AT&T Listed as One of the Best Places to Launch a Career

A new survey by BusinessWeek magazine shows that AT&T is one of the best places to work for recent college graduates. The magazine polled directors of undergraduate job placement centers and 37,000 undergraduate students to compile a list of 100 finalist companies for its "Best Places to Launch a Career" list.

BusinessWeek then examined entry-level pay, benefits, retention efforts and training programs at the 100 companies and compared them with compensation levels at other employers in the same industries. AT&T ranked 26th on the list, the only company in San Antonio to be included. The top ranked company for recent graduates is the Walt Disney Co. in Burbank, California.

"We value the energy and ideas that students and recent graduates contribute to our company, and we work very hard to recruit and retain the best talent in the world," says Karen Jennings, AT&T's senior executive vice president of human resources and communications.

AT&T officials also say their efforts to recruit women and minorities contributed to the high ranking. The company's work force is 45 percent female and 35 percent of people of color. Forty-four percent of AT&T's managers are women.

A report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers indicates that entry-level hiring is expected to increase by more than 17 percent in 2007.