Tractor Supply and Home Depot make ‘best employers for new graduates’ list

Tractor Supply Company and the Home Depot have been placed on the Forbes 2020 “America’s Best Employers for New Graduates” list.

The rankings were built through a independent survey conducted by Statista with more than 20,000, The survey includes Americans with less than 10 years of professional experience working for businesses. Respondents were and asked via an online access panel to rate their own employer by giving their likelihood of a recommendation. They were also asked to recommend other employers within their industry. The survey included questions on relevant topics such as safety of work environment, competitiveness of compensation, opportunities for advancement, effectiveness of diversity and inclusion efforts, and openness to telecommuting.

This is the first year Tractor Supply has been included on the list. 

“At Tractor Supply, our Mission and Values are deeply rooted in our culture, and how we treat our Team Members is key to everything we do,” said Melissa Kersey, Tractor Supply EVP and chief human resources officer. “We continually look for ways to live up to our mission and values while advancing our culture and providing new opportunities for our team members. 

Tractor Supply said that it offers a wide range of programs and development opportunities across all stages of its Team Members’ careers. Along with a summer internship program, Tractor Supply offers a biannual, 12-week merchandising development program (MDP) for new graduates. Both programs have served as a pipeline for full-time positions at the retailer.

This year the Company launched a Young Professionals resource group for the Store Support Center with plans to expand its reach over time. This Team Member Engagement Group is in addition to existing resource groups: African Americans on the R.I.S.E., Veterans Group and Women Out Here. The Company is currently in the process of expanding its Team Member Engagement Groups to include the LGBTQ+ and Hispanic communities.

Tractor Supply also launched a Diversity and Inclusion Council at the beginning of the year to promote programs focused on team members, welcoming environments, customers and communities. 

The full list includes 250 companies with Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s ranked first and second. Tractor Supply ranks at 113 on the list with Home Depot placed at 206. Altogether, 20 retailer made the list including Best Buy, Costco Wholesale, Ikea, and Amazon.

The complete list from Forbes can be viewed here.