Press Release

CollegeGrad.com Names Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2008

College Grad Hiring Up 11.8% for 2008

STATE COLLEGE, PA--(HR MARKETER)--January 30, 2008--As students begin their spring semester at college campuses nationwide, CollegeGrad.com, the #1 Entry Level Job Site, announces the Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2008. Great news for the Class of 2008--entry level employers are increasing their hiring by 11.8% in 2008. This is the largest projected increase in entry level hiring CollegeGrad.com has seen since 2005.

The Top Entry Level Employers list represents more than 165,000 jobs for the class of 2008, and is available online at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/topemployers.

"This is an impressive number of openings for 2008," said Brian Krueger, President of CollegeGrad.com. "Even in the midst of a challenging economy, college grads are in very high demand, and employers are competing to attract top skilled candidates in all industries."

The list details the 2008 entry level hiring plans for employers nationwide and includes links to the home page, careers page and college page for each employer. Each employer page also details projections for intern hires and master's level hires for the 2008 recruiting year.

Among the 2008 Top Entry Level Employers listed by CollegeGrad.com, 60% anticipate hiring more college grads in 2008 than 2007. 21% will hire the same number and 19% will be hiring fewer college grads than in 2007. At the top of the list, Enterprise Rent-A-Car plans to hire 8500 new grads, while the smallest featured employers will hire as few as 10. But large or small, the good news is they are all enthusiastically hiring the Class of 2008.

While the list includes many return Top Employers from previous years, such as Lowe's, Liberty Mutual Group, and Sodexho, there are many exciting new additions to the list, including EMC with 1200 planned hires, FactSet with 550 planned hires, and hi5 Networks with 20 planned entry level hires.

Significant growth is being projected by companies of all sizes and in all industries throughout the list. Among the largest companies, Intel is projecting a 25% increase in entry level hiring for 2008. Fund for Public Interest Research is projecting an impressive 260% growth in hiring--going from 125 entry level hires in 2007 to 450 in 2008. Growth such as this by companies across the board will help to provide this year's graduating class with a truly favorable job market.

What specific challenges will college grads face in their entry level job search for 2008?

"Globalization continues to transform the business landscape," said Blane Ruschak, National Director of Campus Recruiting for KPMG. "This has led to an increased hiring emphasis on college graduates that possess or have the ability to acquire global skills and competencies."

In the midst of an increasingly global economy, and with an unprecedented percentage of professionals reaching retirement age, employers look to college grads to breathe new ideas, and bring expanded skills, and fresh perspectives into the corporate world.

"We consider campus recruiting the lifeblood of our organization," said Monique Brannon, Director of Recruiting for Grant Thornton. Tony Gibert, Recruiting Director for Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers, agrees. "New college grads are a very important part of our workforce. They not only bring a 'new' perspective coupled with global knowledge of technology applications and communication tools, but also show a contagious enthusiasm, work energy and initiative."

Krueger reminds college students that although the 2008 job outlook is favorable, a successful job search requires a concerted and focused effort. "It's never too early to start your job search. And with more entry level career information provided to college students and recent grads than available at any other site, CollegeGrad.com is a great place to start your search. Start early for best results. Start now."

About CollegeGrad.com:
CollegeGrad.com is the #1 entry level job site on the Internet and is the leader in the field of entry level job search. Brian Krueger is President and Founder of CollegeGrad.com and author of the best-selling book for entry level job search, College Grad Job Hunter.

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CONTACT INFO: Heidi Hanisko, CollegeGrad.com, 262-375-6700 or contact us online.

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Additional employer quotes:

"We do a lot of recruiting on college campuses and it has paid off handsomely at ACUITY. Our voluntary turnover rate is only 1.8% overall because our entry level hires are given an opportunity to succeed through excellent training and they can see a long-term future with ACUITY. We are a vibrant and dynamic workforce because of our efforts in entry level hiring and it shows up in our financial results."

Jamie Van Dyck
Human Resources Specialist
ACUITY, A Mutual Insurance Company

"2008 is looking like a year of change; the war for talent still exists, but hiring managers are going to be more picky about who they hire. Anything that a student/graduate can do to set themselves apart from the crowd will be a benefit. Like I have said before, if I meet 100 students with the same basic qualifications, I will remember the ones who are different, not the ones who are all the same."

Steven Jungman
Division Manager
ChaseSource, LP

"Compass Group like many other organizations is aware of the labor crisis that faces our nation in the coming years. The hospitality industry will be among the hardest hit. As a result, we are positioning ourselves to compete at the nation's top hospitality and culinary campuses now. We consider internships and direct from campus hires to be a major source of human capital; today and well into the future."

