The MBA Bump: How Much To Expect?

It’s called the MBA Bump: the increase in pay you can expect after you get the degree.

And for this year’s Class of 2012, the bump is bigger than it has been for many years. Graduates of full-time MBA programs are reporting average increases in their pre-MBA base salaries of 81% this year to a median of $90,000, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). That’s better than last year’s reported 73% bump and significantly better than the 63% increase reported for the Class of 2010 when the economy was in the tank.

Full-time, two-year MBA programs delivered the biggest increases. Graduates of part-time MBA programs, for example, reported a 53% rise in pre-MBA pay–28 percentage points lower than full-time MBAs (see table below).

The survey, released last week, found that MBA graduates with less than three years of work experience saw the largest bumps of any: a whopping 120%. That compares with 75% for graduates with three to six years of experience and 46% for grads with more than six years of work experience (see table on next page). The more years a person has been in the workforce also is more likely to mean that the graduate went for the degree part-time.

What’s more, the GMAC numbers are for MBA programs overall and not merely the top-ranked business schools whose graduates typically double their pre-MBA income. The study is based on 5,366 recent or soon-to-be graduates of business schools.

PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN ANNUAL BASE SALARY, BY SURVEY YEAR AND PROGRAM TYPE

Source: GMAC 2012 Global Management Education Graduate Survey

Of course, these increases vary greatly by a number of factors, including industry, work experience, and gender. Interestingly enough, the MBAs who reported the largest bumps were those who were hired by companies after doing a summer internship with the same firm. “Participating in an internship while in school typically produces an additional 28 percent increase above the baseline salary increase a student receives who does not participate in an internship,” according to the GMAC study. “After graduation, the benefits of an internship are even greater. Those who participated in an internship and received an offer of employment from that internship more than doubled the salary increase received by graduates who continued working for the same employer during and after business school (see table below).”

PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN ANNUAL BASE SALARY, BY JOB STATUS

Source: 2012 GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey

Career switchers did slightly better than graduates who returned to the same industry that they had worked in before going to school. The average increase over pre-MBA salary for a career switcher this year is 71%, versus 67% for graduates who stayed in the same industry (see table below).

PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN ANNUAL BASE SALARY BY STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS, 2011 VS. 2012

Source: 2012 GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey

One of the most important factors in the bump tends to be a graduate’s decision to enter a specific industry. According to GMAC, some of the biggest increases this year were in high tech where base pay jumped an average of 69% over pre-MBA salaries (see table below).

PERCENTAGE OF JOB SEEKS WITH A JOB OFFER 7 CHANGE OF SALARY, BY PREFERRED INDUSTRY 

Source: 2012 GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey

GMAC said that a job seeker in the Class of 2012 who received a job offer submitted approximately nine resumes, had four interviews, and received an average of two job offers, which would suggest that they expended less effort and achieved a higher job offer yield than class of 2011 graduates with job offers, who submitted an average of 16 resumes, landed six interviews, and received the same number (2) of job offers.

Internships were also the most successful way to find a post-MBA job. while school-based programs also were an extremely viable method for obtaining job offers. GMAC said students with the highest success rates used school career services (53%), school job boards (44%), job fairs (35%), and networking with their classmates and alumni (32%).  The average job seeker used six search methods to obtain a job offer (see table below)

JOB SEARCH METHODS AND SUCCESS RATE

Source: 2012 GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey

Why MBAs Are Even More Satisfied Than The Most Optimistic Survey Shows

Every year, the Graduate Management Admission Council asks alumni of MBA programs all over the world if they think the time and money they spent getting the degree was worth it. And every year, the results show extremely high levels of satisfaction with the MBA.

The latest 2014 GMAC Alumni Perspectives Survey, released in March, strongly reaffirms the value of the degree. Nine in 10 (91%) recent business school alumni from 2010–2013 consider their graduate management education a good to outstanding value.

Sixty-six percent of alumni agree their education was financially rewarding. And a quarter (26%) of alumni report their expectations for recouping their financial investment were exceeded while 53% say their expectations for return on their investment (ROI) were met.

WHAT IF HARVARD, STANFORD & WHARTON ALUMS WERE POLLED?

Pretty good, right? This part of the survey is based on responses from 6,862 alumni who graduated between 2010 and 2013 from some 132 business schools worldwide that partnered with GMAC in the study. The survey was conducted in October-November of 2013.

