Students vote for the World’s Most Attractive Employers.....and the Winner is Google

Universum, the employer branding company, surveyed nearly 120,000 students at top academic institutions on ideal companies to work for. The results revealed Google as the world's most attractive employer, followed closely by its rival, Microsoft. The complete Top 10 read as follows:

1. Google,


2. PricewaterhouseCoopers,


3. Microsoft,


4. Goldman Sachs,


5. Ernst & Young,


6. Procter & Gamble,


7. J.P. Morgan,


8. KPMG,


9. McKinsey &Company,


10. Deloitte.

This is the first global index of employer attractiveness and highlights the world's most powerful employer brands. Those companies that excel intalent attraction and retention. Michal Kalinowski, Universum's CEOexplains, "Despite the short-term easing of competition for talent caused bythe recession, employers are faced with a shrinking global workforce, a lack of skilled workers and an increasingly demanding young generation. To secure talent under these conditions, they must develop true and differentiating employer brands...".

Lovisa Ohnell,Universum's research director comments, "These multinational brands are globally well-known and provide students with an excellent reference for their future career. They offer relocation opportunities, training and development, interaction with clients and colleagues in various countries,and due to size and economic stability, they're also seen as the best choice for secure employment."

For the Global Top 50 rankings, go to http://www.universumglobal.com/

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The cost of Nonboarding

The recruitment process is always surrounded by much emotion. In the desperate pursuit to find not only the person with the right skills, but also the personality for a team or company, often seems like mission impossible. Battling to backfill roles whilst incorporating interviews into an already packed schedule, leaves most hiring managers exhausted and relieved when that right person finally accepts the role. For many organisations, this is where the process ends.

Promises and expectations around the Employer Brand and experience created in the interview process must be reinforced by actions immediately. During the first few days and weeks, an organisation is constantly being sized up against previous employers to determine whether the new enthusiastic employee made the ‘right’ decision.

Nearly half (46%) of hires fail within the first 18 months on the job!

So how do you set your new hire’s up to succeed?

1. Connect Early- onboarding begins even before the new hire walks through the door. Connect with your new employee either by phone or email before they start. A pack which provides info on what to expect, who’s who in the zoo and a few insider facts about cultural norms will create excitement about the change and ease what for most is an extremely emotional experience.
2. Facilitate Contact Continuity- provide them with their email address before joining so they can communicate with their network where there are going and how they can be contacted.

3. Office Ready- ensure desks, phones, system access and functionality are operational so that unnecessary frustrations are avoided.
4. Newbie Networking- facilitating introductions externally, such as customers or key suppliers, and internally with employees across functions will help form relationships vital for the success of the new hire. New hires that create a strong support network early will settle in quickly and leverage the knowledge sharing opportunity of colleagues.
5. Coaching and Mentoring- whether sourced externally or from within the organisation, a coach or mentor will provide a trusted environment for the new hire to work through challenges and develop action plans for immediate resolution.
6. Establish Expectations-responsible for the day to day, line managers must document and communicate clear parameters about performance expectations throughout the induction period. Identifying specific actions and behaviours that are expected at the 1, 2 and 3 month mark will help the new hire self assess performance and address any road blocks early.
7. Buy In- communicate the vision, values and goals to connect the employee with the strategic direction of the organisation.
8. Buddy Up- connect the new hire with another employee at a similar level within the organisation for the first week so they have someone to provide insider info.

Much of the emotion that surrounds the first few days and weeks in any role, is the fear of the unknown-the people, the process, the system and their own performance. Any certainty you can provide around these areas will help a new employee feel ‘at home’ as quickly as possible and delivering on expectation.