Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been named for the fourth consecutive year to BusinessWeek's annual ranking of the best companies for new college graduates to launch their careers. Enterprise is the only car rental company to earn a spot since BusinessWeek began producing the list in 2006.
BusinessWeek used three sources of data to determine its list -- a survey of college career-services directors, a survey of employers and a student survey conducted by Universum Communications, a research firm based in Philadelphia. Enterprise moved up 11 spots in the 2009 ranking, to No. 15.
The company earned especially high praise from career services directors at U.S. colleges, ranking fourth in that category.
“We place enormous importance on recruitment and training to make this a place where our people truly can launch great careers,” said Marie Artim, assistant vice president, recruiting, for Enterprise. "We are proud that we have continued hiring through a tough economy to fill our Management Training program with motivated individuals who can deliver our personal brand of customer service."
Enterprise, which is one of the top recruiters of college graduates in the U.S., hired nearly 8,000 college graduates last year and expects to hire about 8,000 more this year, along with offering more than 1,000 internships in the coming year. Currently, the company is recruiting in several markets throughout the nation.
Enterprise has been widely recognized for teaching new hires the skills they need to run a business. Through its Management Training program, employees learn all aspects of day-to-day operations -- such as how to manage profit and loss, control expenses, effective business-to-business marketing and sales techniques, and how to implement a comprehensive business plan.
Enterprise is also known for its commitment to promoting from within.
Within nine to 12 months, management trainees are typically eligible for promotion and the opportunity to help run an airport or home-city rental branch as if it were their own business, including sharing in the profits they help create. And, with nearly 5,000 neighborhood branch offices located within 15 minutes of 90 percent of the U.S. population, Enterprise enables recent grads to launch a meaningful career almost anywhere the country.
Enterprise has been consistently named "Top College Recruiter" by The Black Collegian, "Top Entry Level Employer" and "Top Intern Employer" by CollegeGrad.com, and was included in Diversity Edge's 2009 list of "Best Companies for Diverse Graduates."
