THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine and Universum Communications, a Stockholm-based international research and consulting firm, are working together to promote workplace diversity.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN will serve as Universum’s publishing partner for diversity-related surveys and the initial action is the publication in this issue of the results of The Universum Survey-American Diversity Edition 2001. “Today’s minority students are surveying the corporate land­scape and placing their bets on companies that have a proven track record in recruiting and retaining minority personnel,” said Claudia Tattanelli, CEO of Universum Communications.  “Our partnership with THE BLACK COLLEGIAN (celebrating its 31^st year) will enable us to expand awareness of important workplace diversity issues to our key audiences,” she added.

What Makes a Company Diverse?

The survey, which polled over 2,300 undergraduate and MBA college students with African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, and Native-American backgrounds, found that cor­porate diversity is a critical factor for minority students in deciding upon employers. Thirty-five of the finest schools throughout the United States participated. A full 90 percent of minority respondents found that diversity in a company’s personnel is important, with 56 percent stating it is “very important.”

According to Universum Communications, in recent years, the definition of diversity has expanded to be almost boundlessly inclusive, leaving companies scrambling to make sure their HR strategies embrace all top talent. In order to help companies target graduates from minority racial and ethnic groups, Universum’s survey asks these very students which factors they consider when determining the degree of diversity within a company. The company’s record of success in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce is a clear indicator of minority-friendliness to respondents. First and foremost, students want to know the percentage of minority employees working at all levels in the organization (41 percent of the respondents). They also want to see whether the company’s leadership reflects the diversity of its personnel; the “percentage of minority employees in senior management positions ranked second (37 percent of the respondents) among the criteria students used to determine the degree of diversity within a company. Minority students also look to a company’s corporate culture to determine whether the employer will be a good fit with their needs; a corporate culture that embraces diversity is a key success factor for companies striving to be truly diverse organizations (34 percent of the respondents). Additional feedback from respondents consisted of: Presence of minority organizations within the company (formal or informal), 34%; Mentoring and networking programs geared toward minorities, 19%; Integration of diversity policies throughout the company’s organization, 17%; and Compensation level of minority employees, 15%.

Healthcare/Pharmaceutics and Technology Attract Minority Students

Guaranteed Annual Bonuses, Stock Options and Tuition Reimbursement Rank High With Minority Students

For many minority students, debt is a necessary evil in the quest for a higher education. A full third of minority respondents indicate they would prefer their compensation package to include tuition reimbursement (compared to 27% of the broader population of respondents to Universum’s American Undergraduate Edition). Despite the economic downturn, minority students still like the sound of stock options. Given the fact that many technology stocks have lost 50% or even 90% of their value in the last year and a half, it may be that respondents are hoping for a surge in stock prices. But, students are not willing to place all of their bets on stock options when considering their overall compensation package. They also want more tangible, secure sources of income, such as guaranteed annual bonuses and performance-related bonuses. Overall, African-American students comprise the ethnic group most likely to prefer tuition reimbursement in their compensation packages. The breakdown is as follows: guaranteed annual bonus, 37%; stock options, 37%; tuition reimbursement, 33%; signing bonus, 30%; retirement plan, 26%; performance-related bonus, 25%; profit sharing, 22%; extra vacation, 18%; paid maternity leave, 17%; company car, 16%; housing allowance, 13%; paid relocation, 10%; and on-site child care, 5%.

The Value of Internships

Diversity in the workplace is increasingly being recognized as a key ingredient to corporate success and longevity. With this recognition, competition is increasing among companies hoping to recruit top minority students across the country. Employers must choose their activities carefully if they wish to build strong images among today’s minority graduates. Asked which corporate activities have a positive influence upon their image of a company, the minority undergraduates surveyed most often select “summer internships.” Recruitment is about building a sense of mutual understanding and trust, and the importance of internships in this process can’t be underestimated. Summer internships provide students with the chance to gain valuable experience and try out a new employer all at once. It’s significant that internships seem to be particularly appealing to minority students. A full 58% of the respondents to the American Diversity Edition find that they have a positive influence on their perceptions of a company compared with 49% of the broader respondent population of the American Undergraduate Edition. A strong corporate presence on campus goes a long way toward building a company’s image among minority students. They view on-campus recruitment and presentations as important image-building activities. Companies should maximize communication between current employees and students during campus visits, as students find testimonials from employees to be valuable image-building information. Minority students were asked to rank activities, which positively influence their image of a company. Respondents recorded the following feedback in addition to their favorite activity, summer internships, cited above by again 58% of the minority respondents: on-campus recruitment, 44%; on-campus presentations, 24%; testimonials from employees, 24%; company sponsored events, 22%; presentations by the CEO, 20%; recruiting only the best students, 19%; co-op programs, 18%; company participation in “Career Day” activities, 17%; invitation-only dinners, 16%; and case study competitions, 10%.

