survey of over 2000 final year undergraduates, the research looks at the career expectations and aspirations of UK graduates and provides an insight into how and when they look for jobs, how they see life after university, and what attracts them to particular organisations.
How employers were rated
Finalists were asked to state which five graduate employers they would most like to work for, in order of preference. Students studying vocational subjects, including agriculture, law, dentistry and medicine, were excluded.
