2024年商學(xué)院招聘、招聘和技能：美國(guó)職業(yè)服務(wù)趨勢(shì)和雇主視角報(bào)告（英文版）-GMAC

MarketIntelligence

BusinessSchoolHiring,

Recruitment,andSkills

U.S.TrendsinCareerServices&EmployerPerspectives

Tableofcontents

Introduction 4

Keyfindings

6

MBAhiringtrends

8

Specializedbusinessmaster’sMBArecruitmenttrends

18

MBArecruitmenttrends

22

Skillsindemand

26

Conclusion

29

EndNotes 30

AboutGMAC

31

AboutCareerServices&EmployerAlliance

31

2GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

Introduction

Inthewakeofnewworkmodalityexpectations,persistentrecessionfears,andseeminglyexponentialadvancementsintechnology,thepastfiveyearshaveseenasignificant

evolutioninhowbusinessprogramspreparestudents

forthejobmarket.Manyinstitutionshaveadaptedtheirofferingstobetteralignwithindustryneedsandstudentpreferences.EmployershiringMBAandotherbusinessmaster’sgraduateshavealsoadaptedtheirpracticestobettermeetthechanginglandscapeandleveragethe

skillsthesegraduatesbring.ThegoalofthisresearchistoexplorehowemploymentofnewlymintedMBAandotherbusinessmaster’stalentintheUnitedStateshaschanged—andwhatitsignalsforyearstocome—fromtheperspectiveofcareerservicesprofessionalsandcorporaterecruiters.

Tothatend,thispapercombinestheuniqueperspectivesofthecareerservicesprofessionalsinthe

CareerServices

&EmployerAlliance

(CSEA,formerlyknownastheMBACareerServices&EmployerAlliance)networkwith

thoseoftheemployerswhorespondtotheGraduate

ManagementAdmissionCouncil’s(GMAC)annual

CorporateRecruitersSurvey

.Blendingtheseperspectivesoffersamoreholisticviewofthecoretopicspresentedinthisreport,includingrecentU.S.hiringtrendsofMBA

andotherbusinessmaster’stalent;changesinrecruitmenttrendsintheageofhybridworkandlearning;and

businessskillsmostindemandamongemployers.

Withthispaper’sinsights,programleadershipsuchas

deansandprogramdirectorscanenhancetheirstrategicinitiativestoadvancethesuccessoftheirschoolsand

theirstudents.Byaligningthecurriculumwithmarket

needsandincorporatingemergingtrends,theyensure

thatgraduatesarewell-preparedforthejoblandscape.Forinstance,understandingwhichskillsaremostindemandallowsthemtoadjustcoursesandtrainingaccordingly.

Furthermore,thisreportcaninformcareerservices

offices’targetedsupport—suchastailoredworkshops,

networkingevents,andrecruitmentfairsthatbetter

addressindustryandstudentdesires—andhelpidentifypotentialemployerpartnersforstrategicpartnerships

andinternshipprograms.Employerscanalsotakenoteofonandoff-campusrecruitmenttrendsandcomparetheirhiringpracticestosimilarorganizations.

Methodology

Thispaperdrawson2019-2024U.S.data

fromtheannual

CSEARecruitingTrends

Survey

andtheannual

GMACCorporate

RecruitersSurvey.

Duetotheavailability

ofdata,thispaperfocusesonlyonU.S.

programs.Likewise,greaterattentionis

paidtohiringandrecruitmenttrends

ofMBAgraduatesthanotherbusiness

master’sgraduates,thoughtheinformationaboutemployers’desiredskillsisapplicabletoallgraduatebusinessschooltalent.

RespondentstotheCSEARecruitingTrendsSurveyarecareerservicesprofessionals—individualsemployedbybusinessschoolswhoworkincareerservicesoffices.

Meanwhile,theGMACCorporateRecruitersSurveydataisrepresentativeofcorporaterecruitersandstaffingfirmswhoseek

tohireGMEgraduatesonbehalfoftheirorganizationorathird-partycompany.

Bothdatasourcesarecomplementaryin

understandingGMEemploymenttrendsbuthavevaryingresponserates.Forexample,theGMACCorporateRecruitersSurveyin

2024hadnearly1,000respondents,thoughsomecrosstabspresentedbelowresultinsamplesizeslessthan30.Somefindings

fromtheCSEAsurveyalsodropbelow

30respondents,inpartbecausetheaim

ofthesurveyislargelyintendedtooffer

insightsabouttheacademicinstitutionsofCSEAmembers.Theanalysisinthisreportwillnotewhensamplesizesdropbelow

30—ascautionshouldbewarrantedwheninterpretingresultsforsampleswithfewerthan30responses—thoughthedatacanstillbehelpfulinunderstandingasnapshotofbroadergroups.

