BOOM TIME FOR MBAS IN US AS COMPANY RECRUITMENT SOARS

This recruiting season at top US business schools is the most competitive since the bursting of the technology bubble, as private equity firms, hedge funds, and real estate companies join investment banks and other traditional seekers of young talent.
According to school officials, not only has the number of companies recruiting at business schools increased, these companies are also making more visits to campus, and devoting more time and effort to wooing newly minted MBAs.
Recruiting at business schools reached its peak in 1999, but after the technology boom subsided, recruiting and hiring was lacklustre for several years. It has recently started to pick up, and this spring, it is “the healthiest in years”, according to Jonathan Masland, of Tuck School's Career Development office at Dartmouth College.
“Things were still better during the bubble than they are today, but that was irrational,” said Mr Masland. “There is a heightened amount of competition among firms for top MBA talent.”
For instance, the number of companies that came to Tuck this year increased roughly 30 per cent from last year, while the number of office hours offered by companies that recruit at the school was up nearly 70 per cent from the year before.
While big banks and consultancies conduct most recruiting at business schools, boutique investment management groups and real estate companies have recently become a strong presence. In addition, said Mr Masland, consumer packaged goods companies such as Pepsi, as well as information technology companies such as Google and Microsoft, had also ratcheted up management recruiting.
Janet Raiffa, an MBA recruiter for Goldman Sachs, described this year's recruiting season as “extremely competitive” with “more students getting multiple offers”. “Firstly, the market is very strong, and many banks are growing the size of their US programmes,” she said. “Secondly, more financial services employers are expanding internationally and seeking MBAs for a wider array of global locations.”

美国MBA毕业生抢手

今年美国顶级商学院的招聘季节是自科技泡沫爆裂以来最火爆的一次，因为私人股本公司、对冲基金和房地产公司也加入了投资银行和其它传统公司对年轻人才的争夺战。
商学院官员表示，不仅赴商学院招聘的公司数量有所增多，这些公司的造访学校的次数也在增多，它们正付出更多时间和努力，来争夺新毕业的MBA。
1999年，商学院招聘活动曾达到顶峰，但科技热潮消退后，招聘活动经历了数年的黯淡时期。达特茅斯学院(Dartmouth College)塔克商学院(Tuck School of Business)职业发展办公室(Career Development office)的乔纳森•马斯兰德(Jonathan Masland)表示，最近招聘活动开始增多，今年春季是“数年来形势最好”的招聘季节。
“泡沫时期的状况仍好于目前，但那是不理性的，”马斯兰德表示，“公司对优秀MBA人才的竞争已升级。”
例如，今年，赴塔克商学院招聘的公司数量较去年增加约30%，招聘企业在该校举行的见面会数量也较去年增加了近70%。
尽管大型银行和咨询公司的商学院招聘活动最多，但专业投资管理集团和房地产公司最近的表现却相当抢眼。另外，马斯兰德表示，百事(Pepsi)等日用消费品公司、谷歌(Google)和微软(Microsoft)等IT公司也已逐步加大了管理人才的招聘。
高盛(Goldman Sachs)MBA招聘主管珍妮特•赖法(Janet Raiffa)将今年的招聘季节描述为“极具竞争性”，“更多的学生得到了多份工作邀请”。“首先，市场非常强劲，许多银行正扩大其美国项目的规模，”她表示，“其次，更多的金融服务公司正进行全球性扩张，为更多的全球办事处物色MBA。”