The Corporate Recruiters Survey reveals that of the 1,202 employers surveyed across 45 countries, nine out of 10 recruiters agree that B-School graduates are well-equipped to be successful in their companies. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), partnering with MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance (MBA CSEA), European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), and HIGHER ED , conducted a survey titled, “Employability and Business School Graduate.”
About two out of three recruiters (65 per cent) agreed, and one out of four (21 per cent) strongly agreed when asked about their level of agreement with the statement ‘Business school graduates are well prepared to be successful in my company.’ Just one in 10 disagreed (12 per cent) and about two per cent strongly disagreed.
Employers in the US have more favourable perspectives than those in Europe or the Asia Pacific, the survey pointed out. Generally, the larger company types (Fortune Global 100; Fortune Global 500; for-profit, public) have a more positive outlook on business school graduates’ level of preparedness to be successful at their companies. For example, 39 per cent of Fortune Global 100 employers strongly agree graduates are prepared for success, compared with 18 per cent of for-profit, private companies.
Compared with other company types, start-ups tend to rate several soft skills as relatively more important to their current job openings, including coachability and reflection. Companies in the Fortune Global 100 and 500, on the other hand, tend to rate several hard skills as relatively more important, including data analysis and interpretation, oral communication and presentation.
From the list of 10 skills listed in the survey, problem solving (57 per cent) and working with others (50 per cent) were the most important skills as per recruiters. However, Asia Pacific companies preferred data analysis and interpretation skills. Smaller companies give more importance to written communication, managing the self, coachability and reflection, and listening.
Recruiters say that most B-schools prepare graduates well, specifically for quantitative tasks and oral communication and presentation.
When asked to rank — growth potential, fit with current job opening, fit with company culture, prior direct experience — 37 per cent of respondents ranked fit with company culture as the most important hiring factor. Around 31 per cent identify fit with job opening as the second most important.
Small companies gave more weightage to fit with the job opening and prior experience, big companies gave relatively more importance to fit with the company culture and growth potential. Compared with Asia Pacific and US employers, European companies tend to put more importance on growth potential and less on prior direct experience.
The recruiters say they are confident in the abilities of recent graduates, particularly in the finance, technology and healthcare sectors.