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Editorial - London Business School
Blair Beavis dealt with recruitment, training
and development at Morgan Stanley for eight
years. She has since joined London Business
School, managing the provision of Career
Services for the Masters in Management.
Her experiences have given her a good
understanding of the recruitment processes
across different companies, what top
graduate employers look for and the major
development needs of today's students.
What are the diffi culties encountered by
graduates trying to enter the current job
market?
The market has always been competitive,
but now it is more so: increasing numbers of
students are graduating and fewer positions
are available. Companies are increasingly
looking for a Masters qualification - people
are looking for students who have gone the
extra mile. Graduates must differentiate
themselves with an application that stands out
and a CV which opens that first door.
What skills might students not have gained
at undergraduate level, which could prevent
that door from being opened?
The resounding comment of major employers
and recruiters has been that students' courses
can be too theoretical. Junior employees have
a high intellectual capacity, but their ability
to start functioning quickly within a business
is often hampered by their lack of practical
business skills. We are speaking to global
companies, and the skills students will gain
from London Business School's Masters in
Management - entrepreneurship, leadership,
presentation skills and networking - are
critical to those companies.
How will the London Business School
network help students to advance their
career?
There are over 28,000 alumni globally who
students can connect with through the Alumni
Network or on-campus through the school
clubs, all of whom are already experienced
professionals in their own field. We place a
significant emphasis on networking skills in
our programme because, regardless of the
industry sector, the ability to build face-toface
relationships will be important for the
duration of your career. As a brand, London
Business School will help students a huge
amount.
How will the Masters in Management
enhance students' employment prospects?
Career Services support for this programme
is extensive. Dedicated Career and Skills
Coaches support students, whilst the Career
Services Team identifi es opportunities
across a diverse range of sectors which
includes finance, consulting, media, industry,
energy, government and advertising, to
name but a few. In response to employer
feedback, we developed a Training and
Development module, which is unusual in
that it constitutes a fundamental part of the
Masters in Management curriculum. Students
explore different sectors to decide where
their interests lie, and we then discuss with
them what different companies look for. We
run CV and cover letter workgroups, sessions
on assessment centres, mock interviews and
case studies, and employers will also come
in to speak to students about which skills
they need to develop to improve their career
prospects. Furthermore, our relationships
with companies and our access to different
corporations will enable them to build
relationships through events such as Careers
Week, Business Immersion Week and our
Guest Speaker Series.
How can the Masters in Management create
opportunities for graduates in the current
economic climate?
The fact that it is taught in a practical
business style is very attractive to employers,
as well as the fact that we interview and that
students take the GMAT. They recognise
our rigorous selection process takes only the
best candidates and are very impressed with
the student profi le. The economic situation
means that teams are smaller and companies
are looking for people who go beyond the
role they were hired to do. The variety and
intensity of this course will prepare students to
fulfil employers' expectations in that respect,
because we are giving them the core financial
and organisational skills in conjunction with
a general understanding of how businesses
function. Companies are looking for graduates
who understand the bigger picture and can
use their initiative to identify opportunities
and streamline businesses: this course will
teach them to do that.
For more information on the Masters in
Management email:
or visit our website at:
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