Frequently Asked Questions

In response to requests for more information about how we conduct our rankings, BusinessWeek is providing the following answers to frequently asked questions. Please refer to this document before calling or e-mailing BusinessWeek editors with methodology-related questions. If you have a question that is not addressed here, please send an e-mail to lindsey_gerdes@businessweek.com. We'll try to answer it directly or add it to this FAQ.

When is the "Best Places to Launch a Career" ranking published?

How does BusinessWeek determine who is eligible for rankings?

If an employer has never been ranked before, how does it get considered for ranking?

What sources of data does BusinessWeek use to rank employers?

When does each survey get distributed? How long is it available for completion?

How is the survey of career-services directors conducted?

How is the student survey conducted by Universum Communications?

How is the employer survey conducted?

What happens if an employer does not answer a question?

How are the various factors weighted?

What do you do when there are no career-services survey data or student-survey data for a company in the ranking?

Do employers ever get dropped from the rankings?

Why do you rank only 50 employers in the magazine?

What role, if any, do companies and other organizations play in the surveys, beyond completing the employer survey?

Do the employers have any input into the content of the surveys?

Are copies of the career-services survey or the student survey conducted by Universum ever provided to the employers?

Do employers receive any additional information after the rankings are over?

Are the data collected from the employers for the online statistical profiles used in the ranking?

What happens if an employer doesn't fill out the survey for the statistical profile by the deadline?

How do you find employees to interview?

When is the "Best Places to Launch a Career" ranking published?

BusinessWeek plans to publish the "Best Places to Launch a Career" ranking annually in September.

How does BusinessWeek determine who is eligible for rankings?

BusinessWeek conducts a national survey of career services directors to determine which employers should be considered for the ranking.

If an employer has never been ranked before, how does it get considered for ranking?

Unlike our rankings of MBA programs and undergraduate business programs, which allow schools to nominate themselves, the "Best Places to Launch a Career" ranking does not permit self-nomination. To be considered, an employer must be identified by the career-services directors who respond to our national survey as one that is among the best organizations in the U.S. for entry-level employees.

What sources of data does BusinessWeek use to rank employers?

BusinessWeek uses three sources of data—a survey of career-services directors, a survey of employers, and a student survey conducted by Universum Communications, a market-research firm based in Philadelphia.

When do each of the surveys get distributed? How long are they available for completion?

The survey of career-services directors is distributed in April and is available for approximately one month. The employer survey is distributed in May and is available for approximately one month. The student survey is conducted by Universum over a three-month period starting in December.