Google is the number-one place college students want to work for the fifth year running -here's what it's doing right

Google is twenty years old, but its brand still resonates with college students.

For years, the company has maintained its colorful, quirky branding that's withstood the test of time and continued to attract prospective employees.

"It's a challenge for other companies to compete with that," said Celli. "Some of the older-world companies are not clearly defining their brands, and what we're seeing is that a clear brand presence is really important when you want to interest people in working for you."

Today's graduates are looking for careers that are both personally and professionally enriching, said Celli.

Google's mission appeals to millennials, who tend to be more idealistic when it comes to picking out their career path, said Celli.

"What they're focused on as a company really resonates with students," said Celli.

This has proved especially true when it comes to deeply competitive industries like autonomous vehicles. With Uber, Tesla, and Google spinout Waymo all attempting to attract the same pool of talent, Piazza's data shows that Waymo is still the top choice for engineering students with that specialty.