John Tuomala
Director of College Relations
Compass Group, North America

"College grad hires provide an infusion of knowledge to the organization about current trends and technologies because they are the generation who has grown up with the Internet. They come in with a broader range of skills than college grads of say 10-15 years ago and have a willingness to learn, grow and adapt with the company. These are employees we can promote through the company from the ground up."

Peter Radloff, CIR
Senior Technical Recruiter
comScore, Inc.

"College hires have become an integral part of our DFAS workforce. They bring fresh ideas, a willingness to work hard to get the job done, an edginess to give them challenging work assignments from the first day, and up-to-date computer skills. We give our new college hires an immediate work assignment and challenge them to not only learn the process but to improve it as well."

Cindy Cox,
Program Manager, Leaders in Motion Program
Defense Finance and Accounting Service

"By 2010, about half of Ernst & Young’s workforce will be Gen Y. In the current labor market, which faces a large number of baby boomers retiring, it is imperative for companies to build talent from the entry level. We have a long-term view of our recruiting efforts - we know we are hiring the future leaders of our firm."

Dan Black
Director, Americas Campus Recruiting
Ernst & Young LLP

"We find that our college graduate hires bring eagerness and resiliency along with the latest technical knowledge and up-to-date business practices in the industry. College graduates also positively affect our corporate growth in both products and revenue."

Dan Viens
Director of Human Resources
FactSet

"My partners and I are begging that the universities please reinstate an emphasis on simple communication skills such as spelling, composing letters and using language without instant messaging abbreviations and slang. We are all wondering how one earns a degree without learning such basic and necessary skills. I recently received a letter from a communications major asking for an internship. The letter was written as if it was an e-mail message and included three misspelled words. I was only surprised that introduction did not lead-off with the greeting, 'Dude!'"

Dan Boos
President & Managing Principal
Gorillas & Gazelles LLC

"The future has never been brighter at Grant Thornton. We consider campus recruiting the lifeblood of our organization and this year we will be hiring even greater numbers of associates and interns than we did last year, a trend that has been continuing for a several years now. We focus on hiring the best and the brightest and giving them the tools, support, and encouragement they need to be successful. Our employees enjoy the best of all worlds – working for one of the top public accounting firms in the country while benefiting from the recognition and growth opportunities that arise from a smaller, more intimate environment."

Monique Brannon
Director of Recruiting
Grant Thornton LLP

"Grimco, Inc. actively recruits college grads for Customer Development Representative (customer service and inside sales) and Management Trainee (training for branch management) positions. Grimco is able to successfully recruit college grads based on the following: Unique Industry, Advancement Opportunity, Lifelong Learning, Open Door Communication Policy, Focus on Honesty and Integrity above all else, Focus on sales, service and safety, Commitment to excellence, Loyalty to team, company, vendors and customers, Competitive, Fast Paced Environment – work hard and smart; we are never satisfied with the status quo, Stable and Growing Industry – solid presence in the sign industry for 133 years, Great Benefits Package; Relocation and travel opportunities"

Stephanie M. Morris
Talent Recruiter, Corporate Human Resources
Grimco

"Harbour Capital experienced exciting growth and success in 2007, adding many recent college graduates to our team. Our business is always expanding and we will continue to look for the best and brightest college grads in 2008."

Marlo Kehoe
Hiring Manager
Harbour Capital

"As the global economy becomes increasingly important, hi5 is a great place for recent college graduates that want to take part in it. As a Web 2.0 start-up and a leading international social network, hi5 is building a creative, resourceful, and energetic team that values fresh new ideas and inspiration in all areas of the business. Beyond brains and ingenuity, we also need individuals who are savvy about the Internet and use services like ours – helping us to stay connected to our customers all over the world."

Alex Lawrence
Staffing Manager
hi5 Networks, Inc.

"Hyatt is honored to be recognized as a 'Top Entry Level Employer' by CollegeGrad.com. It's an amazing time to be a part of a global organization focused on being a great place to work and becoming the brand leader in recruitment. Despite the economy, the hospitality industry has remained steadily strong, so Hyatt is committed to college recruitment. Hyatt's program is deeply rooted in the company, yet it's never at rest, and constantly moving forward. The internship program at Hyatt is a great introduction and guarantees first opportunity into the management training program. This means minimal interviewing, higher salaries, and more desirable locations and programs to choose from. The management training is designed to ensure success by exposure to many areas, mentorship, building camaraderie, and thorough training. This makes the difference to a young professional trying to make their mark. The company is on track to place over 400 college seniors into management training with intentions of them being immediately placed into assistant manager roles and developing them into the companies executive leadership."