Inaddition,severalexternalpublicationsareleveragedassecondarysources

throughoutthepapertoaddcontexttothenarrativefoundintheprimaryCSEAandGMACdataanalysis.

4GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

Keyfindings

MBAhiringtrends

MBAgraduatehiringoverthepastfiveyearshas

largelymatchedemployerexpectationsdespitea

levelingoffofjobpostingsfollowingapost-pandemichiringpeak.HealthcareandmanufacturingsectorsdemonstratethestrongesthiringplansforMBAtalentintheUnitedStates,whilemid-sizedfirmsoutpacedsmallbusinessesinhiringthesegraduates.

MBArecruitmenttrends

Nearlyallemployersareincreasingtheiruseof

virtualandAI-poweredplatformsforrecruitment,informationsessionsandinterviews,offering

greaterflexibilityandreach.However,full-time

MBAstudents’virtualcareerfairparticipation

hasdiminishedsomewhatinrecentyearsamida

resurginginterestinin-personrecruitmentactivity.

Specializedbusinessmaster’shiringtrends

Acrossdegreetypes,specializedbusinessmaster’s

graduateswerehiredbyagreatershareof

employersthanpre-pandemic2019.TheMasterof

DataAnalyticshasappealedtothemostfirmsamongnon-MBAbusinessmaster’sprogramsoverthepastfiveyears,whilejobpostingsforallU.S.specializedbusinessmaster’stalenthavebeenlargelystable

afteraninitiallevelingofffollowingapandemic-relatedpeakin2021.

Skillsindemand

Currently,employersprioritizeproblem-solving,

strategicthinking,andcommunicationskillsin

GMEgraduates.Thesecompetenciesareessentialfornavigatingcomplexbusinesschallenges,

developinglong-termplans,andensuringeffectivecollaborationwithinteams.Lookingforward,U.S.

employersareanticipatingagrowingfocuson

leadership,innovation,advancedtechnological

skills,andproficiencywithAItools.Asbusinesses

undergodigitaltransformationandintegrateAI

intotheiroperations,theabilitytodriveinnovation,managetechnologicalsolutions,andleverage

AIfordata-drivendecision-makingwillbecomeincreasinglyvaluable.

6GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

MBAhiringtrends

MBAgraduatehiringoverthepastfiveyearshaslargelymatched

employerexpectationsdespitealevelingoffofjobpostingsfollowingapost-pandemichiringpeak.

EmploymentratesforMBAgraduatesremainstrong,withtopbusinessschoolsreportingover90percent

employmentwithinthreemonthsofgraduation.1IntheUnitedStates,thevastmajorityofemployersreport

hiringMBAgraduatesasexpected,basedondatafromtheGMACCorporateRecruitersSurvey(Figure1).Inthepastyearalone,nearlytwo-thirdsofemployershiredgraduatesasexpected,thoughtherewasasmalluptickintheshareofemployerswhodidnothireMBAgraduatesatall.

Figure1:Overthepastfiveyears,amajorityofemployersreportedhiringMBAgraduatesattheratestheyexpected.

In2023,agreatershareofemployersdidnothireU.S.MBAgraduatescomparedto2022.

U.S.MBAGraduateHiringTrends,2019-2023

Source:GMACCorporateRecruitersSurvey2024

Note:GMACconductedtworoundsofCorporateRecruitersSurveysin2020(February-MarchandJune-July)tocapturechangingperspectivesandprojectionsasaresultoftheCOVID-19pandemic.

8GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

Conversely,Figure2depictsthatcareerservicesofficeshaveseenyear-over-yeardecreasesinthenumberof

jobpostingsforfull-timeU.S.MBAssinceapeakingrowthintheaftermathoftheCOVID-19pandemic(Figure2).

Whentryingtounderstandwhatappearstobedifferentrealitiesinthemarket,itisimportanttonotethat

neithertheGMACnorCSEA’ssurveydealinabsolutenumbers.GMAC’sCorporateRecruitersSurveyaskshow

employershiredagainsttheirplans,andtheCSEARecruitingTrendsSurveyaskshowjobpostingschangedfromthepreviousyear.Whatthismeansisthatemployerscouldhavebeenplanningtohirefewerfull-timeMBA

graduates,whichcouldresultinrelativelystablenumbersinGMAC’sCorporateRecruitersSurveyaswellasdecreasingjobpostingsintheCSEAsurvey.

