The 20 Hottest Companies for Job Seekers in 2018

With the unemployment rate hitting record lows, the battle for talent is on. Big or small, every company has to fight to win the attention of today’s savvy job seeker.

Of course, everybody is different and has a unique set of priorities, so there is no single way to attract talent. That said, there are some things that many people find attractive — for instance, the opportunity to perform meaningful or innovative work, high wages, flexible conditions and the potential for career growth opportunities. If you can provide a mix or all of those, you’re off to a good start.  

But who is catching the eye of job seekers in 2018?  To find out, our analytics team calculated the average amount of job-seeker interest for all job titles at all companies, and then compared it to the actual level of interest each firm is receiving, based on clicks through to jobs posted.  The result? A snapshot of who’s winning the battle for talent in 2018. Let’s dig in — the results may surprise you.

Electric car innovator Tesla places first on our “hottest companies” list

Just as job seekers are diverse, so we see a wide range of industries reflected in the hottest companies top 20 — everything from tech to transportation to health care, aerospace, food and services. But as for who places first, it’s none other than transportation-tech trailblazer Tesla.

In fact, despite founder Elon Musk’s recent controversies, the firm — a driving force in electric vehicles, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries for energy storage — remains a prime draw for job seekers, winning 47% more interest from job seekers than average. Tesla last year released its Model 3, a luxury, all-electric, four-door sedan, and it has since become one of America’s fastest-selling cars.

Meanwhile, a considerably older transportation company, Enterprise Holdings, places third. It’s the largest rental car service in the U.S., with Enterprise, National and Alamo. Founded by decorated U.S. Navy pilot Jack Taylor shortly after World War II, the transportation giant is now exploring the self-driving space, as it recently announced a deal with startup Voyage to manage its autonomous cars.

Sandwiched in between at number two is refreshment, cereal and snacks behemoth PepsiCo, which is not the only purveyor of food and drink to crack the top 10. Second place Pepsico wins 27% more interest from job seekers than average, which underscores how dramatic first place Tesla’s lead is over the other companies on our hot jobs list. Meanwhile, multinational  Sysco (#7), a global leader in the restaurant, hospitality, health care and campus food service, is also attracting above average levels of interest from job seekers.

Tech firms a major draw for many job seekers

Besides Tesla, which marries modern tech with car manufacturing, we see five other tech firms in the top 10: Microsoft, Facebook, Honeywell, Apple and Cisco.

The second tech heavy hitter on our most attractive list is Microsoft (#4), which among other plans just announced that it’s joining SAP and Adobe to develop its Open Data Initiative, a single data model for consumer data, making a play for CRM titan Salesforce’s territory.

In fifth place we see Facebook, which like Tesla has experienced its own share of controversies. Nevertheless, it remains a draw to job seekers as it expands into new areas — its online drama series Sacred Lies is a play for original content along the lines of Apple, Amazon and Netflix. With 2.23 billion members already on the platform, Facebook is also making advances toward online dating for singles ready to mingle.

We also see Honeywell (#6), which like Tesla blends the traditional with the innovative as it integrates software into everything from thermostats to security systems and pioneers the Internet of Things. Meanwhile, its aerospace division, which garners 36% of company revenue, produces aircraft engines and flight safety systems, some of which support self-driving cars.

Coming in eighth we see Apple, which recently completed its acquisition of Shazam and promises to make the song-recognition app ad free. In a nod to the growing silver generation, the company’s new Apple Watch Series 4 reports falls to an emergency contact and monitors the wearer’s heart via electrocardiography (ECG) technology.

Rounding out the top 10 is Cisco Systems (#10). Perhaps best known as a leader in IT and networking, its new partnership with the U.S. Golf Association aims to innovate digital experiences for players, fans and the media.

Meanwhile, at number nine we see something different: investment powerhouse Morgan Stanley, which recently partnered with Cheyenne Woods, LPGA golf pro and niece of Tiger Woods.

Tips for attracting talent

This diverse set of companies has at least one thing in common: job seekers are searching for them in droves.

These companies benefit from their widespread name recognition and powerful brands. Most use mega-marketing dollars to promote new products, executive hires, social causes and more.

But even if your company doesn’t have this kind of clout, there are some things you can do to attract the talent your company needs most.

1. Respond to all inquiries. You’ll reject far more people than you’ll hire — and people talk. Enterprise makes good on its “people first” promise by responding to all applicants. They know word gets around, and they also know good word of mouth matters.

2. Write like a human, for humans. Omit acronyms, and leave out jargon when possible. Terms like “fulfillment,” “outward facing” and “CRO” may scare off otherwise qualified people who might not understand what they mean.

3. Be transparent. Employees make good brand ambassadors, so let them help tell the stories of what’s happening in your company. Create content that features employees, such as in advertising or internal campaigns. Consider featuring employee testimonials in blogs and on social media.

4. Get creative about benefits. While it’s fun to talk about pool tables and free snacks, promote the benefits that truly make a difference in people’s lives: flexibility, paid time off (PTO), extended parental leave, health cost reimbursement and savings plans.

Taking deliberate steps to attract the right candidates can deliver you a diverse set of qualified new hires. Here’s to success in your next new-hire search!

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Methodology:

To create this list, Indeed calculated the average amount of job-seeker interest for all job titles at all companies from March through September 2018. Using these results, Indeed calculated each company’s expected job seeker interest rate based on the averages for all jobs. We then applied the average to the job postings available at each company (using the top 1,500 companies with the most job postings on Indeed). Indeed calculated the actual click-through rates for all companies and compared the difference between actual and expected click-through rates