These days, owing to the popularity of online business administration degrees and MBA courses, there are more people than ever who have the opportunity to become highly qualified in business. This means that as an employer, even if your business is small, you are more likely to run into candidates with these qualifications on their resumes. However, just what do you learn on an MBA course or even an online bachelors in business, and just what can that bring to a business like yours?
Here, we are going to look at what people with an academic background in business, especially those with an MBA, bring with them, and why they are worth considering as important assets when you are hiring:
A Balanced Background
One of the most important things someone with an MBA under their belts will have is a very well rounded knowledge of most areas of business and management. You may not think this is necessary to do the job you are recruiting for – for instance to head up one department, but knowing the inner workings and reasoning behind strategic decisions, and the way other areas of your business such as marketing work, will make them fill their role better, whatever it may be. It will also make them someone who can mentor their own reporting staff in areas outside the direct hire roles, helping better prepare them for promotion or inter-departmental work.
Applied Knowledge
To even start doing an MBA, a person is required to have a few years of relevant work experience in a related job. This means that they are not just people with a theoretical understanding of how business works, but also people who can relate their academic learnings to real world situations. This means that even if they are fresh from doing their masters, they will be able to begin applying their knowledge in your business from the outset, and that can lead to positive changes.
Connections
Another thing that most people who have done an MBA bring to the table which should never be underestimated is good connections. An MBA course is an exceptional place to network with other people who will become senior executives or business leaders, and even when people have taken their MBA online they will have been encouraged to get to know others on their course. Someone with good business connections can introduce you to new customers, suppliers or partners or even other potential new hires, and can expand your company’s professional network – something that can be especially important in B2B companies and SMEs who rely a lot on suppliers or third parties.
Although academic qualifications are never the be all and end all when it comes to good staff, for most businesses having some business graduates and MBAs on board can be a real boon. While you should always weigh professional achievements and experience highly, someone who has acquired a good business degree should certainly not be underestimated as a potential asset for your business.
