You thought college admissions were tough – until you tried to land a job after the dotcom bust. For the classes of 2001 to 2004, getting into a corporate campus was harder than graduating summa cum laude from MIT. But things are looking up. Companies are once again hiring more people than they're firing, so now's the time to poke your head out of your cubicle (or your parents' basement). Here's what seven ivy-league employers have to offer.
MICROSOFT Redmond, Washington Size: 355 acres Employees on campus: 28,000 Signature benefit: Paid time off for volunteering Perks: Foosball, Ping-Pong, Xbox consoles stashed in alcoves, 2,800 original works of art, free beverages, whale-watching excursions, 25 cafeterias, Starbucks stands, private lake, baseball diamond, soccer field, volleyball courts, campus shuttle, office movie day Sample lunch menu: Roast chicken with olive tapenade marinade, corn and green chile bisque, smoked ham and mozzarella stromboli Campus news: Company theater troupe (past productions include Return to the Forbidden Planet and The Comedy of Errors)
ELECTRONIC ARTS Redwood City, California Size: 30 acres Employees on campus: 1,700 Signature benefit: Paid week off at Christmas for all employees Perks: Onsite chiropractor, coupons for free games, sand volleyball court, garden labyrinth, videogame library Sample lunch menu: Grilled habanero pork chops with apple chutney, cole slaw, and herb-roasted Yukon potatoes Campus news: Extra dough for workers who burned the midnight oil, should company lose the pending employee class action concerning overtime pay
NIKE Beaverton, Oregon Size: 175 acres Employees on campus: 5,000 Signature benefit: Scholarships for children of employees Perks: Tennis lessons Sample lunch menu: Picabo Street PB&J sandwich Campus news: Deep discounts on Nike gear
MERCK Rahway, New Jersey Size: 210 acres Employees on campus: 4,300 Signature benefit: Cable TV in the cafeteria Perks: Onsite auto repair, day care, laundry service, and dry-cleaning facilities, full-service company bakery, professional massage Sample lunch menu: Vegetable tortellini, red hot and blue turkey burger, four-bean chili Campus news: Free Merck drugs included in health plan
PIXAR Emeryville, California Size: 21 acres Employees on campus: 700 Signature benefit: Pixar University, a series of in-house classes featuring guest speakers like director David Russell, animator Ray Harryhausen, and magicians Penn and Teller. Perks: Free film screenings, Friday happy hour, soccer team, running trail Sample lunch menu: Fried prawns with tartar sauce and cole slaw, prime rib with mashed potatoes Campus news: The Love Lounge, a card room accessed through a utility access panel, and Club 441, another lounge, which employees enter by pushing a Shakespeare bust just like the one in the old Batman TV series. It opens a door disguised as a bookcase.
GOOGLE Mountain View, California Size: 22 acres Employees on campus: 850 Signature benefit: Engineers get salaried time to work on pet projects. Perks: Free meals, onsite massage, communal bikes, shoreline running trails, grand piano Sample lunch menu: Grilled petite New York sirloin seasoned with Creole spices and Crescent City steak sauce and served with organic onion rings Campus news: Restrooms are outfitted with robotic toilets with seat warmers and built-in bidets.
AMGEN Thousand Oaks, California Size: 130 acres Employees on campus: 7,000 Signature benefit: $10K a year tuition reimbursement Perks: Free snacks, discounts at local amusement parks, two-story fitness facility with hot tub and indoor rock-climbing wall, farmer's market Sample lunch menu: Halibut with pico de gallo sauce and Southwestern slaw, pasta shells with chicken, mushrooms, and escarole Campus news: Summer "fermentation seminars" (aka free beer on Fridays)
– David Goldenberg and Terry Tang
MICROSOFT
ELECTRONIC ARTS
NIKE
MERCK
PIXAR
GOOGLE Timothy Archibald
AMGEN
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