“The fact that recruiters are closer – zero distance – to their end customer means they get a clearer sense of what professionalism is, what’s needed to solve problems… One of the reasons I love working with our young consultants is that I believe there are certain behaviors, certain skills you can learn to accelerate and gain competence faster. A year of good consulting experience can be worth 2-3 years of industry experience if you get the right experiences.“

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With 200,000 MBAs graduating each year, are business schools preparing “career ready” employees?

In a sweeping survey of 10,000 recruiters, 3,000 business school students (both MBAs and undergraduates), and 500 business school career center leaders, Jeff Kavanaugh found that all three constituencies had different perceptions of what’s important and where they stand.

Darren and Jeff discuss the 4 main skills recruiters are looking for, where business school graduates are perceived as falling short, and what you can do to boost your employability. Jeff also shares what competencies consulting firms are looking for from MBAs, and what non-consultants can do to break into the industry.

About Our Guest

Jeff Kavanaugh is a Senior Partner at Infosys Consulting, where he heads North American recruiting at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Dallas, where he teaches Developing Customer Insights, a course focused on critical and creative thinking. Jeff got his undergraduate degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and MBA from the University of North Texas.

Show Notes

• Are Students Getting the Most from MBA Programs?
• Consulting Essentials: The Art and Science of People, Facts, and Frameworks
• JeffKavanaugh.net – tips, techniques and wisdom that consultants need to learn the skills necessary to thrive in their work.