But here’s the most surprising part of the upbeat results. Most of the alumni from the best business schools in the world aren’t included in the study. By and large, there’s no alumni from Harvard, Stanford, or Wharton. None from Chicago Booth, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, or Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

For whatever reason, those schools and many more decided not to participate in the latest research. In fact, alumni from only three business schools—Virginia, Carnegie Mellon, and Indiana University—of the Top 20 in the U.S. were included in the survey.

THE MOST ELITE NON-U.S. SCHOOLS ALSO WERE NOT AMONG THOSE SURVEYED

And it’s not only the most highly selective U.S. business schools that did not participate in the study. The very best non-U.S. schools also are missing. There are no alumni from London Business School, INSEAD, IMD, HEC Paris, IE Business School, or IESE Business School.

Which schools participated in the GMAC survey? Some very good schools, of course, but also places that fail to rank among the top 100 U.S. or the top 50 non-U.S. business schools from Alliance University to Widener University (see list of participating schools here).

In other words, despite the high levels of endorsement for graduate business education, the survey doesn’t even benefit from having the views of the graduates who are most likely to be highly satisfied. After all, these are among the most highly paid MBAs in the market, the graduates who generally get the best job opportunities and graduate into the strongest alumni networks. These top schools, by the way, are also the ones that generally have the most scholarship money available to help offset the cost of the degree.

LOW PARTICIPATION BY ELITE SCHOOLS ATTRIBUTED TO “SURVEY FATIGUE” AMONG OTHER REASONS

A GMAC spokesperson, Rich D’Amato, explains that “many of those schools do their own research and some schools have concerns about survey fatigue during ranking years.” He didn’t think the absence of alums from the most highly ranked schools would have that much of an impact. “Satisfaction is a measure that is relative to the individual’s expectations, experience, and perceptions. However, in year’s past, when some of the listed schools participated in the student exit survey, alumni valued their education at similar rates as the recent survey suggests.”

But satisfaction surveys over the years by other sources, such as BusinessWeek which has been polling MBA alumni since 1988, clearly show that graduates of the big brand schools tend to have higher levels of satisfaction than MBAs from second- or third-tier schools. That’s generally the outcome of the more lucrative job opportunities available to graduates of the top-tier schools.

For example, when BusinessWeek asked alumni of 88 schools around the world “To what extent did your MBA experience meet your expectations of what a good program should be?,” the school’s with the most satisfied alums were Chicago, Northwestern, Dartmouth, Virginia, Stanford, Yale, Duke, Cornell, Berkeley, and Wharton. At the bottom? Fordham, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Connecticut, South Carolina, Syracuse and Clark Atlanta.

When the magazine asked recent graduates if they would urge their friends or colleagues to enroll in the same MBA program at the school they just attended, the schools getting the most endorsements were Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, Dartmouth, Harvard, Virginia, Wharton, UC-Berkeley, and Yale. Less enthusiastic were grads from Arizona State, George Washington, Illinois, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Clark Atlanta, Syracuse, and South Carolina.

Although these results are from the early 2000s–the last time the magazine publicly released this data–and may have changed in more recent years, the point remains clear: the more highly selective schools tend to graduate the most satisfied MBAs.

The upshot: Satisfaction by MBA alumni, especially the most highly ranked schools,  is higher than even GMAC’s highly optimistic survey.

A CHANGE IN METHODOLOGY MAY HAVE IMPACTED SCHOOL PARTICIPATION

This is also the first year GMAC introduced a new methodology, which provides schools with the opportunity to survey their entire alumni population. “In the past iterations of the Alumni Perspective Survey that were follow-ups to the Global Management Education Graduate Survey, some of these universities participated in the student exit survey and therefore the alumni were included in those iterations of the survey (2001-2013),” added D’Amato. “We changed the methodology to provide better service to graduate schools of business, allowing them the opportunity to benchmark their alumni and receive question-by-question analysis of their alumni by various characteristics.”

Asked if GMAC’s researchers think the exclusion of Harvard and other top schools impacted the survey’s results, D’Amato said, “This is a purely speculative question that is not based on research nor empirical evidence. When we examined the class of 2013 approximately three months after graduation, we found that 90% of all graduate management education students were employed (92% from full-time two-year MBA programs; 95% of US citizens were employed)—these rates are comparable” to those reported by many of the top schools  (Chicago, 95%; Wharton 96%; Northwestern 95%; Harvard 93%; Dartmouth 95%; Columbia 97%).”

Five Essential Elements Of A Perfect MBA Resume

I recently reviewed and updated my resume from applying to Tuck last year. After gathering great resources on resumes, I was able to identify and eliminate any issues with my current resume.

