Industry-Ready Skills You Gain by Earning an M.B.A. (That Recruiters Love)

Students using mobile phones and laptops

An M.B.A., or a Master of Business Administration, is more than just an advanced degree. It gives you skills that you can strategically use to take your career to new heights. 

92%

of corporate recruiters expect to hire M.B.A. graduates this year.

According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s Corporate Recruiter’s Survey.

The top three skills listed by recruiters are communication skills, strategic thinking, and versatility.

1. Communication Skills

Chand Karla infront of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

An M.B.A. requires you to present your ideas effectively in a variety of settings and work seamlessly across different groups. While technical abilities are important, without being able to communicate, your ideas and skills won’t be understood or appreciated. For example, to pursue a career as a consultant, you need to be able to articulate clearly and present information to stakeholders who are on tight schedules.

Just take a look at Chand Kalra. He honed his skills through earning his M.B.A. at St. John’s and is now a junior consultant in Manhattan.

2. Strategic Thinking

During your graduate studies, you’re exposed to a variety of business functions. You learn to think across industries and apply what you’ve learned to see business problems and tackle them strategically. By learning how to see the big picture, think holistically, and understand how each part of a business works together, you provide a substantial benefit to any employer.

Jasmine Batacan

St. John’s alumna Jasmin Batacan 21TCB, '22MBA understands the importance of strategic thinking in the business world. She credits her time at the University with helping her strengthen her ability to view problems holistically.

“When you are faced with a challenging situation, it is important to first take a step back and analyze the best way to handle it instead of just doing something rash,” she said. “Reflect on all of the possible outcomes.”

Another opportunity for real-world application of strategic thinking while earning your M.B.A. at St. John’s University is the Pitch Johnny competition. As a part of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, students can participate in a semester-long competition to pitch their business idea and earn money to grow their innovations. This allows you to think strategically (and add to your communication skills) by pitching an idea that solves a problem, offer your point of view on how your idea can improve on the issues at hand, and begin launching a business. By the time you finish your M.B.A., you have real-world, tangible practice in being able to think holistically and solve business problems.

3. Versatility

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chiddy's Cheesesteaks

When you take the necessary steps toward earning an M.B.A., you learn to balance complex tasks and workload. You pivot from classes to social engagements to small study groups. Each time you put on a different ‘hat’ by interacting with different groups. By learning to be versatile, adapting to scenarios and varying circumstances easily, you become a strong addition to any company. This versatility allows you to juggle multiple tasks while prioritizing to ensure you keep the most important work at the forefront.

Michael T. Chidester ’98 MBA said his M.B.A. helped him become more versatile.

“It’s essential to prepare for the unknown and the unexpected,” he explained. “The group work that makes up the majority of the St. John’s M.B.A. curriculum demonstrates the benefit of incorporating a variety of inputs to build the best solution. Graduate school provided that for me.”

Gain Skills with an M.B.A. from St. John’s University

At St. John’s University you gain these three highly sought-after skills (and more) when you earn your M.B.A.

St. John's M.B.A.

No matter your career stage, with four types of M.B.A. programs and numerous concentrations, St. John’s helps you expand your skills and impress recruiters.