‘Fun’ and ‘innovative’ Google is Australian graduates’ favourite future employer

Alphabet Inc’s Google has been voted by Australia’s university graduates as most desirable employer for the third year running, a survey by GradAustralia found.

Work environment, staff welfare and in-office perks were listed among the factors that make Google so attractive to the graduates.

Students said they are drawn to Google’s “positive” and “innovative” work environment and culture, which was described as “fun” and more like a “lifestyle” than just a job. Flexible working hours and a lack of a dress code were also found to be desirable factors.

Lunch at Google’s offices are gourmet affairs. Image via Flickr/Roman Boed

The American multinational tech giant is well-known for their in-office perks, offering amenities such as nap pods, unlimited gourmet food and onsite massages.

Grad Australia, a start-up organisation that links graduates with employers, surveyed 14,000 students from 38 Australian universities to come up with their “tremendously popular” ‘Top 100 Graduate Employers’ list.

Strong staff welfare, diversity and level of impact

Staff welfare featured prominently among the graduates surveyed, who pointed out that they were drawn to Google’s strong policies that “valued their employees”. One student wrote: “Their whole organisational structure and systems seem oriented towards employee satisfaction and performance.”

Stephanie Borgman, Google’s head of staffing programs for Australia and New Zealand, says the company has many wellness programs to ensure employees are satisfied, have fun and feel healthy.

Along with employee well-being, students also liked the company’s commitment to diversity and the level of impact that comes from working in a company with immense global reach.

“When GradAustralia asks graduates and interns why they come to Google, the answer is the impact they can make on a global scale,” Borgman told Business Insider Australia.

“They want to build technology that helps millions of people live happier and easier lives — products that change the way people access information, do business, learn and connect with one another.”

https://twitter.com/grad_australia/status/836092136424517632

Deloitte, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms, took second place in the rankings, followed by Apple, Ernst & Young, KPMG, the Commonwealth Bank, Microsoft, the Department of Foreign Affairs and BHP.

Lack of confidence in job skills

Most students suffered from a lack of confidence in their university degrees regarding preparation for the requisite job skill sets needed to enter the job market. Only slightly more than half of the graduates (56%) across all disciplines agreed with the statement: “My course provides me with the skills necessary for the labour market”.

Teaching graduates had the highest confidence in their skill set at 70%, compared to humanities graduates which had the least percentage (51%) of graduates who had faith in their skill set.

Whether a student graduated with a Distinction or not was also a factor that affects a graduate’s belief in their preparedness to enter the job market. High-achieving students with Distinction and High Distinction grades were more convinced they had the job skills necessary, compared to students with a Credit, Pass, or Fail.

“With a rapidly evolving job landscape it’s so important that our graduates have the skills to solve the challenges of tomorrow,” says GradAustralia director, Jeffrey Duncan.

“Universities and employers both benefit from close collaboration to ensure our students are as confident and equipped to enter the labour market as they can be.”

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