The Best (and Worst) US Companies to Work for as a Junior Employee

Does how long you work for a company affect how happy you are at that company?

It’s the big question that inspired this latest research from the employment experts at resume.io. They analyzed thousands of Glassdoor reviews of the top 54 US companies and then created charts comparing job satisfaction levels among junior and senior staff members.

Let’s take a look at the results.

The best and worst companies for junior staff

According to Glassdoor reviews, tech companies are creating the best environments for their junior staff. Big tech names like Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft top the list of best places to work for career newbies, with average Glassdoor reviews of 4.6 stars out of 5 from current or very recent junior staff.

Other top scores include familiar names like Dell Technologies, Meta, and Apple.

Tesla also made the top 10 list despite Elon Musk’s rather demanding management style. Musk banned all remote/homework opportunities at Tesla, telling staff who complained that they “could go and pretend to work somewhere else.” According to one rumor, he once threatened to fire a whole intake of interns for waiting too long in line for coffee.

The food and beverage service industry is notoriously tough, especially for new starters. So it’s no surprise to see several well-known food/drink service brands on the list of the worst places to work as a junior staff member. McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Burger King scored poorly, with average Glassdoor ratings of 3.5 stars.

How junior employee satisfaction compares to senior staff workplace satisfaction

Next up, the study compared junior and senior levels of job satisfaction.

They found a notable difference in companies like Tesla, Santander, and Oracle, where Glassdoor reviews show that the level of satisfaction among junior-level staff is markedly higher than that among senior staff.

There’s a different story coming out of McDonald’s and PepsiCo, where senior members of staff report higher levels of workplace satisfaction. But that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it suggests that new employees staying at these firms can expect a longer and happier career in a work environment that supports them in the right way.

The companies with the happiest junior employees

Google has the happiest junior staff members. Analysis of its Glassdoor reviews from new staff members shows an average junior employee rating of 4.53 stars.

“We move at the speed of light,” reads one review posted by a junior UX designer at Google. “But the work is exciting, meaningful, and never dull. Plus, we get tons of support and a never-ending supply of coffee and donuts.”

Google’s values and culture also align with what many young people want to see in the workplace—more diversity and inclusion. A survey by the World Economic Forum found that over half of Gen Z workers would refuse to work for a company without a diverse leadership team.

Tech companies where junior staff are happier than senior staff

Tesla is a great company to work for as a junior member of staff. But stay too long, and you might start to feel a little jaded. That’s because Glassdoor reviews of the firm score far higher when posted by newer staff members. Overall, they are around 0.77 stars higher than reviews by senior staff at the electric car manufacturer.

There’s also a similar sentiment at Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, where junior staff report much higher levels of workplace/job satisfaction via Glassdoor reviews.

Long-term job satisfaction for junior employees in the USA

The last part of the study created a timeline of job satisfaction for junior employees, demonstrating how it changes over a five-year period.

And it seems like new job enthusiasm is a very real phenomenon. An analysis of over 20,000 Glassdoor reviews posted between 2020 and 2024 reveals a steady decline in job satisfaction among new starters, falling from an average of 4.15 to 3.92 stars.

Ashley Murphy of Resume.io graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Manchester. He began working as a freelance content writer in 2015. He specializes in technology, higher education, current affairs, the arts, and entrepreneurship.