General Mills advanced to No. 12 on BusinessWeek’s annual “Best Places to Launch a Career” list, up from last year’s ranking of No. 24.

The company was noted for its high level of female hires, in particular. In 2008, 62 percent of its entry-level professional hires were female, “besting even cosmetics giant L’Oréal (55 percent) in this category,” according to BusinessWeek in a recap of its fourth annual survey. Thirty-eight percent of the company’s hires were minorities.

The BusinessWeek ranking represents the latest accolade that reinforces the company’s leadership reputation. Other recent external recognitions have included:

• Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies.
• Working Mother’s “Best Companies for Multicultural Women.”
• Computerworld’s No. 1 ranking of General Mills in its “Best Places to Work in IT” survey.

The BusinessWeek survey used three sources of data – surveys of career-services directors, employers and students – to put together its Top 50 listing.

As a group, those on the list “offered some of the top pay and benefits in their industries, the best training programs, and the most significant opportunities for rapid advancement.”

The most important characteristics for new hires at General Mills?

• Leadership skills.
• Analytical skills.
• Cultural fit.