In addition, I was able to identify and “core-out” the five essential elements of a perfect applicant resume. (This is by no means a comprehensive list, so please make sure to check out the resources for the finer details.) Here they are:

1. easy to read

Make it easy for adcom to read your resume. This includes applying spacing between sections, allowing enough white space in your resume, using bullets, using bold/italics effectively and having ~1″ margins. Allow the readers eyes to have a visual break.

2. list accomplishments, not responsibilities

Utilize action verbs on your resume to showcase how you drive results. Make sure that you also quantify your results, and if possible, make them relative with the entire organization. (Example, “Captured $3M of sales, which is 40% of the total revenue for the division”)

3. show career progression

Clearly show how you have upward mobility or are on the fast track with your career. Make sure you show a trend of increasing responsibilities, and showing dates will be really important in this area.

4. show leadership / extracurricular

Including a leadership section is important to showcase leadership attributes outside of your job. You should also make sure to list any awards or other extracurricular activities that are RELEVANT to your candidacy. Showing how long you have been participating in different opportunities will really highlight your dedication for these causes.

5. no grammatical errors

Make sure you proofread your essay, and make sure you get your friends to proofread your essay. You should be ABSOLUTELY sure there are no errors, as often times this is the first element of your application that many admissions committee members view.

Eight Questions Every Prospective MBA Should Answer Before Applying

1. WHY DO I NEED AN MBA?

This is the most important question. Are you planning on switching functions or industries? Do you need one to move up in your company? Are you looking to start your own business? Why is it so critical for you to get an MBA NOW, instead of later? If you can form a clear, coherent vision of why you need an MBA, half the application battle is already won.

2. WHAT TYPE OF MBA DO I WANT/NEED?

Full-Time, Part-Time, Executive MBA….which one is for you? What program fits your profile, lifestyle and future plans?

Full-time MBA programs (and the major focus of this blog) usually take 2 years and cater to individuals that average 4-5 years of experience (individuals with over 8 years typically get an executive MBA, however MBA Over 30 proves that is not an absolute rule). Part-time MBA programs cater to those working full-time and take about 3 years to complete, while executive MBA programs cater to those individuals with around 8 years of experience.

3. SHOULD I APPLY THIS YEAR OR NEXT?

In my experience, many people start their MBA journey later than they should. They often do not have their GMAT or the necessary research completed before they start their journey in June/July. For those individuals, they should really contemplate what is stopping them from applying next year.

My perfect scenario would be to take the GMAT in the fall before, research in the winter, visits in the spring, and take the GMAT again if needed in the summer.  If you don’t have your BEST profile when you apply, then you should really consider waiting a year, and invest in making yourself a more competitive candidate.

4. WHERE SHOULD I APPLY TO?

Reflecting on the answers to your previous questions, decide where you want to go. Do you want a top 20 MBA? What school has connections to the companies or industries in which you want to work?What kind of culture would you like to be part of?

For those who are looking for a general snapshot of schools and class profiles, check out my Class Profiles resource that details each top 20 b-school class profile and also links their websites.

5. DO I NEED HELP WITH THE GMAT?

After you get a good list of schools together, understand what type of score you need for the GMAT. Get an early start on their GMAT prep and to take a CAT as soon as possible to see where they stand.

There are MANY amazing programs out there that will help you get the GMAT score you need. Check out how I got a 710 on my first try, and also check out gmatclub and BeatTheGMAT websites for great resources.

6. DO I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY SAVED FOR APPLICATIONS?

At $250 an application on average, applying to business school is not cheap. That’s just the beginning though. Add school visit expenses (airline tickets and hotels), last-minute interviews (last-minute airline tickets and hotels), any GMAT expenses ($250 for the test + any prep material and tutors), and if you decide to use one, an MBA application consultant ($1K – $10K). It adds up quickly.

7. SHOULD I USE A CONSULTANT?

Speaking of saving money for application expenses, the biggest expense will probably be a consultant if you choose to use one. A 2013 study noted that 57% of applicants used consultants in the application process. Gmatclub offers a great Admissions Consultants Reviews section so you can get a sense individual track records.

8. HOW WILL I PAY FOR SCHOOL?

This is definitely a hard question. Hopefully your amazing profile will land you a great scholarship or fellowship, but in case it doesn’t, how do you plan on paying for your MBA? I plan on doing a more detailed post on this, but there are many options out there from Toigo Fellowship, the Consortium, and, of course loans.

