100 Top MBA Employers

“There is no doubt that I could have passed an entrance exam for Harvard or Yale, as well as could have completed them with top scores. It is difficult for one without financially well off relatives, or scholarships to afford such luxuries.” - Posted By Homer Ferguson, Clarksville, TN

If you are so smart, you should be able to get a scholarship to study at an Ivy league school with ease.

These schools often let people who make below a certain income level to go to school for free. I believe that you should seriously consider trying to get into Harvard or Yale if you are making less than $100,000 a year. Your family may have to move but once you are done with school, you will be able to make a great income and be a better man for your family. I hope that you seriously consider doing this. There is no need to squander your talent working for less than what you are worth.

In response to people without Top MBA schools being “lazy”, I believe that is not the case. I started school after the Army and had a family. There is no doubt that I could have passed an entrance exam for Harvard or Yale, as well as could have completed them with top scores. It is difficult for one without financially well off relatives, or scholarships to afford such luxuries.
I do not scorn people who do have the opportunity, as were it me, I would have taken it. I believe that anyone who educates themselves, so long as the school is well accredited, have earned the right to not be deemed lazy or scrutinized for their school of choice or necessity. Whether you worked hard or had it virtually handed to you, we all know people who fit those categories, its how you use it that counts and there are more important things in life than making money.
Intelligence can get you there, but only wisdom can keep you happy in life.

I strongly disagree with the comment posted by Yadgyu, Harkeyville, TX because the arguments are irrelevant.

Many people who attend top MBA schools are not there because they are smart, focused and hardworking, but because they had different opportunities in life. Also a lot of top MBA students place importance on work/life balance and select their careers accordingly (i.e. management consulting vs. marketing).

Although America is supposed to be a country of freedom, progress in this society is limited by money. As I am a European who traveled across the whole globe, I am able to compare things well and comment American educational system. In addition, I study at the top MBA school and have friends attending schools that are better and worse than mine.

People who can’t afford to go to private elementary and high schools never obtain solid foundation of skills and knowledge in the early stage of their lives so they have difficulties catching up with their peers afterwards. Although this statement is true, it doesn’t relate to the majority of MBA students because people who lack basics never progress to a graduate degree level.

When it comes to college education, it is even more important to attend reputable school because of the career prospect. Like top MBA schools, top colleges have strong job placement of students and many major corporations recruit directly from those colleges. If you get a job with a major corporation upon finishing your college, you have much stronger chances to get into top MBA program. Also, having such work experience will help you land a good job after you finish your MBA.

In order to progress, it is important to have good both work experience and education. Actually, work experience is even more important. However, it is a vicious cycle because in order to get a good job, you need to attend a top school, and if you can’t afford it, your chances to succeed are restricted.

Put it this way, you can be a very average person, but if your parents have money and put you through private elementary and high school, Yale undergrad and Harvard MBA, you will definitely get a $100,000 job with a top company and will be considered smart.

If you do not go to a top 10 school to get your MBA, you are a failure.

I do not see why people who get MBAs from State U and work at unknown companies complain about the smart people who get MBAs from top schools and work for top companies. Most of the people who go to lesser schools are lazy and settle for work-life balance. The grads from the top schools put their careers ahead of fun, family, and charity. This is why they are highly successful in their careers and get paid a ton of money.

If your career is not your main priority, then you should not complain about those who make their careers their main priority. Success takes focus. If you are trying to balance your love life, your family life, your career, your hobbies, and your faith, you will not be good at anything. Only a laser-like focus on your career will result in total gratification. If you cannot do this, just settle for less and be happy with less.

Less is more, right?!?

Cargill should not have made the top 100 list. Ranked at number 88 gives them too much credit. Non-supportive upper management that is unwilling to change, stifles any MBA graduates wanting a career at Cargill. Bunge, ADM, and General Mills give a lot more opportunity for future career advancement. Seriously, consider the other companies listed above before going to Cargill.

since when did google become an e-commerce company? this just shows how ignorant people are on this thread (as well as on rankings). show this to any top mba student, and they will consider it a joke.

I think it is true that there is much more of a focus on living a balanced life. If great companies are located in more interesting locations on the West Coast and other places, then it seems no suprise that qualified MBAs would follow. Well-educated MBAs are smart enough to realize that having a life outside of work is just as important as the career.

Merrill Lynch should be number 1 not 19!

Very misleading, those salaries I think represent top schools. Your ave MBA grad is from a diploma mill and comes out making far less and continues to make far less than those salaries. Also location plays a huge part in compensation.

