May 4 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., with its lava lamps, ski trips and gourmet cafeterias, isn't just paradise for Silicon Valley engineers. It's the new dream company for business-school students.

The Internet company was the most desirable place to work in a survey of MBAs this year, according to Universum Inc., a research company in Philadelphia. McKinsey & Co., which held the survey's top position for 12 years, came in second.

Google dominates the market for Internet-search advertising and is one of the fastest-growing technology companies. Based in Mountain View, California, the company almost doubled its number of employees last year. Google workers are showered with perks, such as free meals, shuttles to work and on-site massages.

``It's literally the dream company for any MBA,'' Universum Chief Executive Officer Claudia Tattanelli said in an interview. ``It's a great reference to say, `I worked at Google.'''

Google ranked second in the survey last year and 129th in 2005. Its closest Internet competitor, Yahoo! Inc., ranked 22nd. Apple Computer Inc. was sixth, and Microsoft Corp. was seventh.

Business-school students joining Google will be in good company. Its sales chief Omid Kordestani went to Stanford Business School. And Sheryl Sandberg, who oversees online sales, is a graduate of Harvard Business School.

Google added almost 5,000 employees last year, for a total of 10,674. An additional 1,564 workers joined the company in the first quarter. Employment openings suitable for MBAs include an associate position for its strategy group and a job as head of business development for the mobile business, according to Google's Web site.

Men Prefer McKinsey

McKinsey, the consulting firm founded in 1926, was still the most desirable employer among male MBA students, as well as the most popular management-consulting company to work for, the study found. Boston Consulting Group Inc. was second, and Bain & Co. ranked third.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. was the most popular employer for those who sought a career in investment banking, followed by Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Procter & Gamble Co., the maker of Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste, was the most desirable consumer-goods company for which to work. Johnson & Johnson was the most popular health- care company, the survey found.

Universum polled 5,451 students for the survey, which the firm bills as the largest of its kind.

Google provides an alternative for MBAs that would have otherwise gone into management consulting or investment banking, Tattanelli said. The company's surging sales and profit also make it a much safer bet than the dot-coms of the late 1990s.

``There's not one thing that it doesn't have,'' Tattanelli said. ``The interesting thing is, how long will it last?''

Company                      Rank 2007     Rank 2006
Google Inc.                     1              2
McKinsey & Co.                  2              1
Goldman Sachs Group Inc.        3              3
Bain & Co.                      4              4
Boston Consulting Group Inc.    5              5
Apple Inc.                      6              7
Microsoft Corp.                 7              16
General Electric Co.            8              8
Nike Inc.                       9              12
Bank of America Corp.           10             18

Source: Universum Ideal Employer Survey MBA Edition 2007

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Thaw in San Francisco at jthaw@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 4, 2007 00:04 EDT