MBA is one of the most popular post-graduation courses among students nowadays. Several students after their graduation from various streams or fields choose to pursue an MBA for better career prospects. With the increasing number of MBA graduates every year, the market has become highly competitive for MBA freshers. Thus, students must start working on their personal and professional development from the beginning of their MBA program to get a job in one of the top MNCs after an MBA.
Also, the global business landscape is constantly changing with new trends arriving in the market every now and then. Multi-National Companies seek to hire MBA graduates that can stay abreast with the fast-paced industry and keep up with the changing trends and practices. The competition to get hired by renowned companies gets more intense for the MBA freshers. The top class organizations look for MBA freshers who have talent, skills, knowledge, and intrinsic traits in tandem with the contemporary market demands. Students pursuing an MBA should equip themselves with the skills and qualities that will help them perform in the future world of work and build a successful career. To help MBA students and freshers acquire the right skills that top MNCs seek in a hire, we are going to list the 5 most sought-after skills by the top companies, in this blog.
Let’s have a look at the most in-demand skills of MBA graduates that companies give preference to at the time of recruitment.
1. Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal or soft skills make to the top of the list of skills that employers want in MBA freshers. Interpersonal skills include verbal and non-verbal communication, adept listening, assertiveness, decision-making, and negotiation skills. These skills come in handy for MBA professionals working in various managerial positions. MBA freshers would require excellent interpersonal skills to carry out roles and responsibilities associated with managerial positions. World-class companies prefer to hire candidates with finer interpersonal skills as MBA professionals are required to interact and coordinate with various stakeholders (clients, partners, colleagues) and having these skills will enable them to execute their work effectively. Also, acquiring interpersonal skills helps MBA freshers to move up their careers at a fast pace and gives them an upper hand in leadership roles.
2. Strategic Thinking
Top class companies while hiring for higher management positions look for MBA freshers who demonstrate the trait of strategic thinking. A professional working at a higher management level is required to take important decisions and create effective business plans. This is the reason why strategic thinking and the ability to plan immaculately are the two major qualities that employers seek in MBA graduates to hire them for important roles in an organization.
To execute any business idea, MBA professionals need to develop a strong strategy and create a plan around it. Thus, having strategic thinking would help an MBA fresher to drive valuable results which in turn would drive their career growth. Students who are planning to enrol for an MBA program must choose an institute that facilitates them to acquire valuable skills. St. Andrews Institute of Technology & Management is a prestigious institute that offers an MBA program inclusive of additional skill-based courses. SAITM’s MBA empowers students to start their careers with top MNCs by providing the right opportunities.
3. Problem Solving Skills
As an MBA professional, you are bound to encounter several roadblocks in your work life. Thus, it is very important for an MBA fresher to possess adequate problem-solving skills. Top MNCs like Ernst & Young, McKinsey & Company, BCG, Accenture, that hire MBA graduates for important management roles, look for candidates that can overcome challenges at the workplace and grow through them. Whether the problem is simple or complex, MBA graduates should have the ability to propose a valid solution to it. Overcoming hurdles, handling every complex situation and turning challenges into opportunities are some of the tasks included in the job roles offered to MBA freshers.
4. Communication Skills
Though communication skill is the most basic and eminent skill that an individual should have in order to have escalating career growth, it becomes even more essential for an MBA graduate to acquire an ability to communicate effectively. Effective communication is a necessity when it comes to a management job role.
MBA graduates are expected to deal with various people at the workplace working at different levels. MBA professionals while working at managerial positions coordinate with various teams and professionals to streamline work and ensure hassle-free project deliveries. Therefore, they must know how to express their thoughts and opinions clearly. Communication skill is one integral skill that companies seek in the MBA freshers while hiring them for various positions. MBA students are advised to work on their communication skills by actively taking part in discussions and debates or vocalising their ideas in the classroom or among their friends.
5. Cross-Cultural Competency
This is one skill that specifically Multi-national Companies seek in an MBA graduate to make a hire. As multi-national companies accommodate employees with different nationalities, races, religions, cultural backgrounds, ethnicity and genders, the recruiters make sure that the candidate they hire possesses cross-cultural competence. To work in a multinational organization, MBA freshers must have the ability to co-exist and get along with people from different national, regional, or cultural backgrounds. Having this ability helps MBA professionals working at MNCs to build valuable professional relationships, have cordial relations with their colleagues, and execute their work smoothly. MBA freshers are advised to build cross-cultural competency in themselves to give a potential start to their careers and seek better career growth.
Wrapping Up
With rising competition in the industry, MBA students need to gear up and work towards their future goals from the initial phase of the MBA course. Skills are not something that can be learnt in a day or two. Students can only acquire new skills over a period of time by putting in some effort. Thus, we suggest students work on themselves and develop the required skills right after they take admission to an MBA program.
As the institute or college that students choose for their MBA program plays a significant role in their overall development, it is important to choose an institute that provides quality education combined with better learning opportunities. St. Andrews Institute of Technology & Management is one such MBA institute that focuses on the overall development of students. SAITM facilitates students to grow and nurture their skills by providing industry exposure, conducting various extra-curricular activities and introducing additional courses to the curriculum. Taking admission in SAITM’s MBA program can help you acquire the right skills that top MNCs seek in an MBA fresher and enable you to flourish in your professional life.
