Young professionals favour strong brands when choosing where to work

Nokia choice employer for thirty-something academic professionals

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Finland's biggest company, Nokia, is the favourite employer of the academically educated thirty-something professionals in this country. Economists and business studies graduates are also keen on the idea of working for Finnair or the sports equipment manufacturer Amer Sports.
      In addition to Nokia, the forestry products company UPM and the power and automation technology group ABB are seen as worthy of consideration as employers by those with a technical or engineering degree.
      Global employer branding specialist Universum Communications asked 5,000 academically educated young business, engineering, and IT professionals for their views on interesting employment opportunities. An average respondent was 30 years old, with four years of work experience.
     
A combining factor for companies ranking high on the list is the strength of their brand. Their products and services are well-known and approved.
      "Business administration students, for example, typically decide late in their studies where they want to work. They read trade magazines and follow trends, and therefore strong consumer brands such as Finnair, Fazer, Amer Sports, and L'Oréal tickle their fancy", explains Toni Kaski, Universum Communications country manager for Finland.
     
"Not all respondents seemed to know the difference between a consumer brand and an employer brand", Kaski points out.
      In general, those with a technical background have a better understanding than those from the field of economics of what their favourite companies are like as employers. Many respondents with a Masters degree in engineering had got their first taste of companies when working for them as student trainees.
      Technology professionals are particularly interested in working for companies with strong emphasis on research and development.
      "Which engineer would not want to work for a research-intensive firm with interesting and visible products?" asks Kaski.
      Auditing firms were ranked high by the business economics professionals. "At the moment they are recruiting vigorously in Finland", Kaski says.
      Today's losers are media companies and government-owned organisations, with the exception of VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland.
      "In the present upswing, young professionals do not want to settle for landing a job with the most secure-sounding employer."
     
The companies whose ranking fell from last year also include multinational IT giants Microsoft and IBM. Sixty percent of the respondents said they would not hesitate to accept a job abroad if the right job was offered to them, but even overseas they would rather work for a Finnish firm.
      "In this respect, there is a clear difference between Finland and Sweden. Finnish professionals seem to think working for a Finnish company is more secure."
      In addition to a strong consumer brand, the firms that are considered the most desirable also strive to uphold their image as an employer.
      "Academic young professionals value high company ethics and a confidence-provoking leadership."
      A dynamic and youthful work atmosphere is also considered important.
     
According to Kaski, companies should invest in promoting themselves to those still in school.
      "Usually it pays to be visible in career information happenings organised for students. Not every company can top the favourites poll. What is desirable is to shine within the firm's own speciality area", Kaski argues.
     
The strongest climber on this year's list is the sports instruments manufacturer Suunto, owned by Amer Sports.
      What is remarkable is that Suunto was not even mentioned on the provided list of Finnish employers. And yet it secured the 11th place among those with an economics background, and 9th place among those with a technical degree.
      The average age of the 273 workers in Suunto's Vantaa premises is 37. It seems that every other Suunto worker is the Finnish Champion in one sport or another. "Specialist knowledge of different sporting events is a definite asset", explains Suunto Vice-President Seppo Rantanen.
      On company time Suunto people test the products in different stages of research and development.
      "At times, we're not sure whether we're working or just bicycling, sailing, and diving", Rantanen laughs. "But all the test programmes have to be completed, no matter how much running it takes."


Links:
  Universum Communications
  Nokia
  UPM
  ABB
  VTT
  Suunto

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