Career Development: Role Models Make a Difference

Navigating the corporate hierarchy is a challenging experience for any new graduate. In view of a history of being underrepresented in corporate America, especially within management positions, minority employees often give extra consideration as to how they can best showcase their abilities and climb the corporate ladder. Companies working to attract minority graduates shouldn’t underestimate the importance of a strong mentoring program. Minority respondents are very likely to identify mentoring programs as a major factor in their career development, with in the context of the Universum survey, nearly half of them doing so compared with a quarter of respondents to the American Undergraduate Edition of the survey. Minority students also believe a culture of learning is likely to promote their career development. They view opportunities for ongoing education, continual challenges, and cross-training as important to their career development. When probed about their top career goals within three years of graduation, they responded as follows: mentoring program, 48%; opportunities for ongoing education, 33%; cross training, 32%; opportunity to work internationally, 27%; continual challenges, 23%; variety of tasks, 22%; opportunity to become a specialist, 22%; defined career path, 18%; job rotation, 18%; develop new products, 12%; and project-based work, 11%.

A number of university career services directors found the diversity survey to be of enormous value to their students. Comments from several of them are included.

Brenda D. Davis
Director, Career Services
Alabama A&M University

When I was first asked to encourage Alabama A&M students to participate in the Universum Survey, I was skeptical, as I have always been about surveys; but once reviewing it, I found that it was indeed beneficial to our students in making intelligent decisions about their future.  Students are afforded the opportunity of taking their time to think and re-think their responses to the various questions.  Secondly, the survey assists students in identifying career goals and job choices as well as contemplating what environment best suits them.  Then, based on their self-evaluation and career analysis, they can successfully make sound decisions regarding what employers to target. This survey can also serve as an excellent mechanism in teaching students decision-making skills as they plan for their future.

Tariq Shakoor
Director
Emory University Career Center

After reviewing the results of the recent Universum Diversity Survey, I was excited about having a useful tool that can help our office in working with minority students. The survey provides credible information on minority student's attitudes and preferences about such things as industry preferences and diversity issues. With this information, our staff will be better equipped to articulate student's concerns to recruiting personnel visiting campus. We can confidently discuss "what's important to students," and know we are on target. The survey is also useful for helping us to design programs and services to better meet the needs of minority students. I plan to make it mandatory reading for my staff. Great job Universum!

Carolyn Duvigneaud Thomas
Director, Career Services
Xavier University of Louisiana

Topics and issues addressed in the survey will certainly be welcomed and appreciated by students of color as they consider their career choices. However, this information should especially be of interest to organizations that may need to assess their diversity practices. Providing a work environment in which all diversity issues are important is a major factor in the retention of minority students in their first permanent position. I congratulate Universum and iMinorities on their partnership in this venture!

More About Universum

Universum Communications is one of the leading international research and management consulting companies in the world. It heavily focuses on the career expectations of students and young professionals. In addition to its Stockholm office, it has additional offices in New York and London. The company’s three main areas of activity are research, advisory services and media. Over the past decade alone, Universum has closely monitored international human resource trends relating to attracting, recruiting and retaining top talent, along with conducting student surveys at more than 300 leading universities throughout the world. The findings of its research department enable the Universum advisory services department to provide clients with specific information about the effectiveness of their employer image and competence- relations strategies. The company’s media department produces an annual publication, “Companies of the Future,” which profiles the top-ranking companies in Universum surveys, and is distributed as a supplement through key national newspapers and/or magazines. Some of Universum’s annual international surveys include, The Universum Graduate Study, which monitors the recruitment and employment preferences of students who’re close to completing a degree in business, engineering, science,  (in some countries) law, humanities, and information technology. The Universum Young Professional Survey examines the work-related attitudes of individuals across Europe and the United States, who possess an academic background, and a maximum of eight years of professional experience. Universum reports its online resource, TIGO, is a popular meeting place on the Web for students and employers offering offline services such as event production and on-campus activities. For additional information about Universum Communications, visit their Web site at www.universum.se.

Robert G. Miller is the vice president of iMinorities, Inc. and editor of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.