Benefits April 27, 2004

MBA Recruitment Up

April 27, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com)-MBA graduates are more likely to be hired this year, according to the 2004 Corporate Recruiters Survey released by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).
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The survey results reveal that more recruiters are hiring in 2004; only 12% of recruiters polled this year are unable to hire MBA grads, compared to 23% in 2003. Additionally, fewer recruiters (50% in 2004 vs. 69% in 2002) are blaming the economy for limiting their hiring, according to GMAC.

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The top three jobs this year remain unchanged from that of previous years:

  • Finance (62% of recruiters hiring)
  • Marketing (49% of recruiters hiring)
  • Accounting (30% of recruiters hiring)

Marketing, in which hiring increased 15% over last year, is the industry with the greatest increase since 2002, a total of 18%, compared to moderate growth seen in both accounting and finance.

Recruiters polled by GMAC said the three most important qualities in a new hire are

  • strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • a proven ability to perform
  • a cultural fit with the company

A total of 1,300 recruiters representing 1,004 companies worldwide participated in the survey.

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