Best of HR – Berufebilder.de®

Best of HR - Berufebilder.de® will from now on regularly publish the study results of Universum Communications, a global consulting firm for employer branding. In the second part of the interview, Stefan Lake, Country Manager Germany, reports on current trends on the labor market and Strategies for employer branding.

Stefan Lake has been 2011 Country Manager Germany of Universum Communications since February, the global employer branding consulting firm. His main focus is the development of authentic and sustainable employer positioning as well as quantitative and qualitative market research, brand consulting, brand development and communication consulting.

Contents Hide

They publish the Young Professional Study since 2008 on an annual basis: What developments have you been able to capture over the years?

In the rankings of the most attractive Companys It is particularly remarkable how well the car manufacturers have presented themselves over the years from the young professionals' point of view: they have always been at the top and are more attractive this year than ever before! It lies for sure an der Significance, which plays the automotive industry in Germany and at its economic Success.

When it comes to long-term career goals, there is also a trend that is increasingly stabilizing: for young professionals, the Work-Life-Balance, i.e. a balanced relationship between work and private life, has been the most important career goal for years. In this respect, the young professionals in Germany do not differ from those in other nations. What is remarkable is the increasing importance attached to the Objectiveto have a safe and stable job. Job security is now the second most important career goal!

What is particularly important to young professionals interviewed?

On the basis of our survey results, one can quite clear say: The ideal employer should offer the young professionals an attractive basic salary, a friendly working environment, recognition and provide secure employment. These are the qualities that make a company attractive from the perspective of young professionals. When it comes to long-term career goals, work-life balance is the top priority.

And if you ask more closely, you will learn that the young professionals associate the fact that they can integrate personal interests into their schedule, that they can work flexibly, for example from their home office.

In the context of the work-life balance, however, it is also important for young professionals to be treated with respectful respect. This is sometimes forgotten! It is important to note that these preferences differ between the different occupational fields and main study areas and are very generalized.

Are there strong deviations by region or country?

We survey more than 32 students and students in 500 countries each year Boy Professionals on their assessment of companies, on the characteristics that make an attractive company for them and on their career ideas. In doing so, we find some very significant differences.

In our recently presented study on the most attractive employers in the world Welt, for which we surveyed students from the 12 largest economies, we found out, for example, that students in Germany have an above-average interest in job security in an international comparison.

For students in China, job security is far less important. Also, regarding their desires to future employers, there are significant differences from nation to nation. This shows that companies have to adapt their national employer branding strategies to the most diverse circumstances in the respective countries.

Are there large differences in the individual fan groups?

Yes, there are! This is exactly the reason why we report our company rankings separately - i.e. for young professionals with an economics background, for young engineers and scientists and the young IT-Experts.

This is also the case with the students, because even in the case of young people, the differences between the young professionals and the young professionals are related to which companies are particularly attractive to them, as well as which characteristics make companies attractive to them and what long-term career goals they pursue.

I can think of something that Pericles said that it is not our job to do that Future to predict, but to be well prepared for them. Of course, we can spot trends in our survey results. But trends don't have to continue. You can even reverse yourself. Think of the financial crisis. The banks are still fighting to be perceived as attractive employers again.

I am not concerned with one or the other prognosis. Instead, I see my job as helping companies recognize how they are perceived by the various target groups compared to their competitors. On this basis, companies can develop an individual employer's value proposition and differentiate themselves from the competition.

What data is requested exactly for the annual Young Professional study?

We asked the young professionals about their assessment of companies as an "ideal employer", the characteristics that make a company attractive from their point of view, their long-term career goals, their satisfaction with the current one Workplace and asked about their willingness to change.

And we were also interested in what moves the young professionals to take on another job apply. We also asked more detailed questions about career goals.

How many participants are asked?

From June to October 2013, 4955 surveyed professionals who are 40 years or younger and have at least one and at most eight years of work experience. Most of the respondents - 2428 in total - were young professionals with an economics background.

The second largest group in our survey are engineers with 973 participants, followed by young professionals with a scientific background with 695 participants and IT experts with 638 participants. The gender ratio of the participants is almost balanced: 2378 Women and 2576 men.

What goals do you pursue as a consulting company with the study?

The results of our survey are the basis for the Universe Employer Ranking and for studies that analyze the factors that determine the attractiveness of companies.

Based on the findings from these surveys and studies, companies can measure the satisfaction of their Employees and improve their attractiveness as employers.

There are many employer rankings: how exactly are your data collected? What makes you different from other rankings?

Our poll finds Online instead of. The questionnaire is sent to the young professionals via universities, alumni organisations, the Universum Panel and other national partners. Our data collection is transparent and comprehensible. It starts with the depiction of the employer market, which in some studies can be fragmentary. This is especially the case when companies agree to pay for participation decide need to be taken into account at all.

We do it as follows: each participant in the survey can select from a list of 150 of the most relevant companies those that are generally considered for him or her as potential employers. Free entries are also possible. At this stage, respondents can name as many companies as they like. From this list of considered employers, participants select up to five “ideal employers”. The ranking of the most attractive employers is based on this closer selection from companies.

Is there strong fluctuations in employer ratings?

The rankings of the companies in our rankings are surprisingly stable, especially in the front ranks. But if you look at the development below the Top 3 or Top 10 companies, you can see considerable fluctuations.

The automotive supplier Continental, for example, was unable to rank among the top 2009 companies between 2011 and 100. This year the company ranks 47th among young professionals with an economic background and 25th among young engineers. This is due to intensive and successful employer branding activities, which are of course also reflected in the rankingsspiegeln.