Employers Value Abilities of MU MBA Students

Wall Street Journal rankings reflect Crosby MBA Program's success in producing capable leaders.

Here's a startling statistic: the average length of employment with one company is less than five years. For students about to enter the job market, this means they need to see the whole employment landscape and what it offers. For companies, it means they are always on the look-out for new hires able to plunge right into the task at hand.

A Good Recommendation

The Crosby MBA Program works hard to prepare students for employment and link them to companies where they will excel. The work paid off last fall when The Wall Street Journal ranked the program 28th in the nation among regional MBA programs, third highest among Big 12 universities, and 19th among combined national and regional lists.

The ratings represent survey results among business recruiters, who evaluate students and MBA programs on 21 criteria. "The recruiters ask themselves questions such as, 'Are students prepared? Would we hire them again?'" says Gina Mauller, director of MBA career services and corporate relations, who works with students and the people who recruit them to provide graduate-level professional development programs.

The rankings compiled by The Wall Street Journal are also consistent with the recruiter assessment section of the 2008 rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, in which MU's MBA program was ranked int the top 20 among all public and private institutions on the recruiter assessment criterion.

Offering Opportunities

Alicia Busse, MBA '04, occasionally helps her employer, a St. Louis-based consulting company, CBIZ, find prospective employees. She also works with Crosby MBA students to prepare them for careers in business. She's been involved in new student orientation employer panels and professional development workshops on topics such as "how to work a career fair" and "how to present yourself."

As a recent graduate, she's acutely aware of changing trends in business culture. "The program does a good job of offering different opportunities that encourage students to become well-rounded," Busse says. "For instance, students get to work with people (fellow students and faculty) from several different cultural backgrounds, which helps put them at ease when they work abroad or encounter the multicultural work force in America."

Proper etiquette when dealing with other cultures is just one facet of the professional development goals of the Crosby MBA program. "We're not a placement office. We don't perform magic," cautions Mauller. "We support, advise, and coach, and most of all, we provide the tools the students need to manage a lifelong career plan." Additionally, Mauller tries to assess a student as recruiters would and train for the skills they demand.

Personalized Balance

The words "skills" and "balance" crop up often when Busse and Mauller describe the Crosby MBA Program. Business graduates seek balance in their careers, Busse says. Mauller helps prepare them by offering programs that combine academic and work experience, for example, or business skills and community involvement.

"We also conduct an online assessment for all new MBA students that help them determine their values, interests, and skills," Mauller says. "When it comes time to choose a career, this helps them avoid the herd mentality of going into whatever field happens to be trendiest."

To help graduate students further refine their career interests, students take part in two to four company site visits per semester to get a taste for a company's culture. They also have the opportunity to be matched with an alumni mentor in the business community who they shadow at work and who provide one-on-one critiques on everything from resume writing to interview skills. Mauller engages recruiters and alumni to serve on discussion panels and to participate in career fairs to connect directly with the students.

"I take a book of students' resumes with me whenever I meet with recruiters," Mauller says. The hefty books helps company recruiters match their business needs with students' interests and skill sets. Sometimes the match leads to an internship or employment.

Making an Immediate Impact

Ron Frazier is executive vice president of CIBER State and Local Government, a Denver-based IT consulting company. Frazier, BS BA '81 and MBA '86, serves on the Crosby MBA Advisory Board, mentors graduate students, and sets up internships for them with CIBER. "It is unbelievable the energy they bring to an organization," Frazier says. "The everyday things we take for granted are learning experiences for the students. They bring a fresh perspective to the job."

What impresses Frazier most about working with Crosby MBA students is the diversity of their business knowledge. Last summer an intern was able to make major contributions with financial analysis during a major client negotiation.

Frazier has also helped students find jobs that match their skills and interests. With Frazier's guidance, John Pelikan, MBA '07, landed a job in investment banking in Colorado, his chosen field and destination. Last year, Frazier was awarded the college's Citation of Merit for his financial and professional support.

From Immediacy to Longevity

The changing employment landscape and increased career mobility makes such networking essential in the business world. Regardless of the specific company or industry graduates choose, the Crosby MBA Program helps prepare, polish, and deliver emerging professional leaders to succeed in the general workforce right out of the gate.