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The 20 Most Desired Employers: From Google to Nike, Accenture

This article is more than 10 years old.

(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

If you could work anywhere, what employer would you pick? A new global study by LinkedIn pinpoints Google , Apple and Microsoft -- in that order -- as the world's most desired employers. But there's room in the top-20 list for the likes of Unilever, Shell, Nike and Accenture , too.

LinkedIn's findings are based on an analysis of 15 billion interactions last year on its site. Top-ranked companies fared unusually well in terms of interactions that suggested early stirrings of interest by possible job hunters, such as connecting with that company's employees or visiting that company's career page. Then LinkedIn adjusted the rankings for companies' size and overall activity on the professional networking site, so that smaller or less prominent employers weren't at a disadvantage.

LinkedIn's list  includes seven of the Internet or tech-related companies that tend to show up a lot on magazine covers these days. Front-runners Google, Apple and Microsoft are joined by Facebook at No. 4, Salesforce.com at No. 13, Twitter at No. 14 and Expedia at No. 19.

Traditional consumer-products companies put in nearly as strong a showing, too, even if they aren't always attracting as much media buzz. They won seven spots in the top 20,  though they didn't appear at the apex of the list. Unilever heads that pack, at No. 5, followed by PepsiCo at No. 7, Procter & Gamble at No. 8, Coca-Cola at No. 10, Nike at No. 12 and Nestle at No. 16. (L'Oreal, which appeared at No. 20 in a early draft of the rankings, ended up as No. 23 in LinkedIn's final version.)

Professional-services firms -- which probably try harder than any other industry to be seen as prized places to work -- ended up with four spots in the top 20. Three places went to consulting firms, with McKinsey & Co. at No. 9, Boston Consulting Group at No. 17, and Accenture at No. 20. In 18th place was Ogilvy, the advertising agency.

Rounding out the top-20 list were two manufacturing firms, General Electric at No. 6 and Shell at No. 15, as well as one media and entertainment company, Disney, at No. 11.

In the short term, LinkedIn's analysis is likely to create bragging value for companies that have won top rankings.  Over time, it may turn out to be a diagnostic tool, too, as companies evaluate how well their LinkedIn presence is helping their employer brand, and then embark on programs to improve their scores.

In a presentation today at a customers' conference in Las Vegas, LinkedIn's vice president for talent solutions, Dan Shapero, showed how Rolls-Royce in the past six months has stepped up its efforts to engage with potential job hunters online. In doing so, the British jet-engine maker improved its employer brand score significantly.

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