Where MBAs Most Want To Work
Why would an MBA want to work for Google?
The real question is, who wouldn’t want to be a Googler?
Let’s face it: Google is cool. They’re still young, growing, and innovative. From artificial intelligence to renewable energy, the search engine giant is tackling the most daunting challenges. Who could resist the pull of working with the brightest minds to develop self-driving cars or find a cure for aging? In Mountain Park, employees know they’re working toward something greater than appeasing shareholders every quarter. Googlers are shaping the future – and they’re given the latitude to dream big and deliver.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that Google again topped Universum Global’s annual survey of the top 100 employers for MBAs. An avid collector of talent from Harvard Business School, Wharton, Haas, and Kellogg, Google ranked #1 for the eighth consecutive year in the poll.
In fact, the percentage of respondents who preferred Google was more than double the percentage of those who chose Amazon, Bain & Co., and Apple (which ranked #3, #4, and #5 in the 2014 rankings).
This year’s survey was based on responses from 2,500 students, who participated from October 2013 to January 2014. In the poll, MBA students were asked to select the five companies they would most want to work for. The percentages were derived from the number of times a company was listed among the top five per student.
Remarkably, 27.13% of respondents – over 1 of every 4 – listed Google among their top five choices. Trailing behind were consulting juggernaut McKinsey and Co. (17.11%) and online retailer Amazon (13.65%), which leapfrogged Apple to snag the #3 spot. The top five was rounded out by Bain & Co. (13.33%) and Apple (13.24%). Conversely, the 1.5% drop in Apple’s popularity could reflect student buy-in to a popular narrative: Apple is losing its mojo after the death of founder Steve Jobs.
Among top 25 employers, the biggest ranking gains over 2014 were produced by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (+14), Morgan Stanley (+12), and Ernst & Young (+10). In other words, professional and financial services are roaring back to life.
Need more proof? Overall, the companies that grew the most in appeal to MBA students include: Fidelity Trust (+42), KPMG (+36), Wells Fargo (+33), Credit Suisse (+27), and Deutsche Bank (+26)
Despite CEO Marissa Mayer taking heavy fire in the media, Yahoo! has grown increasingly popular with the MBA set, jumping from #95 in 2012 to #65 in 2014.
Looking for a theme in this year’s survey? How about this: MBA students are losing interest in the business-to-consumer sector. In fact, leading consumer brands were among the biggest losers on this year’s list, including Nike (-3), Disney (-3), Facebook (-4), Starbucks (-9), Nestle USA (-8), eBay (-13), Nordstrom (-31), Target (-17), BMW (-13), Mars (-12), Sony (-9), The Gap (-50), and Estee Lauder (-20). Mostly notably, the alcoholic beverage sector took the biggest slide as Anheuser Busch (-17), MillerCoors (-14),and Diageo (-28) all lost ground.
The exception to the rule? Wal-Mart, of course, which rose from #100 to #83 in popularity among future MBAs. Students were also attracted to Macy’s, which jumped into the top 100 at #77. They also gravitated towards General Mills, which climbing from #62 to #47, Otherwise, the most recognizable consumer brands stagnated, including the Coca-Cola Group (0), Procter & Gamble (+1), PepsiCo (+1), and Kraft Foods (-3).
Who were the other big losers this year? You can start with medical device makers like Medtronic (-29) and Genentech (-15). When you factor in the Mayo Clinic (-18), you could argue that MBAs are beginning to pivot away from the health care sector.
Hospitality also took a hit with Hilton (-22) and Starwood Resorts (-43) both freefalling out of the top 50 (though MGM Resorts, which rose 23 spots in the rankings, proved to be the exception). Teach for America has also apparently lost its luster among MBA students, slipping 17 spots.
For the full rundown of the survey results, check out Poets and Quants' Most desirable MBA employers of 2014.
Photo: Wataru Ozaki/Flickr
Claire O' Connor :-)
It seems to me that the PMP is more valued these days than the MBA...anyone get that same impression?
Project Manager | Experience in healthcare, retail, technology | Skills: Strategy, Research, Staff Management | PMI Member | PMP Candidate
10 年There are so many amazing companies out there some might not even be on Fortune 500, but Google is a dream :) I would love to one day work from them, not for the name, but the experience and knowledge I would gain from being surrounded by individuals who think of tomorrow.
A
10 年All the companies mentioned in the article seem to require the right talent in order to take them to the next level. My question is, do you have to have an MBA in order to take these organizations to the next level? I may be the right talent, fit to take these organizations to the next level, but I may not have an MBA. Has anyone watched Suits Seasons 1 to 4? Mike Ross being extremely intelligent, did not even graduate from Harvard law school but he solved cases in a way that even the Managing Partners of the law firm in which he worked (who were Harvard graduates, by the way) were not able to solve these cases and he was able to challenge their thinking. I agree with Fadi El-Eter to a certain extent because he is challenging the current system of employment. It does not matter if he attended one week's lecture or one year's lecture. He is able to see through the system and see that it needs to be improved. Now, instead of bashing him or expressing your disappointment about his opinion, you who has an MBA degree, should be creative enough to find out or ask him what needs to be done in order to improve the current educational or employment system. I think every person who has bashed Fadi El-Eter is a bit too emotional and is not applying his/her MBA learnings in order to find a solution of how to improve the current system. I also think that Fadi El-Eter is an extremely intelligent person (even without an MBA) because he has managed to stir up discussions from MBA graduates and made them spend time responding to his opinion as opposed to commenting on the article. Now that is the right talent such companies should be looking for!!!! Now, Fadi El-Eter, just like you, I know I'll be bashed till kingdom come...but don't worry, I'll follow you until the ends of the earth until we find out how such systems can allow great talent to be accepted in the world without having an educational degree as the only criteria :-)
AWS Solutions Architect | Java 17 | Spring AI | React js | Docker
10 年Venkatram Pramod agreeed !!!