One in four young professionals wants to work at Google Inc., according to a survey by Universum, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their attractiveness to prospective employees.

Nearly 25% of survey respondents picked Google, almost twice as many as chose AppleInc., which ranked second. Walt DisneyCo., the U.S. State Department andAmazon.com Inc. rounded out the top five.

To conduct the survey, Universum asked 10,306 young professionals—defined as college graduates with one to eight years of work experience—to pick as many as five ideal employers out of a list of 150. (See the complete ranked list of companies here.)

Respondents also could write in companies not on the list. The top write-in was Facebook Inc., followed by the Department of Homeland Security and the United Nations.

Young professionals generally want to work at companies that the professionals like as consumers, said Kasia Do, a project manager for Universum. Such people also appear to be drawn to companies that seem financially strong and can offer job stability, Ms. Do said.

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