Today’s tight job market may limit the choices available to college students nearing graduation. Nevertheless, it behooves employers to understand what influences graduates when they have a choice about where to work.
The values and aspirations of the Class of 2011 were examined for more than 8,000 U.S. students who will be graduating from a university in the next year or two. The study 
, conducted in partnership by I Love Rewards and Experience Inc., shows some factors that remain consistently strong and some that have shifted.
Students valued opportunities for career advancement over all other factors surveyed. Next on their list was salary followed by interesting and challenging work. These three factors have consistently been shown to be the top considerations influencing graduates. At the bottom of the list of things that graduates care about are vacation time and employee recognition programs. The importance of flexible work arrangements declined sharply in importance to new graduates. Nearly 40 percent expect to apply for work through social networking and online engagement platforms.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the average Millennial stays with his or her first employer for 1.5 years. However, more than 20 percent of those surveyed want to find something long-term and most expect to stay with their first employer for five to ten years.
The takeaway message for employers is that retaining young talent requires providing opportunity for growth and advancement, competitive pay, and interesting work. Two of those three might be hard to come by in a traditional teaching career.
