Top Employers for Global Business Undergrads

(page 2 of 2)

Creating global opportunities is an important tool in attracting and retaining top entry-level talent for companies in any industry, however, particularly in one such as investment banking, in which many employees work in markets and on exchanges all over the world—interacting with numerous global clients.

Yale grad Christine Kim, 24, accepted an offer from No. 7 J.P. Morgan (JPM) after interning at its foreign exchange desk in 2006. One reason she jumped at the offer was the eight-week global training program that would kick off her full-time experience. Held in London, the program not only trained her for her new job as an analyst in sales & trading at J.P. Morgan, but also helped acclimate her to the company and introduce her to peers from all over the world. Kim bonded with other attendees and forged valuable working relationships around the world. "The world is so much smaller than it used to be," she says. "You're constantly working with these people [worldwide] to get business done."

student: "we look at big, big names"

The New York-based Kim, who would like to work abroad at some point in her J.P. Morgan career, also launched a network called "Junior Women in Markets," modeled largely on a similar program started in the company's London office. Kim is hardly alone in her desire to spend some time abroad—and in finding opportunities to do so an extremely important factor in choosing an employer.

Recently, 45 students converged on New York and shared feedback on what they look for in an ideal employer. The students were participants in GLOBE, an undergraduate business program that brings together top students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School (Kenan-Flagler Undergraduate Business Profile), the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Copenhagen Business School, who travel and live together for 18 months and visit five different countries, including the U.S. and China. To a person, they wanted future employers to provide a chance for them to live and work abroad. "I think for the most part we look at big, big names. Bigger companies tend to have operations throughout the globe and more opportunities," said one student, a point echoed by numerous peers from the three countries.

Especially popular to these students was the ranking's No. 1 company, Google, for its success in the search business and its culture of innovation. "The culture is unique and amazing," said one student, who had a friend who worked at Google.

Smaller companies without a global brand might still have a chance with these worldly young talents. Many cited the importance of meaningful work as a reason for choosing an employer. "If you look at a smaller company and you can have a very impactful role. You might have to explain to somebody where you work, but you might have better potential," says one GLOBE participant. So image isn't everything. But it's definitely something when it comes to attracting the global talent of tomorrow.

Gerdes is a staff editor for BusinessWeek in New York.

Business Exchange

Track and share business topics across the Web.