What business areas do your students enter after graduation?

IUJ’s students seek a variety of career opportunities. Those choosing to remain in Japan tend to head into foreign companies in finance and some into IT, marketing or consulting roles. Those returning home often go into consulting, marketing and banking/finance positions throughout Asia, or with firms with business in Japan or Asia in the West or greater Asian region.

What makes your job placement outstanding?

IUJ is perhaps the only graduate program in Japan offering placement services as they are defined in the US. The career counselor works very closely with candidates on an individual basis as they first explore their career options, prepare to apply and interview, and then reach out to the companies they wish to pursue. Calling upon a diverse group of company contacts and the Alumni Network, direct introductions as well as on-campus recruiting are fostered. Students entering IUJ are greeted with a fivesession career workshop series, and then once the academic year starts, there are workshops and individual counseling sessions every week. Internships are an important aspect of career counseling and services at IUJ with many having the chance to experience corporate Japan from the inside, as well as work toward employment offers with foreign companies in Japan.

What type of firms employ your graduates?

Again, the company list is diverse, with foreign financial firms heading the list of most popular companies to hire directly from campus. In the past few years, this list though has changed to include more IT and consulting firms, reflecting the economic conditions of Japan. Some Japanese firms, especially those expanding their presence in Asia, recruit from IUJ in increasing numbers. These are in the automobile and manufacturing sector, and in increasing numbers in the financial services and consulting services sectors. IUJ has an open invitation at several consulting and IT firms, and financial firms for talented individuals with bi- and tri-lingual skills (English- Japanese or English-Japanese-Chinese).

Which firms recruit your graduates?

Specific companies in Tokyo that recruit directly from IUJ are Lehman Brothers Japan, Citibank, Shinsei Bank, Bloomberg, PRTM, etc. Many more companies look for introductions from campus for employers and interns, such as Boston Consulting, McKinsey & Co., DaimlerChrysler, Toyota Motors, Ford Motors, Matsushita Electric company and many companies expanding into China or other Asian countries.

What is your advice for potential MBA students?

An MBA can be more meaningful with solid work experience behind you. Finding a career after an IUJ MBA can also be easier for those with four to five years of work experience in a related field. While we do have a number of people changing their careers with an IUJ MBA, getting skills and experiences that relate to a new career path before and during the MBA is important. Language skills, as well, can open so many doors. So the best advice for someone thinking of getting an IUJ MBA and staying in Japan to develop their career is: come with at least three solid years of work experience and as much Japanese and English language skills as possible. Chinese is a current wonderful benefit, as are IT skills.

About Chet Borucki

Dean, and Professor of Strategy and Management PhD, University of Michigan, 1989, MA, University of Michigan 1984 MBA, University of Masachusetts, 1978 Previous positions: Seoul National University, College of Business Administration Nyenrode University Leonard N. Stern School of Business Administration, New York University