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 Where do you want to work? A new survey suggests that the answer depends to a large extent on if you’re an entrepreneur, an idealist, or a leader. 
For recent college graduates, finding a job is a lot like finding a match when dating. Personality (yours and theirs) plays a major role. Everybody wants a genuine connection, and a little arm candy doesn’t hurt. If job hunting were indeed The Dating Game1, Google would be the most eligible bachelor among all sorts of personality types. Apple and Walt Disney wouldn’t be far behind.
In its annual survey of U.S. college students, the research firm Universum USA2 asked its more than 60 000 respondents to identify the characteristics they associate with dream employers, and broke down the results into seven personality types. Careerists are looking for a prestigious brand name and employers who recruit only the best and brightest; entrepreneurs want to work for fast-growing companies with a creative work environment; explorers are looking for challenging work and a variety of assignments; harmonizers are seeking work / life balance and secure employment; hunters are attracted by competitive base salaries and good prospects for future earnings; idealists are drawn to friendly work environments and high ethical standards; and leaders want leadership opportunities and mentors.
 Universum then asked the students to identify the five employers they would most like to work for. Universum didn’t designate an overall winner, but Google — which took the top spot in each of the past four years — is still the big favorite, taking the No. 1 spot in five of the personality types and taking a top-three spot in all seven. Apple is in the top three with six of the personality types, and Disney is in the top three for five, including idealists, who ranked it No.1 ahead of Google.
Allure of Opportunity
 “Diversity is critical to our business and culture,” says Kyle Ewing, talent and outreach programs manager at Google in Mountain View, Calif 3. “The employees must reflect our users. That means hiring those with a diversity of thought, background, beliefs, and ethnicity. But it is the challenging work that attracts so many people to Google.”
Banks Down, Government Up
Looking beyond Google, the 2011 list of most attractive employers has its share of surprises. For starters, banks, oil companies, and the Big Four accounting firms4 lost some of their luster among business students. The role banks played in the financial crisis and the environmental and economic consequences of the BP oil spill5 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may have played a role.
In addition, government and nonprofit employers, which accounted for half the top 10 employers for all seven personality types, had a good year, too. CIA and FBI took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots among careerists, who ranked government organizations above all others, with the U.N., the U.S. State Dept., and National Security Agency also among the top 20 in that category.
Other Appealing Companies
While careerists see the government as a ticket to achievement, idealists see Disney as perhaps the happiest place on earth — at least for employees. Disney offers individuals more than just a job. The training and ongoing development the employees receive to further their careers is excellent. There are significant opportunities to network with key leaders within the organization, and unlimited opportunities to grow and move within the company.
Apple, which came in second overall among business students, advanced up the rankings for six of the seven personality types. One likely reason for the company’s attractiveness to young people is its popular phones, music players, and tablets, as well as its reputation for having a creative work environment, says Petter Nylander, chief executive of Universum in Stockholm.
If the survey makes one thing clear, it’s that young people want employers who share their values and are a good fit for their personality, says Nylander. “What you see is young employees selecting companies that confirm their views of themselves,” he says. “Your identity today is built on where you work. It sends a strong message about who you are.”
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Notes
1. The Dating Game: It is an ABC television show popular in the USA from the 1960s through the 1980s, resurfaced in several syndicated versions in recent years.
2. Universum USA: It is the branch of Universum in the USA. Universum is an international corporation headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. And it is a global leader in employer branding.
3. Mountain View, Calif.: Mountain View is a city in north central California, near the southern end of San Francisco Bay, part of the Silicon Valley complex.
4. the Big Four accounting firms: The Big Four refers to PwC, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, and KPMG, the four largest international professional services networks in accountancy and professional services.
5. BP oil spill: BP is the abbreviation of British Petroleum, a large multinational oil company. BP oil spill refers to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which lowed for three months in 2010. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
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