Recently EssaySnark wandered down a rabbit hole of GMAC Researcher data about what employers find valuable in MBA grads. The report was divided by region, by company type, and by skills.
We could easily devote a week’s worth of blahg posts to the data in this report but will resist the urge, and instead today focus on the the most salient takeaway that seems to us to be the most relevant to our audience.
First though, let’s start with a statement of that audience.
Most BSers who end up in Snarkville are those who want to:
a. Attend business school in the U.S.
b. Make a pretty big career change away from what they’re doing now
c. Either go into consulting, or go to a startup or a tech company
That sounds right to you, doesn’t it? You’re in two or all three of those buckets?
Well, the interesting point from this GMAC Researcher survey was that it showed that hiring managers at the largest companies have very different attitudes and opinions about MBAs than those at private companies and startups.
Here’s the Fortune 500 ranking which at the top, has companies like WalMart, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and Apple. You know, the big boys of corporate America, and really of the world.
Here’s what the GMAC folks determined that hiring managers of such companies care about — compared to what the hiring managers of startups focus on:
Now check out this graphic, where those hiring managers indicate how they feel about MBAs and fit to their environment:
That bottom bar gives a dramatically different picture of attitudes about MBAs compared to the top.
Does that give you pause?
What does that make you think about the reasons for such a discrepancy?
What values or traits do the startup managers not see coming from their business school hires?
What bias or skew might this be reflecting?
What does it tell you about you?
Do you think you might have a greater chance of being a strong performer in one environment, versus the other?
Why or why not?
We’d be curious if you had anything to share on this topic.
What’s driving these differences? What do you think the schools are doing, or not doing, that results in hiring managers feeling so differently?
What’s unique about the startup culture that is revealed by such data?
Have you done some thinking on what situations you do best in? Do you know where you’ll do your best work?
Do share, Brave Supplicant! Comments are open if you have any insights to ponder publicly with us here.
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Tell us what you think.