Evolution Of MBA

4 Types of Stretch Assignments You Should Turn Down

If you're like most professionals, you'll eventually reach a point in your career when you realize that you can't advance to the next level without being able to show that you have relevant experience — a lot of it.

One way to demonstrate that you have potential to grow beyond your current role is to take on "stretch" assignments. In 2003, Catalyst reported that a whopping 40% of women in corporate leadership positions said that seeking out difficult, highly visible assignments had been a very important advancement strategy. It makes sense: By volunteering for additional responsibilities, you can learn new skills, make your talents visible to your leaders, and demonstrate your readiness to step into a role that goes beyond the one you're currently in.

But despite all the benefits of volunteering for stretch assignments, there are times when the extra workload can actually work against you. In a recent coaching program, one participant told me, "A mentor told me that volunteering for stretch assignments will help improve my career. I took on three new projects, and now I'm not getting any sleep. Help!"

This woman's mentor had given her good advice, but it has to be applied within reason. We have to learn to put guardrails around accepting stretch assignments so that we don't get stretched too thin by them!

But how? How can you say "no" to stretch assignments without also saying "no" to furthering your career?

The key is to be highly selective. One common misstep that many high performers make is accepting too many low-visibility assignments that require them to work overtime without gaining the benefits of recognition and new skills that such assignments should bring. To avoid stretching yourself too thin for no visible career benefit, here is a checklist for when to diplomatically say "no" to extra assignments.

1. Assignments That Stretch You Too Thin

Before saying yes to a stretch assignment, do a risk assessment. Be brutally honest with yourself: Is there a risk you'll overreach, take on too much, and compromise your ability to fulfil your regular responsibilities well?

Start by weighing the obvious factors, such as whether this side project will suck time away from your core priorities and what trade-offs it might take in your personal life to accommodate extra hours at work.

For example, Andy, a technical project manager, had recently earned his MBA and was looking out for opportunities to build a reputation as a strategic thinker. When invited to take on a stretch assignment to combine numerous products into a single product line, he said, "I weighed the probability of being successful against the workload and lack of a cohesive business plan, and saw a no-win scenario." Ultimately, he declined to participate.

Don't ignore the possibility of unexpected emotional costs, either. Will saying yes to this assignment mean working with a leader who is known for burning people out? Will it require you to collaborate with co-workers who are notorious for slacking off in the face of a looming deadline?

Look for projects that stretch you without overwhelming you, so that you can deliver a consistently high quality of work. Focus on the quality of assignments, not quantity — and take them on at a cadence that allows you some recovery time between deadlines and deliverables.

2. Assignments That Don't Build Your Strengths

The best stretch assignments are those that require you to build business acumen, new technical skills, or leadership ability. Don't volunteer yourself for a project unless it has the potential to expand your skill set and lets you demonstrate your potential to go beyond the job you're currently in.

After turning down the first stretch assignment, Andy noticed that his business unit lacked a single point of contact for coordinating requests for new product development investments. Whereas the previous assignment would have used his existing project management skills, this one required him to develop new skills, such as strategic thinking and engaging stakeholders across the organization. He volunteered, shouldering an additional full-time workload for a month. "I built credibility as a strategic leader, which helped me land the higher-profile role that I'm in today," he said.

3. Assignments That Don't Meaningfully Expand Your Network

Stay away from projects that are all about work and have no relationship-building opportunities. Go after projects that allow you to build stronger working relationships and demonstrate your expertise to leaders, sponsors, potential mentors, and peers.

For example, say your company's annual charitable giving campaign is spearheaded by a leader you admire, who is responsible for an increasingly important business division in the company. Even though the campaign isn't directly job-related, taking a lead role in it can be a way to show that person that you are smart, energetic, and reliable — and to convey that you'd like to work for him or her one day. And the random collection of colleagues you'll meet and bond with? If you stay in touch, you can become each others' eyes and ears for what's going on in different departments.

4. Assignments That Don't Build the Reputation You Want to Be Known For

Say no to projects that don't align with the personal brand you're trying to build and promote within your organization. For example, if you want to be regarded as a strong cross-functional project leader, think twice about committing to assignments that require you to work alone. Ideally, the assignments you accept should align with your brand and give you opportunities to showcase your accomplishments and make your value visible to management.

Overall, remember that stretch assignments are designed to build your skill set, network, and organizational brand, not simply add busy work to your already busy schedule.

But keep in mind: When you're offered assignments that aren't a match, don't just say no! You'll hurt your chances of being asked again. Thank the person for the opportunity, letting him or her know you're honored to be considered. Then graciously decline, "in order to give my full attention to responsibilities already on my plate."

