What Are The Most Popular Companies To Work At?

As technology becomes more pervasive and television shows like HBO’s Silicon Valley highlight the perks (and frustrations) of working in technology, more and more people are finding themselves drawn to a job at the companies whose products and services they use every day.

Professional social networking site LinkedIn analyzed billions of interactions between companies on LinkedIn and 109 million Canadian and American members to see which companies those users most wanted to work for. 

Of the 10 most popular companies, six were in the technology field, with Google, Apple and Amazon topping the list. 

See Also: The Best Jobs Of 2014: Lots Of Math, Data And Code

Though it’s not really surprising that people would be so drawn to technology, especially considering the numerous work perks companies like Google offer employees—catered lunches, a set amount of time to devote to personal projects, and some of the highest salaries around. 

While technology companies are among the most coveted ones to work for, job skills like programming, data science, and mathematics are what employers are looking for in new hires. As software eats the world, jobs in technology that facilitate that trend are going to continue to be the most sought-after positions from technologists and non technologists alike. 

Want To Land Your Dream Job? Use Social Media

According to research firm Gallup, 70 percent of employees are unenthusiastic about their current work situation. But if everyone is vying for the same job, how can you make yourself stand out from the crowd? 

LinkedIn talked to some of the most popular employers to see what advice they would give to someone looking to score a job at their company. 

Authenticity and knowledge about the company and position were two main qualities of potential new hires, along with teamwork and the ability to adapt to certain situations. Of course, this is true with any company, not just those that focus on technology. 

But one key piece of advice was to use social media to connect with companies and get to know the people you hope to be working with in the future.

“We encourage prospects to do their homework by understanding our business, people and culture.” VMware director of executive staffing Anu Datta told LinkedIn. VMware is the 19th most popular company North Americans want to work for.

Social media has opened doors for more opportunities by giving workers the ability to connect with employers even before they apply for a job. It’s now one of the most popular methods of standing out and connecting to employers. 

Here are the top 20 companies North Americans most want to work for: 

1. Google
2. Apple
3. Amazon
4. Facebook
5. salesforce.com
6. The Walt Disney Company
7. Nike
8. Microsoft
9. McKinsey & Company
10. PepsiCo
11. Twitter
12. Accenture
13. The Coca-Cola Company
14. The Boston Consulting Group
15. NBCUniversal
16. ESPN
17. Johnson & Johnson
18. Blackrock
19. VMware
20. BP

Lead image courtesy of USAG Humphreys