Randy Goldberg
Vice President Recruiting
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts - North America Operations

"Globalization continues to transform the business landscape, which has led to an increased hiring emphasis on college graduates that possess or have the ability to acquire global skills and competencies. Having professionals with international experience gives us a competitive advantage because clients increasingly are looking for advisors who can offer global perspectives. At the same time, offering global opportunities and mobility allows us to attract the best and the brightest college graduates."

Blane Ruschak
National Director of University Relations and Recruiting
KPMG

"Larson Design Group recognizes the importance of growing our company for continued success and in order to do that we recognized that we must pay serious attention to recruitment. The most proactive way for us to address the real concerns of recruitment in our industry as well as how brain drain is affecting our market regions was to invest our resources into establishing ourselves as a preferred Internship and Job Co-operative destination among students. Students get hands-on experience in their chosen field and we hope they like it enough to think of us first when they consider job opportunities. To date, our program has produced the kind of results we were hoping for; reduced recruitment costs in ad placement and national recruiter, but more importantly leading students to our company that are from our market areas and keeping their talents local."

William Phillips
Director of Human Resources
Larson Design Group

"Liberty Mutual has a strong promote-from-within philosophy; therefore it is critical that we bring strong talent into the organization from college campuses. College hires represent the future leaders of our organization and, on an annual basis, bring an infusion of new ideas, talent, and creative energy to our company. Whether recruiting for Finance, Sales, Claims, IT, Human Resources, Actuarial or a variety of other job functions, the value of college hiring is the ability to be proactive in addressing our hiring needs and having the capability to be highly selective when assessing the talent needed to meet our business objectives."

Shawn Tubman
Director, University Relations
Liberty Mutual Group

"Although the current economic conditions have impacted our overall needs, we still look at college recruiting as a critical component of our overall talent acquisition strategy. By hiring fresh college graduates and summer interns, we are laying the foundation for our Lowe's future. We have some great training programs, a great corporate culture and a very competitive compensation package for the right students ready to build their future with us."

Mark Clark
Manager, College Recruiting
Lowe's Companies

Campus recruiting is an important function at Merrill Lynch. College graduates are critical to the future success of the firm as they are the source of new talent and future leaders for both us and the industry.

Sarah Quarterman
Head of Campus Recruiting
Merrill Lynch

"New college grads are a very important part of our workforce. They not only bring a "new" perspective coupled with a global knowledge of technology applications and communication tools but also show a contagious enthusiasm, work energy and initiative.

"In my opinion, the most productive workforce exhibits fully diverse components - age, natural origin, race, sex, experiences, etc. The diversification of the student bodies in our colleges and universities benefit all of us."

Tony Gibert
Recruiting Director
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Center

"The ability to see and adapt to corporate culture, without losing a sense of self, is the single most critical success factor for new college grads."

Maureen Crawford
Manager of Talent Acquisition, Development and Compliance
Osram Sylvania, a Siemens Company

"Progressive looks for individuals who dare to be different, always look for new ideas, and openly share the lessons of both success and failure. We have a large college recruiting program focused on a variety of business areas such as Information Technology, Finance, Marketing, Sales and Service, and Claims."

Sarah Carino
National Employment Team - College Recruiting
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies

"College grad hires bring enthusiasm and energy to Summit Commercial Finance. In addition, many new grads present new ideas and a fresh perspective as not having experience in the industry.

"It is crucial that new college grads entering the workforce are disciplined and goal-oriented. Establishing great work habits and a perspective based on long term attainable goals enables new college grads to work through new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. It is also vital that new college grads are able to combine a strong feeling of momentum with patience and an understanding that the lessons learned on the journey to success are just as important as the benefits received from a rewarding and successful career."

Adam Nebel
Training & Recruiting Manager
Summit Commercial Finance

"Many of today's college graduates are seeking the opportunity to assume a significant leadership role at a young age while making a positive impact on the world. Teach For America's corps members work to eliminate our nation's greatest injustice—educational inequity—and go on to assume lifelong leadership in the movement to expand educational opportunity for all students."

Elissa Clapp
Senior Vice President of Recruitment
Teach For America

"Recent college graduates bring fresh ideas to the table and keep our company culture young and fun! The goal of our Recruiter Trainee Program for recent graduates is to take raw talent and develop each individual's potential over the course of our 8 week training program. Our training program is the leading program in the industry, producing technical recruiters that experience unparallel success within their first 6 months. We will give you the recipe for success, but the freedom to carve your own career path with unlimited opportunities for success!"

