Boston University students are the seventeenth most employable graduates internationally, according to a survey published by The New York Times Thursday.
According to the survey, “Ideal Young Graduates,” employers in 20 countries ranked BU graduates seventeenth in the world in employability. BU was ranked seventh domestically behind schools such as Harvard University and Yale University, and ahead of Brown University and New York University.
“The criteria for employability is mainly the performance in terms of the operationality of a young graduate when entering a company,” said Sandrine Belloc, managing partner of Emerging, a Paris-based consulting company who helped conduct the survey.
The survey was also performed by Trendence, a German institute that researches personal marketing and recruitment.
Large companies actively seeking graduates from the 20 most economically dynamic countries were asked to participate, according to an Emerging press release Wednesday. About 2,200 top executives in 10 countries and 2,500 recruiters were surveyed.
“Recruiters are not principally interested in the actual level of education, the grades obtained or the theoretical knowledge acquired of the potential candidate,” the release stated. “The most important qualities, in the long term, are a candidate’s adaptability, an ability to communicate well and clearly and a capacity for teamwork.”
According to the press release, the quality of education is improving.
“In 2012, the recruiters declare themselves on the whole more satisfied with their university systems than in 2010, proof that universities all over the world are in the process of adapting themselves,” it said.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said BU is proud of how BU graduates rank with regard to marketability on the job market.
“We always look at the math,” he said. “Rankings are subjective based on who conducted the survey but this reflects very well on our students and on the value of a BU degree.”
Riley said BU is a global university, which contributes to the employability of its students.
“Our students have been well prepared for the global workforce,” he said. “We know our students get great jobs and have good careers and that they are able to make an effective transition to the workplace.”
Cailey Palmer-Rehorst, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, said she is starting to think about job options post-graduation and the study is encouraging.
“Obviously no survey is going to guarantee you a job,” she said. “But it is reassuring to hear that the job market finds our education and degree easily employable.”
Palmer-Rehorst said employment for recent graduates is sometimes difficult to find.
“The challenge of applying for jobs is incredibly daunting,“ she said. “These days you have to have done so much within your college years to be employed. I feel like BU has prepared me well.”
Ghita Benslimane, a College of General Studies sophomore, said the study is a promising sign for her future career plans.
“Maybe an employer will see this survey someday, see how high we are ranked and maybe it will help at one point or another,” she said. “The littlest details help people get hired these days.”
However Kevin Potter, a sophomore in CAS, said he was doubtful about the significance of the results.
“This survey is news to me,” he said. “One of my good friends graduated from BU last year and he still doesn’t have a job. This survey really doesn’t mean that much.”
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