FROM THE CEO
EMPLOYING THE RIGHT TACTICS AMBA & BGA CEO Andrew Main Wilson lays out the latest recruitment expert advice for graduates aiming to impress potential employers while outsmarting the AI bots
A t our global This session looked at how to create graduates best suited to the demands of 21st-century employment, as well as optimising career services and relationships with potential employers. How business school students will fare in the world of work post-graduation is an issue worth exploring in detail. After all, having made such a significant career investment by choosing to study at a BGA-affiliated school, dedicating the time and skilled insight into creating the strongest possible and relevant CV conference in Seville earlier this summer, one of the topics under discussion centred around student employability. for each job vacancy is a small and logical final step of that investment. Too many business graduates still seem to take a ‘scattergun’ approach to job hunting – spraying potential employers with the same CV application for every position. They then wonder why they receive so many rejection emails. Now is the time to approach each job application in forensic detail. Employers feel they can almost take as read the quality of commercial and strategic skills taught by business schools
Most of our schools now recognise this and, to their great credit, are providing one‑to‑one mentoring to help students achieve their goals in this regard. Given the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), students also need to learn how to outsmart the AI bots. Current recruitment expert advice includes the following insights: ornately designed CVs may look impressive, but the candidate’s entire résumé should be in text format without infographics; reflect appropriate key words outlined in the job description, but don’t overuse them; ensure your CV layout formatting is simple, clear and consistent; and use standard typefaces for clarity, such as Times New Roman or Arial. In addition, the business school student cohort would do well to remember that AI bots don’t have a sense of humour, so avoid jokey or over-elaborate language – robots are designed to look for specific data and key words – and make use of commonly understood job titles that algorithms will recognise. Following these simple guidelines will hopefully result in a more targeted approach, as well as a better result for business school graduates looking to take on a new role that is worthy of their talents and which best reflects the effort they have put into their studies.
“The importance of a personal brand identity, in terms of soft skills, cannot be taken for granted”
that are part of the BGA network, but the importance of building a personal brand identity, in terms of soft skills, cannot be taken for granted. Graduates need to ask themselves, “Who am I?”, “What makes me unique and differentiates me from all the other candidates applying for a particular job?” and “Does my uniqueness match the needs of the recruiting organisation at this particular time?” The ideal business school graduate needs to be persuasive, charming and inclusive, but not dictatorial. These personality attributes are now deemed so important that if a candidate lacks these skills, they must work tirelessly to try and evolve their personality.
38 Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2023
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