America's Best Employers for New 2023 Grads? Forbes Knows...Pass It On!
This Memorial Day weekend, as we bow heads to remember the fallen, we're also tossing caps in the air to celebrate new graduates. With commencement speeches and proud toasts ringing in their ears, the Class of 2023 is eyeing today's workforce with excitement, energy and just a touch of apprehension.
How do I know which companies really recognize good performance?
Which organizations not only say they are inclusive, but actually mean it?
Where are the nation's best employers...and how do I find them this early?
Lucky for everyone carefully wrapping up that diploma, Forbes has the answers. Keep reading so you can pass the notes to a friend.
Released last week, the Forbes 2023 list of America’s Best Employers for New Grads ranks those companies deemed by young professionals (defined as those working fewer than 10 years) to offer "superior workplace opportunities." Partnering with market research firm Statista and surveying over 28,000 "young and early career professionals in the U.S. working for companies with at least 1,000 employees," employers were assessed according to their reputation, salary, benefits, career advancement opportunities, DEI initiatives, working hours, atmosphere and more. Would the survey participants recommend their employer to a friend or family member? They told Forbes everything, with no holds barred.
So, who made the list?
Of the 300 companies with the highest scores across all categories, here are the top ten recognized this year:
According to journalist Rachel Rabkin Peachman who regularly covers the "Best of" lists for Forbes, this year healthcare / social sector and education organizations were the most represented (with each of these industries accounting for close to 12% of the list), and banking and financial services companies earned the third most represented spot with about 7% of the list.
Given that women in several of the top ten companies have hosted Être girls in their board rooms (Google), zoomed with our club chapters in different countries (NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration), or have leaders joining the Être Êxecutive Board being announced next month (LinkedIn), we were especially interested in this year's list.
I reached out to Peachman to ask what, in particular, new graduates should note about the 2023 list, what advice they might pull from the findings, and why paying attention to these rankings earlier rather than later in their careers is a good idea.
"One of the key takeaways from this year’s list," Peachman began, "is that companies are listening to what younger employees want. So when looking for a job, don’t be afraid to ask prospective employers about the aspects of the role and the company that are important to you."
"Whether you’re seeking a more diverse workplace, tuition reimbursement programs, mental health benefits, pay equity initiatives, or opportunities to develop your skills on the job," she continued, "you have a right to ask for these things. And the more that you do speak up and ask, the more companies will recognize that they need to offer these things in order to attract and keep talented young employees like you!"
"While you may feel as though you have limited leverage when starting out in a career," she concluded wisely, "you actually have a lot of power to drive important changes in the workplace."
We couldn't ask for a better graduation speech...or gift. To dive into the full list, methodology and more of Peachman's takeaways, start here. To learn more about the companies ranking high with next gen employees, click each name on the chart here. And to determine where your aptitude, interest and priorities fit best in today's workforce, keep asking hard questions and raising your hands to be heard. Today's companies know that to have and retain talent in-house it's smart to listen to what young professionals think.
And employees not much older than this weekend's grads gave Forbes their unvarnished answers.
Check it out and then pass it on.
Here's to raising a glass to this weekend's graduates, and applauding all the companies raising the bar for tomorrow's workplace.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three books for new graduates that make impactful gifts: Limitless by Laura Gassner Otting, Embrace the Work, Love Your Career by Fran Hauser, and Inclusion Revolution by Daisy Auger-Dominguez (she/her/ella). Bonus book: The Epic Mentor Guide.
