And Now, Extreme Recruiting
招聘竞争白热化

Despite the global crisis, the struggle to hire top MBAs is as fierce as ever - for now

尽管全球处于经济危机之中，招聘顶尖MBA的斗争仍很激烈。

[1]The stock market is plummeting¹『笔直下落』.The worldwide financial crisis deepens by the day. Corporate² profits are slumping『下跌；下降』as companies from Gillette to 3M to Hewlett-Packard struggle with『挣扎；艰难地进行』the double whammy『致命打击』of sharply lowered demand and a higher dollar. And the finance industry— which hired 35% of all MBA graduates in the Class of ’98—has been particularly hard hit, with the worst yet to come.

[1]股市大跌，全球金融危机日益加深 。公司的利润骤然下跌，包括吉列公司、3M公司和惠普公司在内的众多公司，都在产品需求量陡降而美元比价居高不下的双重打击下苦苦挣扎。雇用了35％的98届工商管理硕士毕业生的金融业尤其受到重创，而且最沉重的打击还在后面

[2]Given the carnage『大屠杀』, you might think that the booming『景气好的；大受欢迎的』 market seen in recent years for newly minted『刚完成的』MBAs is collapsing³ as well. But so far, you'd be wrong. Despite growing fears that the global financial turmoil『骚乱；混乱』could push the U. S. economy into layoffs『失业；裁员』and recession『衰退；倒退』, corporate recruiters『招聘人员』say that for now, the battle to hire top-quality MBAs remains⁴ as tough and competitive as ever.

[2]谈到这番惨状，人们可能会认为近年来兴起的工商管理硕士生需求旺盛的市场也将不复存在。然而迄今为止，事实并非如此。尽管对全球金融混乱将给美国经济带来失业和陷入停滞状态的担心在不断加剧，但是企业招聘人员说，迄今为止招聘高级MBA人才的斗争仍像以往一样棘手和竞争力很强.

【背景知识】

工商管理硕士（MBA）教育起源于哈佛商学院，至今已有近百年的历史了。随着经济的发展以及对人才的需求，其规模越办越大。在美国已有700多所大学设有MBA教育，相关的学位有近百种，累计毕业生人数已达100多万人，成为美国工商界不可缺少的高层管理人才。近年来，由于申请入学的总人数减少，而MBA的需求却大量增加，造成对学生的争夺日趋激烈。

[3]And make no mistake about it: It is a battle. Spend a day with Catherine H. Baker⁵, vice-president in charge of worldwide recruiting at Mercer Management Consulting Inc., and that much is clear. Sure, as she and her team of Mercer MBAs head for a Sept. 22 presentation『赠送礼物』to first- and second-year students at the Wharton School, they're riding a Metro-liner from Washington, D. C., to Philadelphia, rather than a warship⁶『军舰；舰艇』. But there's no doubt that the Wharton trip is the first shot in a long campaign『战役』for what continue to be some of the most sought-after『受欢迎的』trophies 『战利品；奖品』of the late 1990s: graduating MBAs.

[3]准确地说：这是一场战斗。与莫塞尔管理咨询公司主管全球范围内招聘的副总裁凯瑟琳·H·贝克共度一天后，体会就更清晰了。当她和莫塞尔公司的MBA从华盛顿特区出发，乘地铁到费城的沃顿商学院去向一年级和二年级的学生赠送礼物时，他们象军舰一样浩浩荡荡。毫无疑问，渥顿之行只是长期战役的第一场战斗。这场长期战役的战利品是在90年代后期最受欢迎的：即将毕业的工商管理学硕士们.

[4]The reason is simple. Thanks to a tight job market for top managers in recent years, most of the leverage『力量；影响力』in the job-search mating『相配』dance has shifted『转移；移动』from recruiters『招募人员』to students. The average member of the Class of 1998 at Business Week's top 25 B-schools boasted『包含；拥有』3.2 job offers, up from 2.3 in 1992. The median starting salary-plus-bonus『奖金；额外补助』rose to $ 91,560 this year, up 19% from two years ago. That doesn't include extras–ranging『额外报酬』from free rent to stock options to tuition paybacks-worth a median $19,860. “The competition for MBAs has definitely quickened『加快；活跃』,” says David L. Reed, director of global recruiting at Andersen Consulting. “It's as fierce as I've ever seen it"

[4]道理很简单。鉴于近年来人才市场上顶类的管理人员十分紧销，职业市场供求关系的重心已从招募人员转到了学生一边。在《商业周刊》评出的25所最佳商学院中，98届毕业生平均每人有3.2个可供挑选的就业机会，1992年仅为2.3个。中等收入水平的起始薪金加奖金今年已提高到91560美元，比两年前增加了19％。这个数字还不包括平均19860美元额外的报酬－如免交房租、认股权、预付学费等等。安德森咨询公司负责在世界各地招募人才的主任戴维·里德说：“招聘工商管理硕士生的竞争已明显加剧。这是我所见过的最激烈的人才竞争。

5]He and others say that there is little reason to expect change, despite the global gloom『阴暗；昏暗』and doom⁷『厄运；毁灭』. In part, that's because companies are very happy with the skills today's MBAs possess『拥有；具有』.They have a rare mix of financial, technical, and communications skills that companies have trouble finding in engineers or other degree holders⁸. As costly⁹ as MBAs are, they're still cheaper than they will be later, when things improve. “You're making a long-term investment,” says Peter D. Kiernan, co-head of the recruiting committee at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and co-chair of the communications, media, and entertainment banking¹⁰ group. “It's an illusion『幻想；错觉』to think you can cut bank now and be in a strong position when the markets begin to recover『恢复；复兴』.” .

