MBA grads greeted with vastly improved job market

28 August 2013

4 minute read

MBA grads greeted with vastly improved job market

Now appears to be great time to be a business school grad, particularly if you want to get into consulting or investment banking. The only down side: the dry cleaning bill. Top candidates are being put through marathon interview sessions.

A new study from Training The Street (TTS) found that 48% of MBA graduates reported feeling "very optimistic" about their job prospects after school while 41% said they were "somewhat optimistic.” Just 6% said they were “somewhat” or “very pessimistic” about their chances.

The rosy outlook appears valid. Nearly half of respondents said they were “very satisfied” with their job offers, compared to just 8% who reported being dissatisfied.

The most active employers of MBA grads are large bulge bracket banks and top consulting firms, according to the survey. As one would expect, investment banks that are hiring are targeting junior folks, likely due to their inexpensive price tag.

Perhaps the most eye-opening part of the research was the sheer number of interviews MBAers are being put through. Nearly 20% of respondents participated in more than ten first-round interviews. Another 40% went on between four and seven.

Training the Street’s CEO Scott Rostan told the Wall Street Journal that, while the job market is improving, graduates still fear that nothing will pan out. Most of the time, they’re wrong. Roughly half of those surveyed received multiple job offers.

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