Still,thispossibledeclineintheimmediateemploymentratesforfull-timeMBAgraduatesmayreflect

broaderchallengesinthejobmarket.Economicdownturns,suchastheimpactoftheCOVID-19pandemicandsubsequenteconomicuncertainties,haveledmanycompaniestoreducehiring.Organizationstendtobecomemoreconservativeintheirhiringpracticesduringtimesofeconomicinstability,focusingonessentialrolesandcuttingbackonnewfull-timehires.2Morespecifically,keyindustriesthattraditionallyhireMBAgraduates,likefinanceandtechnology,havefacedspecificchallenges.Forinstance,thefinancesectorhasseendecreaseddeal-makingactivitiesandjobcuts,whilethetechsectorhasexperiencedsignificantlayoffsafteraninitialhiring

surgeduringthepandemic.3Thenextsectiondigsdeeperintoindustrytrendslikethese.

2023followingapeakin2021

Figure2:Fewercareerservicesofficesreportedincreasesinfull-timeMBAjobpostingsin

In2023,amajorityofcareerservicesprofessionalsreportedyear-over-yeardecreasesinMBAjobpostings.

Full-TimeMBAJobPostings,2019-2023

Source:CSEARecruitingTrendsSurvey2024

CareerServices&EmployerAlliance|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills9

HealthcareandmanufacturingsectorshavethebiggestplanstohiremoreMBAtalent.

Knowingthatemployersaregoingtopostjobsandsethiringtrendsbasedonspecificneeds,theindustriesthatplantohirecanprovideimportantinsights.AsshowninFigure3,datafromthe2024GMACCorporateRecruitersSurveyrevealsthatinmostcases,apluralityofU.S.industriesplantohirethesameamountin2024astheydidin2023.Byindustry,themosthiringgrowthpotentialisinthehealthcareandpharmaceuticalsectorandinthemanufacturingindustry.

manufacturingandhealthcareandpharmaceuticalsectors.

Figure3:PlanstoexpandhiringofMBAsintheUnitedStatesismostconcentratedinthe

MBAhiringisleastoptimisticamongemployersintheU.S.technologyindustry.

2024HiringPlansbyIndustry

Source:GMACCorporateRecruitersSurvey2024

Note:Therewerefewerthan30responsesforemployersineachindustryexceptforfinanceandaccounting.

10GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

Notably,thehealthcareandpharmaceuticalindustriesexperiencedasignificantincreaseinhiringdrivenbytheCOVID-19pandemic,whichspurredaneedforongoingfocusoninnovationandmanagementefficiency.4

ThemanufacturingsectorhasincreasinglyadoptedautomationandAItechnologiestoimproveefficiency,

reducecosts,andenhanceproductioncapabilities.ThisshifthaslikelycreateddemandforMBAgraduateswithexpertiseintheseareastomanageandintegratethesetechnologieseffectively.

Withagreaterunderstandingofemployerplansfor2024hiring,welookedbackathowthismightfitintoa

historicalcontext.AccordingtoCSEAdata,apluralityofcareerservicesofficesreportedstablerecruitingactivity(i.e.,jobopportunities)amongmanufacturingemployersoverthepastfiveyears.TheCOVID-19pandemic

exposedvulnerabilitiesinglobalsupplychains,promptingmanufacturerstoreassessandstrengthentheirsupplychainresilienceandlikelyexplainingtheuptickinrecruitmentactivityin2021.

Altogether,thehealthcareandpharmaceuticalandmanufacturingsectorssignalincreasingdemandforMBA

talent,reflectingtheirgrowingneedsforinnovationandefficiency.Inrecentyears,themanufacturingsector

hasshownstablehiringtrends—thishistoricstability,coupledwiththesector’snewfocusonautomationandAI,highlightsasustainedneedforMBAgraduatestomanagetheseadvancements.

amongmanufacturingemployersoverthepastfiveyears.

Figure4:Apluralityofmanufacturingemployersreportedstablerecruitingactivity

Theshareofcareerservicesofficesreportingstablehiringinmanufacturingemployers’recruitmentactivityhasincreasedsince2021.

