Students Drawn to Firms With Jobs, Fatter Paychecks
May 10, 2005; Page B6
When they envision their dream jobs, most M.B.A. students don't get all starry-eyed and idealistic.
Instead, they take a very pragmatic view and set their sights on the companies that happen to be paying the most and hiring the most. That attitude is apparent in the results of a new survey that asked M.B.A.s to name their "ideal" employers. In the annual study, students awarded higher popularity scores this year to nearly all of the management-consulting and financial-services companies, many of which have flocked back to campus with more jobs and fatter paychecks.
While they have traditionally been magnets for M.B.A.s, banks and consultants became scarce on campus during the bleak job market of the past few years, and some dropped in the ranking produced by Universum Communications, a research and consulting firm that surveyed more than 4,700 M.B.A.s at 50 U.S. schools.
ON TRACK
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? Ideal Jobs: In a recent survey, American M.B.A. students picked these companies most often when asked to name their "ideal" employers.
? A Good Career Move Means a Job in Asia
This year, companies such as Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Booz Allen Hamilton, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley gained in popularity, knocking some corporate icons -- BMW, Coca-Cola and International Business Machines -- out of the top 10. Because the survey was conducted from December through March, Morgan Stanley's jump to ninth place doesn't reflect any potential effects from the battle this spring to oust Chief Executive Philip Purcell. But other companies that have faced controversies in the past year proved less appealing to M.B.A.s. Walt Disney slipped to 23rd place from 16th last year, Merck dropped to 89th from 55th, and American International Group fell 18 spots to No. 100.
Some M.B.A.s are drawn to multinationals such as Johnson & Johnson, General Electric and Procter & Gamble, the highest-ranked companies outside consulting and financial services. Image also matters to some students, who aspire to work for companies with a reputation for style and innovation. Apple Computer, for example, rose to 15th place from 31st last year, leaping ahead of Microsoft and Dell. Although BMW fell seven spots to No. 13, the German auto maker still outranks other car companies.
Some consulting firms and technology companies damaged their relationships with M.B.A. students back in 2001 and 2002, when business soured and they rescinded job offers. Companies that didn't renege believe they are benefiting now. "There was no bait-and-switch in our hiring, and I'd like to think that is strengthening our reputation on campus," says Kermit King, head of North American recruiting at Boston Consulting Group, which advanced to fifth place in the ranking. "We're also doing a better job of having one-on-one interactions with students, which means getting more BCG people to campus."
Some companies have succeeded in maintaining their popularity, most notably McKinsey. The consulting firm, well known as a training ground for chief executives, has ranked No. 1 for 10 straight years. The firm declined to comment on the ranking but expects to hire some 600 M.B.A.s this year, 2% to 3% more than in 2004. A spokesman notes, however, that M.B.A.s represent a shrinking share of new hires as McKinsey increasingly recruits for specialized talent at medical and law schools.
Citigroup credits its repeat No. 2 ranking to its global job opportunities, diverse product lines and steady recruiting. "We maintained a stable presence on campus and hired M.B.A.s even when times weren't as good," says Debbie Bertan , Citigroup's director of college relations.
Women and men expressed somewhat different employer preferences. Female M.B.A.s include more consumer-product marketers and retailers such as L'Oréal and Gap at the top of their wish lists. Male M.B.A.s are focused on consulting and financial services, but they find some technology companies alluring.
Ryan Popple, a survey respondent and first-year student at Harvard Business School, diverged from most of his fellow M.B.A.s, naming ExxonMobil (No. 50) and BP (No. 65) as most ideal. Why energy companies? "I tried to find an industry that combined my interests in international business, government and environmental issues," says Mr. Popple, who plans to spend his summer as an intern in the treasurer's department at ExxonMobil.
Universum also asked M.B.A.s which factors most influence their decision to accept or reject a job offer. Compensation package was the top pick, followed closely by "challenging role." Next in importance: corporate culture, a clear path for advancement, and work-life balance. "To me, work-life balance is not all that important so long as compensation is high to make up for it," says Sean Hazlett, another first-year Harvard M.B.A., who participated in the survey and aspires to be a vice president at a prominent investment bank. "I spent the last five years in the Army and my family is fully aware of how it can cope with a terrible work-life balance and low paycheck to match. My children will thank me when I pay for their college education."
For their first post-M.B.A. job, the survey found that men on average expect a salary of $89,933 and signing bonus of $18,028, while women look to earn $81,962, with a $15,415 signing bonus. By five years after graduation, salary goals soar, with men hoping for $184,352, and women, $155,909. Although still lower than men's, women's salary expectations after five years increased the most, up 10% from last year. "Work-life balance is still more important for women than men," says Claudia Tattanelli, chief executive of Universum. "But women are raising the bar and demanding more in compensation, too."
