Top MBA Connect

Management consulting is one of the most popular career paths for MBAs. How much does a Management Consultant make? Where are the consulting jobs? Find out in our consulting edition of MBA Friday Facts.

It’s a good time to be a recruiter at a big tech company. Instead of sifting sand to find a diamond, they’re sorting diamonds to find particularly lustrous diamonds.

That also means it’s a tough time to be an applicant to a big tech company. It can feel like having an MBA from a Top 10 school is table stakes and if you haven’t created a machine learning algorithm that’s working on ending world hunger, you’re out.

Fear not. I polled my friends who career switched into big tech companies by taking detours through MBA programs and found three common themes we emphasized while applying.

When you think about MBA employers, odds are that a toy company may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But did you know that LEGO hires several MBAs for marketing roles? In fact, they have a new event designed to identify future hires -- LEGO Brand Camp.

Meet EMILY. She’s a young red-head who loves the beach and makes a living lifeguarding. Unfortunately, she is not actually human, which takes her off the market for most guys out there. But, she is capable of moving at more than 28 mph in hurricane conditions and contains Navy-derived technology capable of recognizing a flailing swimmer and moving towards them without human controls. That makes her pretty cool in my book.

Before you apply to an MBA program, it's a good idea to learn about MBA job trends, so you have an idea of the demand for MBAs in your field. Want to know which countries have the highest percentage of MBA hires, or what types of companies have had the largest increases of MBA hires? Check out this data from the 2011/12 QS Jobs & Salaries Trends Report.

As an MBA admissions consultant, business school applicants often ask me whether it is appropriate to write about a desire to change careers in their applications. Some worry that expressing an interest in doing something different will negate the professional experience they have. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Chris Darden has spent the last two years working at Homeland Security managing a $400 million IT project designed to reduce technological costs while also quickening response capabilities and coordination among Emergency Response Officials. He also serves on the West Virginia Air National Guard as a Navigator on the C-130H3 aircraft. He earned his MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in 2010. In this interview, Darden discusses how his MBA and military background have helped him in his current position and provides advice for veterans who are considering getting an MBA.

While the MBA is one of the most popular graduate degrees, it's not for everyone. Since an MBA requires a significant investment of your time and money, you need to be sure that an MBA is the right choice. An MBA may be right for you if you meet the following criteria:

Gino Marchetti is a Strategic Accounts Manager and Partner at Orion International, the nation’s largest military recruiting firm. He has a BS in Economics from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA in Finance from USC Marshall School of Business. Prior to joining Orion, he spent five years serving in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. In this interview, he offers advice for veterans who are considering getting an MBA and explains why more companies are looking to hire military MBAs.

Over the past decade, the MBA has become a rapidly developing area for talent recruitment in the luxury/retail/fashion/beauty industries. Increasingly competitive landscapes and omni-channel consumer behavior has forced companies ranging from Tiffany to Target to increase investment in product marketing, e-commerce, digital marketing, social media and CRM. As such, the range of marketing opportunities in the luxury and retail space varies as greatly as each brand’s unique selling proposition.