ManufacturingSectorRecruitingActivity,2019-2023

Source:CSEARecruitingTrendsSurvey2024

Note:In2019,therewerefewerthan30responsesaboutemployersinthemanufacturingsector.

CareerServices&EmployerAlliance|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills11

Mid-sizedfirmsoutpacedsmallbusinessesinhiringU.S.MBAs,thoughhiringhasbeenlargelystableregardlessofcompanysize.

Analyzinghiringtrendsbycompanysizerevealsdistinctdifferencesinrecruitmentpractices,roleexpectations,andtheworkingenvironment.Largecorporationstypicallyofferstabilityandstructuredcareerpaths;mid-sizedcompaniescanprovidedynamicgrowthandversatileroles;andsmallbusinessesandstartupsoftenpresent

entrepreneurialopportunitiesandhands-onexperience.CSEAdefinessmallfirmsasfewerthan100employees;mid-sizecompaniesasthosewith100-500employee;andlargeorganizationsasthosewithmorethan500

employees.UnderstandingthesenuanceshelpsMBAgraduatesaligntheircareergoalswiththetypeofcompanythatbestfitstheiraspirationsandskills.

12GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

SmallbusinessesandstartupsofferanentrepreneurialenvironmentthatcanbeveryattractivetoMBA

graduatesinterestedininnovationandbusinessdevelopment.ThesecompaniesoftenlookforMBAstohelp

withscalingoperations,securingfunding,andstrategicplanning.5Smallsizedorganizationsdependheavilyonpersonalnetworks,referrals,andnichejobboards.Theymayalsoleverageincubators,accelerators,andstartupeventstofindsuitablecandidates.TheCSEAsurveydataindicateshowsmallersizedorganizations—definedasfewerthan100employees—haveseenfluctuationsintheirrecruitingactivityoverthecourseofthepastfive

years(Figure5).Lookingatthemostrecentyears,however,wecanseethatthemajorityoftherecruitingactivityhasstayedthesameamongsmallbusinesses.

Figure5:In2023and2022,nearlytwo-thirdsofsmallfirmshadstablerecruitingactivity

ofMBAstudents.

Theshareofcareerservicesofficesreportingyear-over-yearincreasesinsmallfirms’recruitmentactivityin2023and

2022islessthanapeakin2021.

SmallFirmRecruitingActivity,2019-2023

Source:CSEARecruitingTrendsSurvey2024

Note:In2019,therewerefewerthan30responsesaboutemployersfromsmallfirms.

CareerServices&EmployerAlliance|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills13

Meanwhile,Figure6showsthatmid-sizedfirmsaremostlikelytodemonstratestablerecruitingactivityin2022and2023despitethefactthatfirmsatthissizeareoftenmorelikelytobeinphasesofexpansionandgrowth.

Typically,thisstagenecessitatesahighervolumeofhirestosupportstrategicinitiatives,manageincreasing

operationalcomplexities,anddrivebusinessdevelopment.Theyoffermoredefinedroleswithclearercareer

paths,makingthemattractivetoMBAcandidatesseekingstabilityandprofessionalgrowth.Thestructured

natureoftheseroles,combinedwiththefirms’abilitytooffercompetitivecompensationpackages,oftenresultinahigherrateofsuccessfulhirescomparedtosmall-sizedfirms.Thus,whilemid-sizedfirmsmayengagein

lessbroad-basedrecruitmentthansmallfirms,theirfocusedapproachandgreaterhiringcapacitycanleadtoahighernumberofactualhires.6

Figure6:In2023,morethanthree-quartersofmedium-sizedfirmshadstablerecruitingactivityofMBAstudents.

Theshareofcareerservicesofficesreportingyear-over-yearincreasesinmedium-sizedfirms’recruitmentactivityhasdeclinedsinceapeakin2021.

Mid-SizeFirmRecruitingActivity,2019-2023

Source:CSEARecruitingTrendsSurvey2024

Note:In2019,therewerefewerthan30responsesaboutemployersfrommid-sizefirms.

14GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

GMACsurveydataaffirmsatrendoflargelystablehiringacrosscompanysizes(thoughusesslightlydifferent

employeeheadcountstodefinesmall,medium,andlargecompanies).ApluralityofcompaniesregardlessofsizereportedstableMBAhiringinmostcasesoverthepastfiveyears(Figure7).Generally,ascompanysizeincreases,anorganizationismorelikelytohireMBAtalent.However,thisisnotalwaysthecase.In2023,moremid-size

andlargecompaniesreportedthattheyhiredlessMBAtalentthanexpectedcomparedto2022.Infact,morethanaquarteroflargecompanieshiredlesstalentin2023,whichisthelargestshareinafive-yearperiod.Mid-sizedcompaniesalsoedgedoutlargecompaniesintermsoftotalhiringin2023byjustapoint.

