B-school trends 71 % HR students feel a career in HR can lead them to CEO positions

EY’s survey of Indian B-school students in 2014, titled New entrants to the VUCA World, presents a broad picture of B-school students’ perceptions and priorities guiding their decisions on the attraction of and retention in organisations. For the report, over a 1000 students and B-school professionals across India were surveyed.

Key highlights:

• HR is attracting ‘best in class’ talent, with 88 per cent of the respondents (from HR) confirming that HR was their first choice of specialisation;
• Around 71 per cent of the respondents with an HR specialisation felt that it is likely that a career in HR can lead to the position of CEO; only 34 per cent of the respondents from other specialisations were of this opinion;
• More than 50 per cent of the respondents with an HR specialisation indicated their willingness to remain in the HR profession for more than 15 years — the highest in comparison with all other specialisations;
• According to 71 per cent of the respondents, work-life balance is (or would be) more important than rewards and recognition in their choice of organisations;
• According to 77 per cent of the respondents, they were attracted by an organisation’s ability to provide an opportunity for innovation and learning (symbolic) rather than its brand (institutional);
• Findings indicate that 42 per cent of the respondents would remain in organisations that provides them career opportunities;
• Great learning opportunities constitute the single most critical factor influencing students’ choice of employers;
• According to students, vision, communication skills and perseverance are the key competencies required. According to B-school management, flexibility or adaptability, comfort with problem-solving and decision-making in an ambiguous environment are the key competencies needed;
• Almost 90 per cent of the respondents believe that B-schools are adequately preparing students to face work-related challenges in the corporate environment;
• According to more than 50 per cent of the respondents, career opportunities constitute the critical retention factor for students.                                    http://www.itsmyascent.com/career-advice/B-school-trends/153037/