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Frequently Asked Questions
Note: all employment data based on full-time MBA statistics
Employment
1. What are the job prospects abroad for a United States citizen?
2. What are the job prospects in the United States for an international student who doesn't have permanent work eligibility status?
3. What are the best industries for job opportunities in today's business climate, and what companies are doing the most hiring?
Salary/Compensation
4. What is the average salary Thunderbird graduates initially earn?
Career Services Support
5. What recruiting events do you hold each year?
6. What percentage of each graduating class lands a job derived from these recruiting events and other school-facilitated activities?
7. How many companies participate in each recruiting event?
8. What services do you offer Executive MBA students?
9. What services do you offer alumni in search of a job?
1. What are the job prospects abroad for a United States citizen?
Answer. About one in 10 US work authorized graduates accept positions outside the country immediately after graduation. In 2007/2008, 16% of US work authorized graduates accepted positions abroad. Companies seeking to fill positions throughout the world focus on functional skills, interests, and cultural and language proficiencies. They often hire graduates who are either citizens of a specific country, have permanent work authorization in a country or region, or have prior living and/or work experiences in that part of the world. Remember, Thunderbird has more than 36,000 alumni working in more than 140 countries — many of whom began their careers in their home country.
2. What are the job prospects in the United States for an international student who doesn't have permanent work eligibility status?
Answer. Finding positions in the United States can be difficult for students from another part of the world. About 50% of our international students accept their first job in the U.S. (in 2007/2008, 55% of international students reported accepting positions in the U.S.). Of these, many may transfer back to their country of work authorization. Although many companies have recruited qualified students regardless of citizenship, many hire limited numbers of international students for work in the States because of the costs and challenges associated with work visas. In today's job market, companies are typically hiring citizens for positions in the United States and nationals to work in other countries where they operate.
3. What are the best industries for job opportunities in today's business climate, and what companies are doing the most hiring?
Answer. Rather than focusing on "A-list" companies or industries that appear to be hiring the most graduates today, we recommend identifying companies and industries that match well with your skill set, interests, and professional goals. Keep in mind that companies and industries with the most opportunity for immediate expansion do the most hiring.
4. What is the average salary Thunderbird graduates initially earn?
Answer. The average base salary of all Thunderbird 2007-2008 graduates is $84,295. Signing bonuses and other guaranteed compensation averaged $14,258 and $15,148. These figures include data from positions accepted in countries outside the U.S. that offer local currency salaries, denominated in U.S. dollars.
5. What recruiting events do you hold each year?
Answer. Primary recruiting events sponsored by the Thunderbird Career Management Center are Career Week in October, and the Spring Career Fair. Career Week is directed to companies recruiting for full-time positions and is scheduled to coincide with the typical MBA campus recruitment cycle. This annual five-day career building event provides companies a chance to provide information, network with students and interview selected candidates for positions, while providing students with opportunities to enhance their interviewing skills, industry knowledge and career search success.
Additionally, the Thunderbird Career Management Center coordinates seminars, industry and function overviews, guest speakers, networking events and company presentations throughout the calendar year.
Executive MBA and distance learning students are encouraged to attend all campus-based career events. In the event students cannot attend, events are recorded for online viewing at a later date whenever possible.
6. What percentage of each graduating class lands a job derived from these recruiting events and other school-facilitated activities?
Answer. Around 63% of 2007-2008 Thunderbird graduates accepted offers generated as a result of CMC activities.
7. How many companies participate in each recruiting event?
Answer. The total number of companies recruiting on the Thunderbird campus during the 2007-2008 recruiting season was 127. Seventy-five organizations participated in Thunderbird Career Fairs. Additionally, more than 500 organizations posted positions for full-time MBAs, Executive MBAs, distance learning candidates and alumni.
8. What services do you offer Executive MBA students?
Answer. Thunderbird Executive MBA students get the best of both worlds. In addition to having full access to all the career tools and services offered to traditional full-time MBA students (upon completion of the Career Management Seminar), EMBAs also have access to the CMC's Alumni Career Management Web site, including career search tools, job postings and articles about the career search for the experienced professional. See below for more information on alumni resources.
9. What services do you offer alumni in search of a job?
Answer. The Thunderbird Career Management Center (CMC) offers full-service support to recent graduates and alumni. Once you graduate, you may still access all student career management services, including personal counseling by your advisor and online job posting tools for three months. After that you may take advantage of a variety of career resources, including career job search tools, networking discussion groups, job postings and career-focused articles, all on our Alumni Career Management Resources Web site. The CMC also offers alumni a bimonthly e-mail newsletter of the latest job listings for Thunderbird working professionals.