On Vault’s MBA blog Thursday, Madison Priest tackled a subject that will really get you thinking if you’re interested in CSR and torn between whether you should specialize in sustainability during your MBA, or just go for generic business skills.

Priest polled colleague Aman Singh Das, Vault’s corporate responsibility editor, and discovered that even though sustainability solutions require specialized knowledge and specific skill sets, executives still prize traditional business skills such as the ability to think systemically, understand complex legislation related to sustainability and financial analytic skills. 

As Singh explains from the company’s perspective: The reality of the current market is that an MBA is good for generic management skills, not specialization, when it comes to sustainability and CSR….

Companies say they don’t necessarily need someone who has done two years in-depth study on CSR guidelines and regulations. They have more value for someone who has managerial skills–someone who can lead departments and work sustainability into their role as an accountant, an analyst, etc.

Carolyn C. Wise, Vault’s senior education editor, adds her belief that when it comes to MBA specializations, you don’t want to close yourself off.

“If you’re totally set on one type of job, then absolutely specialize–particularly if you worked in that industry before…But if you are a career-changer, and you don’t know precisely where you want to go, specializations can sometimes hurt rather than help,” Wise says.

For more ideas on how to brand yourself and your specialization, and to learn Vault’s take on whether the rebounding market will generate more or fewer pure CSR jobs, read Priest’s original post here.

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The Indiana University Kelley School of Business has come up with a novel approach to MBA job hunting rooted in the classic “hero’s journey”.

Called Me, Inc., Kelley’s initiative aims to “break down” overconfident MBA candidates and reshape them as more thoughtful, self-aware and dynamic job seekers – and ultimately, more desirable job candidates.

Without a doubt, career services professionals can be of enormous assistance, but it is the MBA student who must ultimately take responsibility for his or her own success.

Me, Inc.’s premise is that just as a literary protagonist must embark on an adventure, face challenges, follow the guidance of mentors, experience failure and engage in honest introspection before triumphing…so too must a job seeker.

Next week, the incoming Class of 2012 students will participate in Me, Inc.’s four-day immersion program that emphasizes self-discovery and self-improvement as precursors to not simply landing “the perfect job,” but determining what that means in the first place – by the students learning about themselves and developing their own personal brands, a spokesperson for the school reveals.

Elements of Me, Inc. include:

• Roughly 60 hours of student “pre-work”, much of which consists of self-assessment exercises designed to help build a personal brand.

• Students rank how they would fare in a hypothetical hiring situation for a specific position (i.e., be interviewed, waitlisted or declined). Kelley instructors then advise how a recruiter might actually rank them, based on knowledge of the student and the opportunity at hand. The outcomes may stun many students, but the counsel also includes concrete recommendations on how they can improve or stay on top.

• “Netiquette” workshop to ensure appropriate use of social media for job-related networking.

• Former Olympic athletes and trainers will conduct dual seminars on using coaches to achieve your goals and inspiring others to succeed.

• Faculty and staff will work with students to develop individualized action plans to guide development of job-hunting skills throughout the entire b-school experience.

“Students come to business school because they’re ambitious and want to accelerate their professional growth, but this approach offers them a better understanding of who they are personally, what they truly want and how to work toward being well positioned to achieve those goals,” explains Ray Luther, associate director of Graduate Career Services at the Kelley School.

“We’re excited about the students’ enthusiasm for this rigorous program, which will give them a narrative to follow as they pursue their individual paths to success.”

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With the online application now live, MBA admission season has officially begun at Kellogg School of Management.  Erika Murphy, assistant director of admissions, posted a blog update yesterday with details on what’s in store for her team in the coming weeks/months.

Currently, admissions is preparing for lots of international and domestic recruiting travel, with off-campus recruiting events scheduled around the globe meeting with prospective students from now through the end of October. “As you can see, we are spending a substantial amount of time on the road bringing Kellogg to you,” writes Murphy, adding that an extensive on-campus visit program allows prospective applicants to experience life at Kellogg for themselves.

The full schedule of on-campus events resumes on September 27^th, says Murphy, and until then the school will continue to hold on-campus information sessions. No registration is needed for the on-campus visit program, where you can observe a class, have lunch with a student, attend an information session, take a building/campus tour, and much more.

All you need to do is check-in at the Admission Office and you will be ready to experience Kellogg.  Visitors should note that the campus visit program is not offered on Wednesdays.

If you’re ready to begin preparing and submitting your application, take a look at our Kellogg essay tips; or consider purchasing the Kellogg School of Management Essay Guide for MBA Applications by Stacy Blackman Consulting. This invaluable tool analyzes the qualities that Kellogg is seeking, dissects their application and provides pointed tips as well as samples from successful essays.

Best of luck with all of your applications!

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Harvard Business School announced the launch on Youtube last week of a new video series on the 2+2 Program. This innovative program aimed at college juniors is called HBS 2+2 because it entails two years of work, then two years of immersion in the full-time MBA program.

A Word From Admissions

HBS 2+2: The Application Process

The Harvard Business School Channel on Youtube has a handful of other videos related to this program, so if this is something you’d be interested in, be sure to watch the entire series for the complete scoop.

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There are many reasons to choose a top-ranked business school for your MBA program, and given the substantial investment, future financial compensation certainly makes it to the top of the list for many people. 

Bloomberg BusinessWeek partnered with PayScale to rank the top business schools based on how much their MBA alumni earn in two years, 10 years and 20 years. As might be expected, the top-ranked—and most expensive—MBA programs produce the highest-salaried grads over the span of their careers, according to the research.

So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 Highest Paid Business School Alumni:

1. Harvard Business School
Median career total compensation for Harvard graduates: $3,867,903

2. University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
Median career total compensation for Wharton graduates: $3,491,372

3. Columbia Business School
Median career total compensation for Columbia graduates: $3,349,669

4. Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Median career total compensation for Stanford graduates: $3,327,145

5. Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business
Median career total compensation for Tuck graduates: $3,146,031

6. Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management
Median career total compensation for Kellogg graduates: $3,085,680

7. MIT Sloan School of Management
Median career total compensation for Sloan graduates: $3,031,132

8. University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
Median career total compensation for Booth graduates: $2,970,437

9. University of California at Berkeley, Haas School of Business
Median career total compensation for Haas graduates: $2,960,527

10. New York University, Stern School of Business
Median career total compensation for Stern graduates: $2,918,748

To learn more about the methodology behind this research, as well as how regional, industry and economic issues affect the outcome, read the original article on Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

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