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7.5 STRATEGIES FOR MBA SALARY ANALYSIS

The downside to such high salaries is that some employers become disaffected with MBAs, or have excessive performance expectations relative to non-MBA staff on lower salaries.

Patrick Smith, Bank of America, USA, believes many MBAs "have unrealistic expectations about starting salary and speed of advancement". Mitch O' Brian of Emissary Pharma in Australia makes a hard-hitting assessment, "MBAs often come with an arrogance that jobs will fall in their lap and false expectations. I would like to see more emotional intelligence taught and realistic career counselling provided."

But the situation does not seem to be as severe as last year when John Sikking of Gartner Group described the recruitment scene as "a cattle call... Often times, it seems as if all the firms are competing for the same 5-20 candidates."

In 2007, more and more employers are looking to recruit MBAs from non-top-tier business schools having found salaries and candidates to be unapproachable at the elite institutions when an ever increasing number join strategy consultancies or investment banks.

Mesha Mott, Mead Westvaco USA confirms, "Depending upon the universities' reputation and the skills sets required, salary requirements may be mis-aligned with what the candidates actually bring to the table." Such recruiters have reported greater success looking beyond the tradition pool of schools.

The message for newly graduating MBAs is not always to chase the highest short-term salary offer, but to look for an organisation which will lay the foundations for a successful long-term career - otherwise, recruiters will start looking elsewhere.

MBA graduates are known for their analytical ability. In negotiating salary offers or deciding on target geographies for a job search, it is important to take a step back from the numbers and think of the bigger picture. Job applicants should consider the cost of living when comparing salary packages across regions - the real versus the nominal wage a company and country offers.

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Source: -
QS World MBA Tour - QS TopMBA.com International Recruiter Survey 2007
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. 2007
Website: www.topmba.com