What does the Class of 2025 want most in a job?

Stability, according to NACE’s annual student survey.

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.)

Practical Considerations for Employers

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 upfront about their compensation page. (See Figure 2.) Moreover, they look for annual salary increases. (See Figure 3.)

Where New Grads Want to Work

Overall, more than half of responding students said they would prefer to work on site every day, but nearly 43% cited a hybrid arrangement as their preference. (See Figure 4.)

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. (See Figure 5.)

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.

Implications 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, 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, e.g., with information about the organization’s financial health and place in the industry, long-term plans and goals, and so forth. Also, while respondents didn’t cite a recognizable brand as especially important, a familiar brand can suggest stability.

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.

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.