Assessing the Recruiter Demand for Graduates With Non-Business Bachelor Degrees and a Master in Management (MiM)

Abstract: The current study addresses the proposal that students with a non-business bachelor’s degree and a masters in management (MiM) possess a profile that is T-shaped; as a result of, gaining general managerial knowledge in a MiM program (top of the T) and in-depth knowledge as a result of an undergraduate degree from a specific degree field (vertical part of the T). The key concepts that we focus on are, the abilities that students have and if they match T-shaped abilities found in literature and the demand for these abilities at global companies. The study design included interviews with over 10 experience recruiters from some of today’s global companies, as well as, current MiM students taken from a sample of international students studying at the Lund University School of Economics and Management. The study found that, T-shaped abilities are in demand by companies; however, the demand differs according to job position. Recruiters say that the MiM graduate is an interesting profile; however, for most companies both consulting and non-consulting the undergraduate degree is a strong indicator of job placement. The majority of students from the MiM program say that they are T-shaped individuals and they give reasons for why they think they are T-shaped; however, only a few students say that they got their T-shaped abilities from the program. Most students say that they had their T-shaped abilities strengthened as a MiM student and we conclude that experiential learning develops t-shaped abilities. The outcome of our study contributes to the understanding of how t-shaped relates to the MiM program by concluding that the MiM is not the top of the T, but just one experience that might lead to becoming T-shaped.