[5]他和其他同行们都说，尽管全球的经济前景暗淡、命运多舛，但没有什么理由指望人才竞争状况有所改变。其部分原因在于，一些公司对如今的工商管理硕士生具备的各种能力颇为青睐。这些人既懂财务、又懂技术，还知道如何与人打交道，这种少有的综合性人才是公司在工程师或持有其他学位的人群中很难找到的。鉴于工商管理硕士生的价值不菲，随着经济环境的改善，他们今后的标价会比现在更高。戈德曼一萨克斯公司人才招聘委员会负责人、交通、媒体及娱乐业银行集团两主席之一的彼·午基尔南：“招募人才是一项长期投资。如果你觉得现在可以节省开支，等到市场开始复苏时还能占据强有力的地位，那纯粹是幻想。”

【背景知识】 MBA的管理教育的中心任务是“造就管理者”，灌输价值观念，并教授各种管理技能。教学法的中心以案例为主经验与理论相结合，强调知识的实用性和管理方法，并进行有效训练，使其成为综合性人才。与其他同学历的毕业生相比占有较大的优势。

[6]Indeed, thanks to the intense rivalry『竞争；对抗』between the consulting『咨询』and investment-banking firms, things look no different on the front lines than they've looked all year. The two fields pay the most, and—no surprise here—hire the most MBAs. In the Class of 1998, 63.3% chose one of the two industries.

[6]咨询公司和投资银行公司双方之间在争夺人才方面一年四季都处于两军对峙的紧张状态。上述两个领域的公司付出的代价最高，聘用工商管理硕士生的人数也最多。在98届毕业行中，63．3％的人选择在这两个行业之中的某一个行业工作。

【背景知识】

MBA毕业生主要供职于商业银行，管理咨询，投资银行，市场营销，金融服务等行业。其中以投资银行和咨询公司为主。进入这两行业的MBA毕业生在美国１０所重点商学院中占很大比例，哈佛商学院为４０％，芝加哥商学院为４３％，哥伦比亚商学院为１６％，密歇根大学商学院为１７％，斯坦福商学院为２８％，西北大学克罗格管理学院２５％，等等。

[7]That has made Baker's job even tougher, Mercer has developed a strategy『战略』that resembles a brand ,aimed at different “sales channels”. Baker also targets students, for example, she now works extra hard to get first-year students to take summer internships『实习期』 .

[7]这就使得贝克的工作愈发地艰难了，莫塞尔形成了具有其风格的战略。他们把目标置于与众不同的“销售渠道”中。贝克也把目标锁在了学生身上，例如，现在她就在努力工作以使一年级的学生参加夏天的实习。

[8]For schools and recruiters alike, the rush begins in the fall, when scores of companies hurry to the campus to peddle『宣扬；散播』their charms. The preemptive『先发制人的』tactic is gaining favor. Some are now also holding meetings on broader subjects in which high - level execs『管理人员』present their firms' ideas - and drum their brands into the minds of young MBAs.

[8]学校和招聘人员感觉是一样的。高峰出现在秋天几十家公司拥进校园宣扬其诱人之处。先发制人的战术广泛得到应用。现在有一些公司就广泛的主题举办会议，在会上公司高层管理人员推出公司的理念，把他们的品牌灌输进年轻的MBAs的头脑中去。

[9]But getting in the door early and often is only the first phase of the fight. Some recruiters have also begun extending offers as quickly as possible in the fall in hopes of keeping targets『目标；对象』from succumbing『屈服』to later temptations『引诱；诱惑』. Sweeteners sometimes used by consultants¹¹ and banks include tuition reimbursement『补偿』for second-year students who sign early to preempt『先占有；先取得』the competition .

[9]找上门去仅仅是这场战斗的第一步。有些招募人员在秋天还就开始尽可能的扩展自己的出价，希望自己的目标不至于被后来公司的诱惑而吸引走。咨询公司和银行利用的诱惑手段包括有为已签协议二年级学生提供学费补偿，从而在竞争中抢得先机。

[10]Adding to the intensity『强烈；激烈』was the increase in the number of students who rejected『拒绝』Corporate America for small startups『刚开始的；新成立的』and entrepreneurial『创业者的』ventures. Although the numbers remain small overall—4.5% in the top 25 schools—there were particularly large clusters『群；组』at West Coast schools, where many students headed for Silicon¹² Valley. Even the most selective『有选择性的』firms had trouble: Goldman Sachs got acceptances from only 40% of its Stanford offers, relative to 80% at other top schools.

[10]除了竞争越发激烈以外，越来越多的学生选择去新成立的小公司和举债经营的合伙企业工作而拒绝到大集团公司工作。尽管从整体来看这人的样目前还为数不多－在前25名最佳商学院中仅占4．5％－但在位于西海岸地区的商学院中人数特别集中，这个地区有许多学生毕业以后选择去硅谷工作。即使是最有竞争力的公司也遇到过这种困难：戈德曼一萨克斯公司在它向斯坦福大学学生发出的聘用信中，只有40％的学生接受了聘用，相对于其他的优秀学校来讲，接受聘用的学生高达80%。