Characteristics & Skills in an MBA

What Corporate Recruiters Look for in MBA Hires

Recruiters have indicated what characteristics of potential new MBA hires are most important in their hiring decisions. The top 10 are as follows:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to perform.
• Cultural fit within the company.
• Evidence of adaptability.
• Quantitative knowledge/ technical skills acquired in the MBA program.
• Prior work experience related to the industry, job, or company.
• Management knowledge/ skills acquired through MBA program.
• History of increased job responsibility.
• MBA functional area/ concentration of study.
• History of leading teams.

The top three characteristics recruiters look for in a job candidate, strong communication and interpersonal skills, proven ability to perform, and cultural fit with the company, are so important that if these qualities are lacking in a candidate, the candidate's skills and education will not make up for the deficiency. In other words, the absence of these valued qualifications can prevent an MBA grad from being hired.

Why Employers Like MBA's and What They'd Like to See Improved!

Why do recruiters like MBA's in general, and how do MBA's measure up to expectations the most? What skills could MBA's stand to improve? Here are the top six items on the recruiter's lists:

• Ability to think analytically.
• Ability to think strategically.
• Leadership skills.
• Quantitative skills.
• Oral communication skills.
• Ability to make decisions with imperfect information.

Clearly, employers find that MBA's have well-developed quantitative and analytical skills, but they would like to see even stronger leadership and communication skills.

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