MBA动向：MBA学生瞄准高薪招聘公司
大多数MBA学生在谈到梦想的工作时并不会两眼放光，也不会过于理想化。
事实上他们的想法很实际，就是瞄准那些出价高、招募人数多的公司。在最近一项有关“MBA学生心目中理想雇主”的年度调查中，我们就可以很清楚地看到这一点。今年，学生们几乎对所有的管理咨询和金融服务公司都给出了很高的评分，许多这类公司已带著更多的职位和更高的薪水回到了商学院的校园招聘会上。
管理咨询和金融服务公司虽然是传统意义上MBA学生的良好归宿，但在过去几年就业市场惨淡时期，咨询公司开始很少光顾校园招聘会。根据Universum Communications对美国50家商学院4,700多名MBA的调查，一些咨询公司在排名榜上的位次呈现下降。
今年贝恩顾问公司(Bain & Company, Inc.)、波士顿咨询公司(Boston Consulting Group Inc.)、Booz Allen Hamilton、美国银行(Bank of America)和摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)的排名上升，将宝马汽车(BMW)、可口可乐(Coca-Cola)和国际商业机器公司(International Business Machines)等一些长盛不衰的企业常青藤挤出了前十。由于这项调查是去年12月到今年3月进行的，摩根士丹利跳升至第九并不反映其今春驱逐首席执行长裴熙亮(Philip Purcell)之战的效应。但去年涉身争议的其他一些公司对MBA学生的吸引力明显下降。沃尔特-迪斯尼(Walt Disney)从去年的16位跌至了23位，默克(Merck)从55位跌至了89位，美国国际集团(American International Group)的排名下跌18位至第100位。
一些MBA学生则被强生(Johnson & Johnson)、通用电气(General Electric)和宝洁(Procter & Gamble, 又名：宝硷)等跨国公司所吸引，这些公司是咨询金融服务业外排名最高的公司。企业形象也是一些学生考虑的因素，他们希望能够年为一家拥有鲜明风格和创新意识的公司服务。如苹果电脑(Apple Computer)就从去年的31位上升至了15位，超过了微软(Microsoft)和戴尔(Dell)。宝马汽车(BMW)虽然下跌7位至13位，但这家德国公司在汽车生产行业依然处于第一。
有些咨询和科技公司在2001年和2002年由于业务不佳，取消了招聘，导致在MBA学生中的声望下降。那些当时继续招聘的公司认为现在他们的做法正在得到回报。“我们在招聘中没有挂羊头卖狗肉，我们在校园中的声誉得到了提升，”波士顿咨询的北美招聘主管柯密特?金(Kermit King)表示。波士顿咨询在今年的排名中上升至了第五位。“我们也改善了与学生的一对一互动，这意味著要将更多的雇员派往校园。”
一些公司的排名没有撼动，最值得一提的就是麦肯锡(McKinsey)。这家以首席执行长培训基地著称的咨询公司连续第10年保持在了第一的位置。麦肯锡拒绝对排名作出评论，只是表示计划今年招聘大约600名MBA学生，较2004年增加2%-3%。但一位发言人指出，随著麦肯锡增加从医学院和法学院招聘专门人才，MBA在新员工中的比例下降。
花旗集团(Citigroup)蝉联第二的排名，公司称这是因为花旗能提供全球性的工作机会、多样化的产品系列以及稳定的招聘机会等。“我们一直非常重要校园招聘会，即使是在形势不怎么好的时候也会继续雇佣MBA学生，”花旗集团大学关系主管德比?伯坦(Debbie Bertan)表示。
在雇主选择上，男性和女性显现了一定的差异。女性MBA学生在优选名单上列出了更多的消费品生产商和零售商，如法国欧莱雅(L'oreal)和Gap等。男性MBA学生则关注咨询和金融服务业，但他们也认为一些科技公司具有吸引力。
瑞恩?波普尔(Ryan Popple)是此次调查的受访者之一，目前是哈佛商学院(Harvard Business School)的一年级学生。和许多MBA同学不一样，他将埃克森美孚(ExxonMobil)（排名第50）和英国石油公司(BP)（排名第65）列为最理想的雇主。为什么是能源公司？“我希望找到一个行业，能融合我对国际商业、政府和环境问题的兴趣，”波普尔表示。他正计划这个夏天到埃克森美孚的司库部门做一名实习生。
Universum也问这些MBA在决定接受或拒绝一份工作时什么因素最能影响他们。薪资方案是首选，紧随其后的是“挑战性的职位”，再次是企业文化、升迁的清晰道路以及工作和生活的平衡。“对于我来说，工作和生活的平衡并不是那么重要，只要薪酬足够高能弥补这一切就行，”西恩?哈孜列特(Sean Hazlett)表示，他也是参与了此次调查的哈佛商学院一年级学生，他的理想是在一家知名的投资银行获得一个副总裁的职位。“过去5年我是在军队中，我的家庭很清楚工作和生活的平衡在低收入的情况下是多么苍白。如果我能为孩子们支付大学教育费用，他们会很感激。”
对于MBA毕业后的第一份工作，调查发现男性MBA学生普遍预期89,933美元的收入以及18,028美元的签约奖金，而女性MBA学生们期待获得81,962美元的收入以及15,415美元的签约奖金。但对毕业5年后的薪水期望有很大的提高，男性MBA学生们期待184,352美元，而女性MBA学生期待155,909美元。虽然仍低于男性学生期待的水平，但女性学生对5年后薪水的期待增幅最大，较上年同期增长10%。“平衡工作和生活，对于女性来说依然重于男性，”Universum首席执行长克劳迪亚?塔塔奈利(Claudia Tattanelli)表示，“但现在女性也调高了标准，要求更高的薪资水平。”
