94% of IESE MBAs get a job in three months, one-third make triple jump

Despite the pandemic causing widespread disruption to job markets across the globe, the career prospects of IESE MBAs continue to look bright.

In fact, 94% of IESE MBAs secured a job offer within three months after graduation, according to the latest MBA employment report. What´s more, around a third of the class leveraged their experience at IESE to make a notoriously tricky “triple jump” career change – meaning that they changed industry, job function and geography all at once.

The report highlights how IESE remains a destination of choice for top recruiters, with the school connecting more than 400 leading companies with IESE talent over the last year through a number of activities and structured recruitment activities.

ABInBev, Amazon, Bain & Company, BCG, Citi, McKinsey & Company, Novartis and Pepsico were among the top recruiters for the MBA class of 2021, which comprises 364 students, 31% of them women, of 56 different nationalities.

MBA career trends

According to the 2021 employment report, Consulting remains the most popular destination for IESE MBAs, attracting 34% of the Class of 2021 who are seeking employment (and surpassing pre-pandemic numbers). Finance (25%) and Industry (24%) were the next most popular sectors, followed by Technology (17%). Within the industrial sector, healthcare was the most popular choice, with 10% heading into that industry.

In terms of geography, the 2021 report shows that Europe (excluding Spain) was the most sought-after region to work in, with 26% of graduates accepting jobs there. Following closely behind was Latin America (22%), followed by Asia-Pacific (20%) and Spain (20%), and then Middle East & Africa (7%) and North America (5%).

However, the most notable trend was that of career change. As well as 33% of the class changing their job function, geography and sector in one go, in total 72% changed their function, 62% their geography and 61% their industry.

Studying an MBA at IESE has proved a powerful platform for people thinking of switching careers, thanks to the access it provides to a dedicated career development center with expertise in many different sectors and geographies, as well as a variety of training, support, advice and mentorship opportunities.

The option to take a corporate internship (or work on your own entrepreneurship project) in the summer between the first and second year of the MBA, also enables career changers to test and get experience in their new field.

One example of such a career changer is Alix Chausson who pre-MBA was working in the UK as a vendor manager for Amazon. She decided to study an MBA at IESE after realizing her dream job was radically different from the sector and role she had at the time.

“I arrived at IESE with a laser focus: to work in a venture role in foodtech – specifically in alternative proteins – post MBA”, she says.

She is now working in Germany as a senior associate for Evig Group, a foodtech company, and credits IESE with her move.

“This was a radical shift from my pre-MBA work and I strongly believe that my two years at IESE provided me with solid foundations for this unusual transition. As a committee member of the Tech Club, I put together and moderated a panel with foodtech experts where the exposure to investors and entrepreneurs was a fantastic opportunity to further my transition.”

Career support adapted to the pandemic

In addition to its usual activities, IESE´s career development center has also been agile to support students throughout the pandemic by offering a variety of new activities and dedicated resources adapted to the current context. This includes new informative and training sessions on topics such as virtual interviewing and networking, among others.

Several of IESE´s popular career events also shifted online to connect recruiters with IESE MBA & MiMs in a virtual space, amplifying their impact.

IESE´s Virtual Career Forum is one of Europe´s leading MBA recruiting events, and responsible for more than 70% of each year´s employment figures. Taking place twice a year, the forum gives participants access to company presentations, one-to-one interviews with recruiters, coffee chats and a multitude of networking opportunities. The next edition takes place on February 8 and 9.

Download the 2021 MBA employment report