Taking a punt on MBA talent
Aug, 2009
As a follow-up to last month’s article by Ed Cook (What does Australia know about the MBA?), MBS Careers Consultant, Leo Grogan believes graduate job-seekers have the ability to confront potential MBA ambivalence in the job market, even in today’s testing hiring conditions
For many of this year’s graduates, the winter job search campaign has been a particularly cold one. Everyone is feeling a little battle weary, with sword edges dulled and body armour dented.
In speaking with students, alumni and recruiters, it’s clear that this year’s job market indicators should have come with a severe weather warning. The big picture outlook for a number of MBA hiring sectors has been bleak. Headcount freezes have limited the range of attractive roles.
These factors have lead to a noticeable decline in MBA graduate offerings, let alone actual job offers. For recent MBS graduates, notions of “the war for talent” became a fantasy, with recruiters opting to target functional experience alone, at the expense of candidate potential or mobility.
With a freshly minted MBS degree conferred last May, some graduates have wondered just how long it would be before they started earning again. For every unsuccessful application, hopes for a dream role or a career transition have diminished, as have expectations for starting salaries.
A bunker mentality began to spread with students asking themselves, “Is my MBA degree worth it?”
Despite the best efforts of our alumni, prising open doors for graduates during this period of organisational lock-down was difficult. I believe it’s out of this environment the perception has grown that local employers underrate the value of the MBA qualification.
“Why don’t Australian employers hire more MBAs?” has been a constant query – and complaint – put to us in the Career Centre. Particularly when compared with overseas employers.
The Career Centre’s response has been to bring a measure of tough love to graduates this year. Meaning, there is no room in the current marketplace for a “where’s my job” mindset.
Never mind how high the requirement for “experience” over “potential” might be in the minds of recruiters. Never mind how low MBA program awareness might be across the Australian job market. Instead, we have encouraged graduates to adopt a flexible “can-do” and “will-do” attitude during this stagnant recruitment period.
The MBS Alumni community already plays a big part in promoting the value of an MBA here and overseas and we certainly don’t expect them to act alone on this. It is incumbent upon our students – and recent graduates – to stand up and demonstrate how their MBA will make a powerful difference to the organisations and roles they have targeted.
Each year, our graduates hit the market as talented seedlings ready for hire. I believe they are capable of creating growth for an array of enterprises with their unique blend of professional experience, energy and business acumen.
An MBS qualification is still a valuable career asset in good times, as well as in more trying times like these. We can only hope that the spirit of taking a punt on an extremely talented – if untried – MBA student returns during next year’s recruitment cycle.
I’m sure the gains will be substantial for both employers and our graduate job-seekers.
To discuss Leo’s article, you can email him at: l.grogan@mbs.edu