Kristi Young
College Recruiter
Technisource

"College grad hires bring a fresh perspective to the corporate environment. They are passionate, energetic and inspired by the world around them. Their ideas and thoughts are innovative and unique and it is exactly this mindset that drives the information technology space in which we compete. Hiring talent out of college/university affords an organization the opportunity to build the pipeline for future leadership and promotes diversity in the workforce.

"Competition is fierce this year and only appears to be increasing with time. While the banking industry experiences challenges of its own, the competition for top talent in industries outside of banking is on the rise. As campus recruiters we must become more strategic in our campus efforts, focusing on understanding the Millennials, building meaningful relationships with the students, and creating the right programs within our organizations to both attract the new workforce generation and meet the needs of the business."

Jolie S. Chehadeh
Campus Recruiting Program Lead
The Thomson Corporation

"As a healthcare-oriented retailer, Walgreens expansion is driven by an aging population. In 2008, we're increasing our expansion rate even as the overall economy slows. We continue to be a leader in the healthcare industry and offer more advancement opportunity than we ever have before in our 106-year history. And those opportunities are in a variety of fields, including retail management, pharmacy, technology and a broad spectrum of corporate positions."

Marty Slevin
Corporate Manager, Retail Recruitment
Walgreen Co.

"The one thing I can say to those searching for a job in a tough economy is that they need to ensure they are taking the time to exhaust their resources. When companies aren’t filling as many positions, and the jobs aren’t coming to them as easily, they have to be sure to take advantage of every resource they have. They must attend the career fair, visit the career center, spend time researching and applying on line, and utilizing their personal network. The job search can be a full time job in and of itself!"

Allison Bradlee
Manager of Recruiting
Wolseley North American Division

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Additional college career center quotes:

"Our specific college grads bring an energetic work ethic, fresh perspectives, willingness to learn, optimism for the future, nearly unmatched technology skills, a knack for online networking, adjustment to diversity, ability to manage the information explosion, integrity as a high value and a new search for meaning in their work."

Bonnie J. Jerke, MA, GCDF, MCDP
Director of Career Services
George Fox University

"Colleges and universities throughout the United States are great at providing theoretical knowledge and abstract scenarios to students in all of the major degree programs. The faculty and staff work hard to be sure that students leave our campuses with a theoretical knowledge of the field in which they plan to be employed. However, internships are the real key for students to take their theoretical knowledge and learn how to apply it in an actual work environment. The students who take full advantage of internship opportunities prepare themselves to be ready to hit the ground running at their first full-time employment with the ability to link theory to practice."

J. Kendrick Schetter
Assistant Director of the Career Center
Millsaps College

"An employer is looking for three things: 1) Your knowledge and ability to learn (your degree and GPA provide evidence of this), 2) Your communication and human relation skills (your job search correspondence, interaction at networking events and interview skills will do the job here, and finally, and most important, 3) your ability to accomplish results, improve things, and cut through obstacles to get the work done on time.

"This is where a candidate with internship experience will stand out over all other candidates. With an internship, you can describe what you learned, problems you solved, what you liked, what you didn't, and experiences that stretched your skills. A student or recent grad with internship experience can write a more effective resume, typically interviews better, and is more prepared to ask questions of a prospective employer."

Linda Ickes
Associate Director of Career & Student Employment Services
Western Michigan University

"The value to entry level students of having relevant internship experience on their resume should never be taken for granted. An internship from which a student gained skills and real work experience that are directly related to the first jobs that they target out of college not only gives the student a leg-up over other new grad candidates to be chosen for entry level positions, but it can even push the grad into being qualified for the next higher level position.

"The employer gets a at least a 2 for 1 deal by hiring a new grad who has completed a relevant internship. They get a new hire who can hit the ground running having recently applied skills and knowledge to the real world of work in addition to bringing their fresh perspective and up-to-date theories and practices to the position and company.

"Therefore, college grads must be diligent to describe any relevant paid, unpaid or volunteer experiences by articulating the skills and accomplishments they achieved during their internships; not just listing basic tasks they performed. I also always tell our students to consider and describe their relevant unpaid experiences with the same respect that they would give any paid experiences on their resume. This not only enhances their resume but also their self esteem!"

Nancy White
Director of Career Services
Lakeland Community College

"Even with economic trends showing a down turn in the stock market, the current housing glut and a potential recession on the horizon, college recruiting remains stable. We may see a temporary recruiting "blip" on the screen in banking and financial services, but the future is very bright for college graduates. Why? Corporations throughout the world are finding a huge talent shortage in the years to come. The "cupboards are empty" as technical and business talent exit the workforce by the 1,000s, and the college students of today (Generation Y) will have career advancement opportunities never seen before in the history of college recruiting."

Lee Svete
Director, The Career Center
University of Notre Dame

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