Figure7:LargefirmshaveconsistentlybeenthemostlikelytohireMBAtalentcomparedtosmallandmid-sizecompanies.

ApluralityofemployersofanysizehasgenerallyreportedstablehiringofMBAgraduatesoverthepastfiveyears.

ActualMBAHiringResultsAmongCompanies

HiredmorethanexpectedHiredasexpectedHiredlessthanexpectedDidnothire

LessThan500Employees,2019-2023With500-4,999Employees,2019-2023

MoreThan5,000Emyployees,2019-2023

Source:GMACCorporateRecruitersSurvey2024

Note:In2021,therewerefewerthan30responsesfrommid-sizedU.S.companies.

16GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

TherecruitmentandhiringdynamicsbasedoncompanysizerevealnuancedstrategiesandoutcomesintheMBAjobmarket.Small-sizedfirmstypicallyengageinextensiverecruitingeffortstoenhancetheirvisibilityandattractadiversepoolofcandidates.Theyoftenparticipateinnumerousjobfairs,activelyengagein

onlinerecruitment,andleveragepersonalnetworksandreferralstoreachpotentialhires.Consequently,their

recruitingactivitiesmightappearmorevigorousthantheiractualhiringoutcomes.7Incontrast,mid-sizedfirmstendtoadoptamoretargetedapproachtorecruitment.Theyfocusonattractingcandidateswithspecificskillsetsandexperiencelevelsthataligncloselywiththeirorganizationalneeds.Additionally,mid-sizedandlargefirmsgenerallyhavemoreresourcesandalargernumberofpositionstofill,enablingthemtohiremoreMBAsto

supporttheirgrowthandoperationaldemands.8Inotherwords,whilesmall-sizedfirmsareoftenseentoengageinbroaderrecruitingefforts,mid-sizedandlargefirmstendtoactualizemorehires—arelativelyintuitive

disparitythatcanbeattributedtodifferencesinresources,strategicapproaches,andhiringcapacities.

CareerServices&EmployerAlliance|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills17

Specializedbusinessmaster’s

hiringtrends

TotalhiringofU.S.specializedbusinessmaster’stalentishigherthanpre-pandemiclevels,andtheMasterofDataAnalyticshasappealedtothe

mostfirmsamongnon-MBAbusinessmaster’sprograms.

Graduatesofspecializedbusinessmaster’sprogramsareoftenvaluedfortheirfocusedknowledgeandskills

thataligncloselywithspecificindustryneeds.Since2019,non-MBAbusinessmaster’sgraduateswerehiredbyagreatershareofemployersacrossdegreetypes(Figure8).Relatedtothepandemic,mostofthesedegreetypessawadipintotalhiringin2021,followedbyanincreaseinhiringin2022,withasmalllevelingoffin2023.

MasterofAccountinghiringhasbeenthemoststableoverthepastfiveyears,whileMasterofDataAnalyticsgraduateshavebeenhiredbythelargestshareofemployers.

18GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

Figure8:Acrossdegreetypes,non-MBAbusinessmaster’sgraduateswerehiredbyagreatershareofemployersin2023comparedtopre-pandemic2019.

MasterofDataAnalyticsgraduateshavetypicallybeenhiredbythelargestshareofemployers.

ActualMBAHiringResultsAmongCompanies,2019-2023

HiredmorethanexpectedHiredasexpectedHiredlessthanexpectedDidnothire

MasterofAccounting

MasterofDataAnalytics

MasterinManagement

MasterofBusinessAnalytics

MasterofFinance

Source:GMACCorporateRecruitersSurvey2024

Note:GMACstartedcollectingseparateMasterofBusinessAnalyticshiringdatain2021.

CareerServices&EmployerAlliance|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills19

DatafromPurdueandothersourcesillustrateemployers’growinginterestinspecializedmaster’sdegrees.9

GraduateswithdegreeslikeaMasterofBusinessAnalyticsorMasterofFinanceareinhighdemandduetotheincreasingemphasisondata-drivendecision-makingandfinancialmanagement,especiallyincertainindustries.Thisshiftindicatesamovetowardhiringcandidateswithspecificskillsetsthatmeettechnicalandstrategic

needsinvariousindustries.

