The Best Companies For Internships

GOOGLE – NO SURPRISE – REMAINS THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS INTERNSHIP

From Harvard to UCLA, everyone wants to intern at Google. As Vault’s inaugural “Prestige” ranking shows, it’s not even close between Google and everyone else. Here, Google scored a 9.486 among interns, over .3 higher than #2 Apple – and .55 better than #3 Goldman Sachs. What’s behind interns’ awe towards Google? One intern described his Google co-workers as the “smartest people I’ve ever met.” Others who aspire to set foot in the Mountain View Googleplex, label the firm as “cool,” “innovative,” and “creative.” What’s more, gushes one survey respondent, “employees are treated with outstanding care and paid well” in a culture that is described as both “team-oriented” and “highly entrepreneurial.” Not to mention, muses one current employee, “The company name works wonders on future resumes.”

Despite falling into a lull since Steve Jobs’ passing, Apple still tops seemingly more hip firms like Facebook and Tesla Motors. In the survey, interns described Apple as an “elite employer” with a “great culture.” Plus, as one respondent cracks, “they give their interns free Apple products.”

After Google, Apple, and Goldman Sachs, interns confer the highest prestige to Facebook, JP Morgan, Microsoft, Tesla Motors, Morgan Stanley, Walt Disney, and Twitter. Consulting mainstays like McKinsey, the Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company ranked 11th, 14th and 18th respectively. Surprisingly, neither Berkshire Hathaway nor Amazon made the top 10, coming in at 13th and 16th. More strikingly, only six of the 25 firms ranked among the 25 prestigious internships participated in Vault’s intern survey. As a result, some firms may be ranked artificially high in the overall rankings. In contrast, it could also mean that some so-called ‘prestige’ firms may lack the comprehensive training and support needed to maximize the value of their intern pool.