The Top Attributes New College Graduates Are Looking for in a Job

BETHLEHEM, PA—What does the Class of 2025 want most in a job? Stability, according to the annual student survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

The personality of the workplace and who they work with also count for a lot: Respondents said they value a healthy workplace culture and friendly coworkers. A good benefits package and the opportunity to develop their skills round out the top five attributes they view as important in a job. (See Figure 1.)

“A practical consideration for employers is that although a high starting salary fell lower on their wish list, students were clear that salary and benefits matter. For one thing, they expect organizations to be up front about their compensation page. Moreover, they look for annual salary increases,” says Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and chief executive officer. (See Figure 2 and Figure 3.)

When it comes to where new grads want to work, overall, more than half of responding students (51.9%) said they would prefer to work on site every day, but nearly 43% cited a hybrid arrangement as their preference.

These results match those of both Class of 2023 (51.3% in person, 42.3% hybrid) and Class of 2024 graduates (51.3% in person, 42.9% hybrid).

These results also align with what employers say about where new grads will work. Among employers taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 Spring Update, 49% expect their entry-level hires to work on site, and 45% offer a hybrid work arrangement.

“As nearly all expect to work in the office at least some of the time, job location is a factor for new graduates—and the cost of living is by far the most pressing issue for new graduates considering relocating for a job,” VanDerziel notes.

Nearly two-thirds also cited the importance of a diverse and tolerant community with green space, but less than half identified other considerations—such as nightlife—as important.

What are the implications of these findings for employers? These results provide employers with insight into what new graduates view as important in a job and can be useful in developing strategies and tactics that support recruiting success.

“For example,” VanDerziel notes, “although employers can’t guarantee a job is always going to be there, they may be able to address new grads’ desire for stability in other ways, such as with information about the organization’s financial health and place in the industry, long-term plans and goals, and so forth.”

In addition, there are some other key takeaways that employers can consider to address new graduate preferences:

• Be up front about the compensation package.
• Communicate with potential candidates about the cost of living where your opportunities are located. Candidates can better assess a compensation package when they understand how housing, food, and other expenses are going to affect their ability to live comfortably in a particular location.
• Provide information about “what it’s like to work here,” and, as possible, emphasize the aspects of the workplace that reflect a healthy culture, friendly coworkers, work/life balance, and other factors that make it an attractive place to work.
• Provide information about the job’s location and community beyond the cost of living.
• Emphasize the skills and abilities new hires can develop and hone on the job. 

About the NACE’s 2024 Student Survey: Results reflect responses from more than 2,900 bachelor’s degree students who took part in NACE’s 2024 Student Survey as juniors on track to graduate in 2025. Among those providing demographic information, 65.6% identified as female, 29.4% identified as male, and 1.9% identified as nonbinary. By race/ethnicity, 65.8% were white, 10.3% were Hispanic/Latinx, 8.8% were Asian, 7.7% were Black, and 5.4% were multiracial. The survey, conducted March 13 through May 15, 2024, was sponsored by Indeed.

About the National Association of Colleges and Employers: Established in 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is the only professional association in the United States that connects more than 13,000 college career services professionals, more than 3,800 early career talent acquisition professionals, and more than 400 business solution providers that serve this community.

NACE is the premier source of market research on career readiness, the employment of recent college graduates, and the college-to-career transition. NACE forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks.

NACE offers its members unparalleled research, networking and professional development opportunities, guidance on standards and ethics, and advocacy on key issues. For more information, visit www.naceweb.org. NACE maintains a virtual press room for the media.