Blueprint for a cool workplace

Students around the world don't just "Google it"- they want to be part of Google.

The tech giant was ranked first by students who took part in the 2014 World's Most Attractive Employers survey by Universum.

The survey, the results of which were released this week, found that a "creative and dynamic work environment" was the most sought-after attribute for engineering students and was ranked fourth by business students - beating a high starting salary or leadership opportunities.

The respondents were 200000 students in the world's 12 biggest economies.

Business students in Australia and Canada prioritised a friendly work environment over a creative one.

The big four accountancy firms, Ernst&Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG and Deloitte, improved their attractiveness rating for business students, taking four of the top five spots right behind Google.

Engineering and IT students' other favoured companies were Microsoft, Apple, General Electric, Intel, Siemens and Sony.

"Students today don't see as much of a separation between life and work, and they know what a large role their work will come to play in their later life," said Universum CEO Petter Nylander.

Financial services partner at Ernst & Young Sean Kerr said businesses that were able to articulate how students would develop as young professionals were the most successful at recruitment.

"Authentic conversations about what students could expect in their early role in the organisation build trust and confidence."

Although South African students did not participate in the study, data from the Universum Ideal Employer Rankings of SA showed students here prioritise professional training and development when looking for an employer.

Leadership opportunity was also important to them.

"Students in South Africa and emerging markets still tend to prefer harder values, such as money and leadership, reflecting how our society has not yet moved to a stage of post-materialism," said Universum employer branding consultant Jenali Skuse.