Recent College Graduates Find Success at Abbott - Chicago area company named by The Princeton Review as one of the best 'Entry-Level Jobs' - ABBOTT PARK, Ill., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- This May, graduates are seeking more challenging opportunities for their first job out of college as the economy continues to improve. One local company, Abbott, has earned recognition from The Princeton Review for the second consecutive year for offering the "Best Entry-Level Jobs." "According to recent entry-level employees at Abbott, they can enjoy three weeks of vacation during their first year of work, are able to utilize the 100 percent tuition assistance program and enjoy participation in several sports teams," said Ron Lieber and Tom Meltzer, co-authors of Best Entry-Level Jobs. "We wanted to find places where people were happy, engaged with their work, nicely compensated, well positioned for advancement, getting great preparation for graduate school, doing really interesting work or any combination of these things." Many entry-level employees come to Abbott through its Professional Development Programs, which are primarily six-month rotational assignments lasting from two to three years in areas of information technology, finance/accounting, engineering and management. "At Abbott, we believe the combination of the right talent and performance leads to success. Many of our employees enter their first jobs through Abbott's rotational Professional Development Programs, which allows them to get industry experience in a number of areas before deciding which area best suits their interests and talents," said Tom Wascoe, senior vice president, Human Resources, Abbott. "As a member of the Professional Development Program, the job was constantly changing and I always found myself being challenged and pulled to grow in arenas that made me well-rounded and skilled in several job sets around the company," said Jonathan Burgart, now an associate research pharmacist at Abbott, who completed Abbott's Engineering Professional Development Program. About Abbott's internship program Previous on-the-job experience is becoming more relevant in today's job market, not just a degree itself. Abbott also offers an internship program for those who are still in college in the areas of science, information technology, finance/accounting, engineering, and sales and marketing. Over 250 students from across the country participated in the program in 2004 and more than 40 percent of the interns who were eligible for hire were hired on as full-time Abbott employees. Students come from all across the United States and those who live more than 40 miles away are provided housing in nearby Deerfield and Waukegan, which offers a maid service, laundry valet, swimming pool, workout facility and grocery shopping service, among much more. In addition, weekly barbecues are held on Wednesday nights for all interns and their managers are invited to attend. The Princeton Review consistently lists Abbott's Summer Internship Program among America's Top 100 Internships. Abbott has been named to this prestigious list every year since 1994. Looking for a job? Students interested in working at Abbott can visit the career center at http://www.abbott.com/ . Recruiters go through files every day and fill over 90 percent of available jobs through Internet postings. About The Princeton Review The New York-based education services company recommends Abbott as one of 74 great places to work in its recently-published book, Best Entry-Level Jobs. The book profiles give readers detailed information about each company, stats and facts about entry-level job opportunities, salaries, hiring policies, advancement potential, and contact information. About Abbott Abbott has received several other awards for its employee programs, including recognition as one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine in 2004. In addition, FORTUNE magazine has named Abbott as one of the best companies in the country for its diversity practices and initiatives, including seven straight years in the publication's "50 Best Companies For Minorities" rankings. FORTUNE also has named Abbott as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" every year since the list's inception in 1983. Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 60,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com/ . DATASOURCE: Abbott CONTACT: Julie Ferguson of Abbott, +1-847-936-6116 Web site: http://www.abbott.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/110328.html

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