Best Companies to Work for in the UK in 2018

Another big name to make GlassDoor’s list of the 10 best companies to work for is social media giant Facebook, which gained a score of 4.4. Working here is described as being “fast-paced and constantly changing with an ambition to always do better”. Another employee said Facebook was an “amazing employer with lots of challenges and opportunities to learn and grow”.

Facebook has London-based roles available for 2018 graduates, including positions in production design, UX research, product marketing management (for an MBA graduate) and software engineering. It also offers PhD internships in UX research, which are currently open to HCI, social computing, information science or related social science students who will graduate with a PhD in 2019.

Ranked fifth in the GlassDoor list of the best places to work in the UK, innovative cloud computing company Salesforce has been praised for its excellent company culture. Employees pointed out the company’s “values around trust, transparency, innovation and equality are really driven and I haven't met anyone who isn't committed to these values”. The environment is particularly positive for people starting directly after university, with one employee writing: “As a graduate, I feel like I am learning a lot. I have definitely grown in my short time with the company.”

Salesforce runs a 12-month Success Graduate Program in the UK, aimed at graduates from all disciplines, which offers continuous growth and development working as part of the pre-sales or post-sales team.  Previous work experience in a commercial or consulting environment would be ideal for this program, and you can read more tips on how to get hired as a Salesforce Success Graduate here.

Lookers, one of the UK’s leading car dealership chains, is based in Stretford, Manchester but has a variety of roles available across the UK in Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Worcester, Edinburgh, Leeds and Surrey. 90 percent of Lookers employees who posted reviews would recommend the company to a friend, with many benefits available, including a good amount of annual leave (which increases with the longer you stay in the company), share schemes, staff discounts, flexible working, illness cover and more.

Ranked as the seventh best place to work in the UK, Rentokil Initial is a leading provider of commercial pest control services, hygiene services, plants and scenting. With a head office in Surrey, Rentokil Initial offers graduate programs lasting up two three years which offer graduates the chance to prove themselves and take on an interesting and rewarding role as an operations or sales graduate, in which every day is different.

Rentokil Initial has a score of 4.3 on GlassDoor. One employee, who is taking part in a graduate management program in Glasgow, complimented his co-workers, describing them as an “amazing team, like a big family” and they also reflected positively on their varied workload and great training.

Hiscox is an international insurance company based in Bermuda (with offices in several UK cities) which specializes in niche areas of the market. It has a score of 4.3 on GlassDoor, and one employee said: “You are constantly surrounded by people who are willing to work hard and get the job done to the best of their ability but who also know how to have a good laugh and bring your spirits up when you need to.” Another employee said they were “given responsibility from the first day,” while other positives included, “excellent training, [an] exceptionally friendly and approachable working environment [and] good benefits”.

Hiscox’s 2018 Graduate Program aims to give graduates hands-on experience with on-the-job training from reputable professionals. These programs are two years long and consist of three secondments, two in your home location and one in an office abroad. If you’re from the UK, you will need at least 300 UCAS points and a 2:2 degree. You’ll also need to be numerate, share the company values and have excellent interpersonal skills.

Ranked ninth in this year’s list of the best places to work in the UK, Apple has a score of 4.0 and has a large number of positive reviews, including: “The atmosphere is amazing and working around like-minded people makes you want to better yourself and give a better experience to the customers”.

Apple offers London-based internships such as a product marketing internship aimed at current students or recent graduates, which starts in June/July 2018 and lasts a year. This represents a great opportunity to gain experience in the product marketing team and gain insight across a range of well-known Apple products.

Last but not least in this top 10 of best companies to work for is HomeServe, a home emergency repairs business with its head office in the West Midlands. Achieving an overall GlassDoor score of 4.3, one HomeServe employee called the company “one of a kind”. They continued: “[It has a] very special culture. A lot of businesses claim to have created a ‘family like’ feel. HomeServe truly has. I have a real sense of belonging, people at all levels genuinely care about the customers and each other”.

At the time of writing there are roles available in marketing, production management and customer service.

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