CSEAdataaffirmsthispatternamongspecialtymaster’sprograms,thoughthetimingisslightlydifferent

(Figure9).However,bothdatasetsindicateapandemic-relateddropinhiringfollowedbyapandemic-relatedsurgeinhiringthathasrecentlyleveledoff.

Comparedto2019,therearemorefirmshiringspecializedbusinessmaster’sdegreesthanbefore.Thegainsin

hiringseenfollowingthepandemichavenotcontinuedtogrowatthesamerate,buthavebecomemorestableinthepasttwoyears.Asschoolsexpandtheirportfoliosofnon-MBAbusinessmaster’sprograms,itappearsthejobmarkethaswelcomedtheinfluxofspecializedtalent.

followingthepandemicfollowedbyaperiodofstability.

Figure9:Jobpostingsfornon-MBAbusinessmaster’sprogramsincreasedsignificantly

In2023and2022,apluralityofspecializedmaster’sprogramsreportedstableyear-over-yearjobpostings.

OtherBusinessMaster’sJobPostings,2019-2023

Source:CSEARecruitingTrendsSurvey2024

Note:Inallyearsexcept2020,therewerefewerthan30responsesfromotherbusinessmaster’sprograms.

20GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

MBArecruitmenttrends

EmployeruseofvirtualandAI-poweredrecruitmenttacticsisontherisewhilestudentengagementinvirtualcareerfairsiswavering.

Inrecentyears,MBAstudentengagementwithin-personandvirtualresourceshasbecomeacriticalaspectof

recruitmenttrends,reflectingtheevolvinglandscapeofemployerexpectationsandcareerservicesstrategies.AsorganizationsseektoattracttopMBAtalent,theintegrationofdiverseengagementplatformshasemergedasakeydifferentiator.

Employersareincreasinglyleveragingvirtualresourcessuchasonlinecareerfairs,webinars,anddigital

networkingeventstoreachawiderpoolofcandidateswhilemaintainingefficiencyandcost-effectiveness.

Concurrently,careerservicesofficesatbusinessschoolsareenhancingtheirofferingstoincludebothtraditionalin-personcoachingandinnovativevirtualtools,ensuringthatstudentsarewell-preparedforthedynamicjob

market.Thisdualapproachnotonlyaccommodatesvaryingstudentpreferencesbutalsoalignswiththeflexible,hybridworkingenvironmentsthathavegainedprominencepost-pandemic—especiallyintheUnitedStates.

ThesetrendsunderscoretheimportanceofamultifacetedengagementstrategyinsuccessfullybridgingthegapbetweenMBAstudentsandpotentialemployers.10

Someemployershavefoundthatin-personinterviewsbetteralignwiththeircorporatecultureandhiring

practices.Additionally,manycandidates,especiallythosevyingforhigh-stakesMBAroles,prefertheopportunitytovisitthecompanypremises,meetpotentialcolleagues,andgetafirsthandsenseoftheworkingenvironment.11Still,virtualinterviewingtechniquescontinuetoexpand.AsdemonstratedinFigure10,thereisnomeasurabledecreaseintheuseofvirtualinterviewingtechnologyamongtheCSEAsurveyrespondents—justgrowingor

stableusage.

22GraduateManagementAdmissionCouncil(GMAC)|ResearchBrief|September2024|BusinessSchoolHiring,Recruitment,andSkills

technologiesineachofthepastfiveyears.

Figure10:Amajorityofemployersincreasedtheiruseofvirtualinterviewing

Employeruseofthistechnologylargelycontinuestogrow,thoughmaybegrowingataslowerratesinceitspeakduringthepandemic.

EmployerUseofVirtualInterviewingTechnologies,2019-2023

Source:CSEARecruitingTrendsSurvey2024

Note:In2019,therewerefewerthan30responsesaboutemployers.

Thegrowthofvirtualinterviewtechnologieshassignificantlytransformedrecruitmentpracticesinrecentyears.Theseadvancementsoffernumerousbenefits,includingincreasedefficiency,broadercandidatereach,and

enhanceddata-drivendecision-making.Bothcandidatesandemployershaveadjustedtheirexpectationstoalignwiththesenewtools,resultinginamoredynamicandresponsivehiringlandscape.

Forinstance,virtualinterviewsenableemployerstoaccessaglobaltalentpool