Even then, don't leave him or her hanging. Recommend a colleague who might appreciate the assignment. And hint at what you'd like to do instead. This last step is critical: Give specific examples, like "Keep me in mind for future projects that require a project manager with strong interest in business strategy."

Finally, there will be times when it simply is not possible or politically astute to turn down a stretch assignment, and if that is the case, agree to help out — but seize the moment to negotiate what you want from your next assignment.

Be ruthless — but diplomatic — about negotiating assignments that align with where you want to go next in your career. Otherwise the only stretching you'll be doing is stretching yourself too thin.

Why B-Schools Reject MBA Applicants

How To Get A Rejection Letter

1 plagiarized essay

2 lukewarm references

3 exaggerated accomplishments

1 cup of half-baked goals

1 tablespoon of entitlement

A quarter pound of proofreading errors

Stir in pan and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

And voila! You have a rejection letter.

Ever wonder why a business school drops candidates? Recently, Accepted.com asked the admissions directors at 13 business schools the following question: “What behavior or information would cause you to reject an MBA applicant who otherwise is a strong candidate?” Not surprisingly, lying and poor interpersonal skills topped the list. However, some other themes emerged, such as neediness and vague career goals. So what hazards should you avoid? Here are some insights in the words of admissions directors themselves:

Dishonesty

”Finding out that the applicant lied on their application (i.e., not being truthful about a position, title, transcript etc., or not disclosing a lay-off, being fired, etc.) or did not disclose a criminal conviction.”

- Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions, Georgetown McDonough

Authenticity 

“Whilst it is important to sell yourself on your application, it is important to remain true to yourself and your achievements. When a candidate goes overboard trying to sell themselves, it raises a few eyebrows. We double check our applications, and if we find out that a candidate has been less than honest about the scale of his or her achievements – even if it was all in the name of making themselves sound a more appealing candidate – we will not be best impressed.”

Clear Interest In The School

“Another key factor in a candidate’s application is coherence. We want to attract the best, most driven candidates, and so their motivation in applying for HEC Paris MBA has to be clear. It is completely normal for a candidate to apply for more than one business school, but when someone just blindly applies to the top 25 without thinking about whether that school offers the best experience for them and their professional aspirations, it doesn’t motivate us to accept them.”

- Philippe Oster, Communication, Development & Admissions Director, HEC Paris MBA

Cultural Fit

“Every communication and information point is a valuable addition to our assessment of a candidate. We have a set of values that define us as a learning community and we look for evidence that candidates are aligned with those when assessing their fit for our school. We do not seek out behaviour to exclude applicants but instead actively seek to champion evidence that a candidate has the right ‘cultural fit’ for LBS. That is to say they demonstrate they are communal, open and engaged. We also look for candidates who we feel are likely to play an enduring role in the schools future.”

- Oliver Ashby, Senior Manager, Recruitment & Admissions, MBA Programme, London Business School

“…if we feel that the person has career goals that are simply not feasible, whether because of their lack of essential work experience, their interpersonal skills, or maybe because they want something that we don’t feel our program can help them with. We talk very frankly and honestly with applicants whose goals don’t seem to align with their experience. We explain that we want them to get a job and that we will do everything we can to help, but they may need to be flexible and be willing to work very hard to get into something they just don’t have the background for. We feel this is the only ethical way to do business – to set people up for success.”

- Christie St. John, Director of Admissions, Vanderbilt Owen

Arrogance

“We are looking for people who value the contribution and unique skills/experiences others can bring and admitting candidates who believe they are superior to others is far too damaging to the culture to be considered. This arrogance can come across in an admissions interview, sometimes in an essay, and also in reference letters.”

- Niki da Silva, Director, Recruitment & Admissions, Full Time MBA, Toronto Rotman

Rudeness

“I’m continually amazed by how some applicants every year are rude, either directly to me, or to members of the Admissions team. Examples are things like signing up for events and not attending, short, terse emails, or canceling a class visit or interview at the last minute and expecting the admissions team to be able to accommodate you at your convenience (amazingly – expecting a class visit when there are not classes, like Fridays.”

- Sara E. Neher, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions, Virginia Darden

Neediness

“Candidate has been excessive in contacting the admissions office and requesting individual attention. Too many inquiries, too many requests for one-on-one meetings or phone calls – beyond that which is appropriate. Note that we encourage candidates to engage with us. I’m referring here only to those people whose demands for individual attention are unreasonable.”

- Sherry Wallace, Director of Admissions, UNC Kenan Flagler