Employers regard having an internship with their organization or within their industry to be the most influential factors when choosing between two otherwise equally qualified job candidates, according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2026 report. Those attributes were the only two that employers consider to have “very much influence.” (See Figure 1.)
Although major is still important, having a GPA of 3.0 or higher is down on the list of preferred attributes, falling below gaining general work experience, holding a leadership position, and being involved in extracurricular activities, all of which help candidates develop skills crucial for successful entry into the workforce.
NACE collected data for its Job Outlook 2026 survey from August 7, 2025, through September 22, 2025. Of the 183 total respondents, 170 were NACE employer members, representing 22.7% of eligible member respondents. The Job Outlook 2026 survey was also distributed to nonmember companies; this group provided an additional 13 responses. Job Outlook 2026 is available on NACEWeb.
February 09, 2026