IESE MBA Graduates Drawn to Europe, Consulting, Finance – and Change

IESE’s newestMBAs re-entered the job market ready for major change in their careers, and many took up positions in consulting and finance in Europe, trends in the Employment Report 2017 show.

More than 90% of the Class of 2017 had a firm full-time job offer within three months of graduation. In beginning their new jobs, 85% of students said they changed at least one major aspect of their career – either location or function or sector – and a good number changed more than one.

The Employment Report 2017 showed that Europe continued to draw many IESE graduates: 63% took up work in the continent. Of that, 29% opted to stay in Spain, reflecting a continued recovery in the Spanish job market. Other regions also attracted a large number of students, with 15% headed to Asia and 11% to Latin America.

By sector, 27% of graduates went into consulting and 17% decided to work in financial services; another 56% of students went to work in companies outside these sectors. Of those, an increasing number are following careers in technology and e-commerce; consumer goods and retail saw significant increases.

Career Forums: A Golden Opportunity

And these success rates are unlikely to go down. The fall edition of the MBA Career Forum starts on Monday, with more than 40 companies coming to the Barcelona campus in search of talent.

Through Wednesday, MBA students will take part in personal interviews, coffees with companies, conferences and other networking activities in this event organized by MBA Career Services. Recruiters range from tech giants Google, Microsoft and Amazon; to fashion houses Desigual and H&M; to consumer goods makers Pepsico and Johnson & Johnson; to construction firm Hilti. Consulting and finance powerhouses such as Citi, McKinsey, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Roland Berger will also be present.

This week’s Career Forum is just one of the many events organized throughout the year, some of which are carried out in cooperation with other leading European business schools such as the London Business School and INSEAD.

Here are some highlights:

• Asia Career Fair with LBS, HEC and Rotterdam School of Management | Barcelona, November 4-5, 2017
• Latam Career Fair with LBS and INSEAD | London, November 11-12, 2017
• Retail & Luxury Fair | Barcelona, March 3, 2018
• Asia Career Summit | Singapore, March 26-30, 2018