With Google instead taking the lead, for the first year since 2008 Disney was not listed as the overall first-choice employer. Disney did rank in fifth place overall in our study of where high school and college scholars most prefer to work in the future.

That’s what we found at the NSHSS, an international honor society recognizing outstanding academic excellence in high school and college scholars globally — 750,000 scholars representing over 160 countries. The full list is at the bottom of this article.

Members were asked to rank their preferred companies to work for and selected from a list of more than 200 companies.  The list of companies was created by combining the 2012 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity, selected companies from Fortune’s Global 500, and popular write-in choices from prior surveys.  Respondents were given the opportunity to select up to three companies and were also allowed to write in choices. Results have are available charted by overall ranking, gender rankings, high school/post-high school rankings, and diverse/non-diverse rankings.

The most popular choices continue to reflect interests in technology and health fields, with Google moving to first place in 2012 as the most preferred employer. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, local hospital and health providers, and the Mayo Clinic all placed in the top 10 most preferred. Teach for America was a popular choice, ranking 16^th.  Many government agencies place highly as well. The FBI ranked #6 and the CIA closely followed at #8. The Air Force ranked #15, the Navy ranked #26 (up from # 31 in 2011), the Army ranked #28, and, the Marines ranked # 64.

Respondents were also asked about the importance of certain workplace factors when choosing an employer, with options separated into four categories.  Students ranked responses based on what they most want in an employer, ranked below. The factors ranking as most important in each area included fair treatment, strong benefits, opportunities to enhance career skills, and the ability to create a harmonious work/life balance.

What They Want, Ranked keep reading…

Students ranked Disney as their first employer preference for the fourth year, according to a survey of top students.

First, let me explain who conducted the study and who took it.

This is the fourth annual survey of the National Society of High School Scholars — high-achieving students ages 16-22. The previous survey results were published in the March 2008, April 2009, and April 2010 issues of the Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership. Our 2011 career survey will appear in the Journal, too, which is a paid PDF.

The 10,000 respondents are members of NSHSS, an honors organization founded by Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes. The Society currently has a roster of 700,000 members internationally. This group of respondents consists of both college-bound high school students and currently enrolled college students; the respondents include 3,300 college students and 7,200 high school students.

Students ranked Disney as their first employer preference for the fourth year, and continued ranking highly those companies that reflect their interests in technology, such as Google and Microsoft; medical-related fields, such as St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mayo Clinic; and trend-setting firms such as Abercrombie & Fitch. keep reading…