The National Association of Colleges and Employers conducted a survey of
5500 students prior to their graduation in 1996 (as reported in the Personnel
Journal, July 1996). The survey participants were asked what they were looking
for in their first job. Here are the top ten responses:
Enjoying what they do
Opportunity to use skills/abilities
Opportunity for personal development
Feeling what they do matters
Benefits
Recognition for good performance
Friendly co-workers
Job location
Lots of money
Working in teams
To summarize this list, what's most important is the job (numbers 1-3), next
is interpersonal issues (numbers 4, 6, 7, 10). Yet many employers spend the
most time ensuring that the amount of pay is appropriate, even though pay is
only ninth on the list.
It would appear that companies would do better to spend resources on job
design and employee relations issues (such as mentoring, communication, and
recognition programs). Granted, this survey is of
college students who tend to be more
idealistic than experienced applicants. However, even experienced applicants
put a high value on job and employee relations issues.
