Q: What's the average starting salary for your graduates?
A: For the 2003 class, the average starting salary was $123,000. And 80% received an [average] sign-on bonus of $23,000.

Q: Have your MBAs been able to change careers with flexibility?
A: In admissions, we look for people who are on a fast-track in their career. Once you are on the fast-track in a specific industry, you shouldn't just walk away. We try to tell students that throwing away seven years of work experience makes no sense from a career point of view. Still, about 30% of the class changes industry, function, and geography. But it's not what I would recommend.

Q: Does the decision to change careers put them at a disadvantage in the job market?
A: No. It puts them at a disadvantage in negotiating their salary. The people who really maximize their salary post-MBA are those who use that past experience and the addition of the MBA to bring value to a company in the same industry or at least the same function.

Q: Your students come from all over the world. What regions benefit most from IMD students?
A: About 76% of our students change geography. About 70% stay in Europe. About 16% go to Asia and between 7% and 20% go to North America...[but] right now, it's very difficult because of the visa situation. The rest go to Central and South America and Africa. When I say 7% go to North America, it's not necessarily the Americans going back, because the Americans want to stay in Europe, and the Europeans often want to go to Asia or the States.

Q: Is the school's small size a disadvantage to your students as they look for career placement?
A: No, I think the small size is an advantage. Students get a lot of personal attention. I have a full overview of what every single person in the class wants to do.

Q: When talking to recruiters, how do you set your MBAs a part from those at other B-schools?
A: We admit people in whom we see the potential to be a CEO or leader in their field. That's an advantage for a company scouting the talent of the future. I can tell a recruiter that this person sitting at IMD has already passed a very tough admissions process, which includes a full-day assessment. The other element that sets us apart is that we tend to have MBAs with a lot of work experience -- seven years on average -- and they tend to come from [one] industry and want to go back into [the same] industry. Companies can find people who are immediately operational here.

Q: Will students have an easier time getting a job in a year or two?
A: If I could predict the future, I would be making a lot more money. In general, I'm very positive. Companies, especially when they're strapped for cash, are not going to want to invest that much in training. Therefore, they will want people who can actually contribute to the company, and I think we're well-positioned for that.

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