1. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without modification and with all copyright and trademark attributions included. Skills for Success Analysis of Graduate Business School Alumni Sabeen Sheikh Manager, Survey Research Graduate Management Admission Council ®

2. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Table of Contents Gap Analysis of Skills: Value vs. Satisfaction –Value of Skills for Current Job –Satisfaction With Skills Learned in B-School Alumni Industries of Employment –Skill Assessment Rankings, by Industry Alumni Job Level Analysis –Alumni Job Levels, by Industry –Top 5 Most Valued Skills, by Job Level Alumni Job Classification Analysis –Top 5 Most Valued Skills, by Job Classification

3. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Gap Analysis: Value vs. Satisfaction The eight business skills that graduate management alumni rated as highly valuable to their current job performance were also the same areas in which alumni indicated the greatest levels of satisfaction with their business school education. Generative thinking Managing tools & technology Knowledge of technology, design and production Knowledge of human behavior and society Managing administrative activitiesManaging human capital Managing the task environment Foundation skills Interpersonal skills Managing decision making processes Knowledge of general business functions Managing strategies and innovation

4. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Interpersonal skills, the ability to manage the decision-making process, and generative thinking were the skills alumni ranked most valuable in the performance of their current job. Value of Skills for Current Job (Percentage Extremely Valuable/Very Valuable)

5. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Satisfaction With Skills Learned in B-School Knowledge of general business functions and managing strategies and innovation were areas where alumni indicated the greatest levels of satisfaction with their business school education. (Percentage Extremely Satisfied/Very Satisfied)

6. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Alumni Industries of Employment Three market or industry sectors accounted for 53% of alumni employment. Slightly more than a fifth of alumni indicated they work in the finance/accounting sectors, followed by 17% in products/services, and 15% in consulting.

7. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings, by Industry: Finance & Accounting Alumni employed in the finance and accounting industries indicated that interpersonal skills contributed the greatest value to their job performance, followed by generative thinking skills and ability to manage decision-making processes. They were most satisfied that their education prepared them to manage strategies and innovation and contributed to their knowledge of general business functions.

8. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings, by Industry: Products & Services Alumni in the products and services industry rated interpersonal skills as the most valuable skill related to performance of their jobs. One-third of these alumni expressed the greatest satisfaction with the skills and knowledge they gained of general business functions through their graduate management education.

9. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings, by Industry: Consulting Similar to alumni working in products and services industries, alumni working in consulting fields ranked interpersonal skills as the most valuable skill affecting job performance. Similar to the finance and accounting field, they also ranked managing decision making processes and generative thinking as extremely valuable job skills. Alumni in consulting fields were most satisfied that their graduate management education developed their skills in managing strategies and innovation and their knowledge of general business functions

10. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings by Industry : Technology Alumni in various industries, including technology, rank interpersonal skills as the most valuable skill for job performance. Alumni in technology fields were extremely satisfied their education provided knowledge of general business functions. Although they also rated managing the decision-making process as a highly valuable job skill, they derived more satisfaction from other components of their graduate management education.

11. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings by Industry: Health Care/Pharmaceuticals Interpersonal skills were the most valuable skills used on the job by alumni in the health care industry. Alumni were most satisfied that their graduate management education prepared them to manage strategies and innovation. Skills that prove most valuable to these alumni on the job, however, do not closely parallel the skills and knowledge areas in which they were most satisfied during their graduate management education.

12. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings, by Industry: Manufacturing Interpersonal skills were rated as the most valuable on-the-job skills according to alumni employed in the manufacturing industry. These alumni indicated they were most satisfied with the knowledge of general business functions they acquired during their education, even though this business area was not among the top five skills these alumni considered most valuable to their current job.

13. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings by Industry: Nonprofit/Government Interpersonal skills were rated as the most valuable job skills according to alumni employed in the nonprofit/government sectors of the economy. These alumni indicated they were most satisfied with the knowledge of general business functions they acquired during their education. This area of general business knowledge, however, was not among the top five skills these alumni considered most valuable to their current job.

14. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Skill Assessment Rankings, by Industry: Energy/Utilities Interpersonal skills are the most valuable job skills for many alumni in various industries, including energy/utilities. Similar to other industries, these alumni were extremely satisfied their education provided knowledge of general business functions. Managing the decision- making process was also ranked a top job skill, yet this knowledge area was not ranked among the most satisfying components of graduate management education for these alumni.

15. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Alumni Job Level Analysis The majority of alumni worked in mid-level positions and more than a quarter held senior-level positions.

16. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Alumni Job Levels by Industry A majority of alumni reported being employed in mid-level career positions. Across all industries, about a quarter of alumni indicated being employed at a senior level.

17. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Top 5 Most Valued Skills, by Job Level For alumni working in entry-level or mid-level jobs, interpersonal skills contributed the most value to job performance. Alumni employed in senior- and executive-level positions placed the most value on the ability to manage the decision-making process. Entry Level Interpersonal skills Generative thinking Managing decision making processes Foundation skills Managing the task environment Mid-Level Interpersonal skills Managing the decision making process Generative thinking Managing strategies and innovation Knowledge of general business functions Senior Level Managing decision making processes Interpersonal skills Generative thinking Managing strategies and innovation Knowledge of general business functions Executive Level Managing the decision making process Managing strategies and innovation Generative thinking Strategic system skills Managing human capital

18. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Alumni Job Classification Analysis Most alumni classified their current positions as managerial or professional.

19. ©2009 Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). All rights reserved. Source: April 2009 Alumni Perspectives Survey; Available at http://www.gmac.com/research Top 5 Most Valued Skills, by Job Classification Administrative Interpersonal skills Managing the decision making process Knowledge of general business functions Managing administrative activities Generative thinking Operational Managing decision making processes Managing strategies and innovation Interpersonal skills Generative thinking Knowledge of general business functions Technical Generative thinking Managing decision making processes Interpersonal skills Managing tools and technology Knowledge of technology products and design Professional Managing decision making processes Interpersonal skills Generative thinking Managing strategies and innovation Knowledge of general business functions Managerial Managing human capital Managing decision making processes Generative thinking Interpersonal skills Strategic system skills Based on alumni job classifications, the skills most valuable for current job performance varied across the board; however, managing decision-making processes ranked first or second. Interpersonal skills were the next most highly valued skill across all job classifications.