Job prospects are looking up for MBA Graduates in 2011
May 2011 – According to the largest global MBA survey, conducted in 2011 by The MBA Tour, graduates and near graduates from major programs showed an overall improvement in job prospects and an increase in satisfaction with their school’s efforts over the last few years.
“The survey results reflect our growing anticipation of increased attendance for over 40 MBA Tour events this year. The most dramatic feedback was from US students who stated a 25 percent improvement in their job prospects from 2009 to 2011,” said Peter von Loesecke, CEO and Managing Director, The MBA Tour.
In 2009, more than one quarter of the MBA graduates enrolled in US programs said job prospects had worsened for them when compared to the previous graduating class of 2008. In 2010 that number dropped to 8.3 percent and for those graduating in 2011 it dropped to zero percent.
According to students, a large part of this improvement in outlook can be attributed to the growing efforts of career services in MBA programs. Between 2009 and 2011, the number of graduates who were not satisfied with their school’s efforts to find them employment dropped by 21 percent.
Concurrently, the proportion of those graduates very satisfied with their program’s efforts to find them employment nearly doubled from 14 percent to 26 percent, which is no surprise
The Anderson School of Management at UCLA specifically has seen a powerful renewed effort in corporate outreach.
“Over the past several months, career center professionals visited 55 companies that did not have a previous relationship with Anderson,” states Rob Weiler, Assistant Dean, Parker Career Management Center at UCLA Anderson School of Management. “As a result there were many more visits and meetings with companies with the goal of strengthening the recruiting relationship.”
UCLA has also taken it a step further by instituting a career course as part of the core curriculum where students and the career center are partnered to provide enhanced career preparation, resulting in extremely positive feedback from recruiters.
The MBA program at Cornell University has also seen an increase in recruiters on campus due to their re-launched Coaches alumni program which renewed emphasis on corporate outreach, increased attendance to various MBA diversity career fairs, and expanded career treks to get students closer to corporate locations for interviews.
“During the economic downturn, we experienced a decline in companies coming on campus to recruit. As a result, we shifted our focus to helping students identify and network into off-campus opportunities that do not occur through on-campus interviews or job postings,” said Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham, Senior Associate Director, Career Management Center, The Johnson School at Cornell University.
UCLA and Cornell are not the only business schools who have seen an optimistic trend over the last year. The Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary has demonstrated that their efforts are paying off!
“In response to a changed hiring marketplace, we have established two separate but collaborative departments. One department, MBA CareerPREP, focuses on students’ preparation to find the right career, while our Corporate Relations department concentrates on outreach to employers and alumni to identify opportunities. Employment for the Class of 2011 is already up 38% ahead of this time last year and we see this positive trend continuing,” says Laura Kottkamp, Director of Corporate Relations at the Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary.
Although the continuing effort from schools to help MBA students find a job is a benefit, the primary responsibility falls on the student. In support of this point, the survey said students who were given another chance would do the following:
Network early in their desired industry or profession
Improve their focus on a desired career objective
Attend more job fairs, seminars and events that are focused on their career objective
About The MBA Tour
The MBA Tour travels internationally with top universities and business schools from around the world. It offers MBA candidates the chance to take part in panel presentations and round table discussions, hone their networking skills and meet admissions staff. www.thembatour.com
For more information on The MBA Tour, the conducted survey, or a specific interview request please contact:
Media Contacts:
Rima Maamari
On Q Communications
rima@onqcommunications.ca
W: 416-572-4444 x 224
C: 416-566-0797