I don’t think the previous posters get the point. This is a wish list.

Today’s MBA’s daydream about starting their own business ASAP. Consulting has always been popular because it provided an avenue to closely observe how CEO’s tackle challenges. Google provides an opportunity to observe how startup’s tackle their challenges.

Compensation hardly figures. (I speak from experience)

Especially, if you are attending one of the top 5 MBA program; your prosperous future is already assured EVEN if Google tanks tomorrow.

Surprised to Citigroup up so high, especially when it comes to women MBAs. They say they have alot of so called “flexible options” but they don’t really apply to management positions. It is hard to keep a good management position at Citigroup and be a mother too…you would think this would be more of a priority for them..they will learn eventually. In the meantime, they will continue to lose very qualified female managers.

Karl,

It’s called the west coast.

Your report is misleading and skewed. It really should be called “The Top 100 MBA Employers For the “Alleged Top Tier MBA Students (Leaving most MBA students to take the jobs that others dont want) .

We all know that many companies look to the alleged top tier schools for candidates and won’t even consider candidates from other schools. I guess my thinking is why even have such a list and who really cares? As an MBA from an alleged 3rd tier school, I haven’t been able to be considered for employment at these companies. You put these companies on a pedastal, but sadly their twisted logic into hiring MBAs leaves little opportunity for better quality candidates from lesser-known schools. Its this kind of thinking which has continued to make corporate America shallow in its hiring practices, and produces a brain drain of real talent where it counts. I challenege any recruiter from this list to give opportunities to all MBAs. If not, you’re phoney.

I used to work for one of the consultancies listed, and it was rather disappointing. I now work for a smaller firm in industry with a significantly higher salary and great working hours. Furthermore, I still get to live in New York (most firms in industry are in dreadful locations, or at best suburbs).

Working for a prestigeous firm is simply a stepping stone, not unlike receiving an MBA. If one attends Harvard or Stanford, then such a step is unecessary. For almost everyone else, one must get a highly paid, esteemed position before prior to joining industry. Otherwise, one’s salary will take years to increase to a reasonable level.

I’m not surprised that McKinsey has been kicked out of the top spot. They have a reputation as a firm which requires 80+ hour weeks for their employees. With the focus shifting to work-life BALANCE, I’m surprised that McKinsey has stayed at the top as long as they have. Go GOOGLE!

It’s curious that Wal-Mart is of the list… It may not have the cache of Google or some of the strategy houses, but it sure is one hell of a company. Besides, where else can you work semi-normal hours, get an MBA salary, have SO many opportunities for serious responsibility early on AND get to live in a nice area?

The title is a bit misleading. The list represents the MBA graduates’ wish list of employers, not the list of actual MBA employers.

I note that the list of the top 25 is heavily weighted in favor of financial companies (7), IT (5), consulting firms (5), and consumer products companies (5). I think this is an indication of a bias in terms of where MBA candidates are recruited from (undergraduate commerce, engineering and computer science backgrounds), and the syllabus of many MBA programs (emphasising finance, accounting and marketing courses).

Where are the telecom, transportation, automotive, insurance, oil & gas, and industrial companies that make up the majority of the Fortune 500 list? I also don’t see any evidence of the new environmental consciousnes that young people are supposed to have these days.

The fact that Google, #241 on the 500 list, is the top preferred employer is perhaps not surprising since it represents the current leading edge of the new e-commerce firms. But overall the list is very conservative, and probably represents what many MBA gradutes think are their best employment prospects. However, they may be somewhat short-sighted in their assessment of employment opportunities.

Oil and gas companies make up 3 of the top 5 on the Fortune 500 list. Their current strong revenues and earnings potential, the integrated nature of their businesses, and the energy challenge facing the world these days should provide many interesting employment opportunities.

American automotive companies make up 2 of the top 10 Fortune 500. Yes, they are currently struggling, but adversity is where you sometimes find your best opportunities to contribute and excell. New automotive products such as hydrogen and hybrid technology cars represent enormous potential for future growth.

Why are these prospects not represented on the list? The fact that BMW, a non-American automotive company, makes the list is very telling of where these status-conscious young graduates are focused!

MBA graduates need to learn that there are more employment opportunities outside of the consulting and financial products industries. Those other jobs might not pay as well, but they will probably be more satisfying in the long run.

Grant Baker, MBA ‘91
Canada

Google on the top of the list for MBAs? It looks like a fad. Google is not a consultant company where the work is most interesting. Google is just a search engine company not even talking about rumors coming out of it despite their strict NDA about compensation packages.

Cisco is missing on the list?? mmmm