According to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, an MBA may not be needed to work in the tech industry. That doesn’t, however, stop it from being a valuable asset. Digital career platform Tapwage analyzed more than 100,000 job listings in Silicon Valley to see how important and MBA was when getting a career in the tech industry. They found that at top companies, such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple, about 9 percent of the total job openings had a preference for an MBA or a requirement.
So, what do these MBA jobs look like? An MBA in tech can cover a broad range of job functions. You’ll find MBAs as finance managers and within strategy, marketing, product management, and even operations. At Adobe Systems, you’ll find MBAs at every level but particularly within marketing, product marketing, product management, sales strategy, and corporate strategy.
And if you still don’t think Adobe is a top pick for MBAs, think again. Adobe Systems ranked #76 on Universum’s 2016 Employer Ranking for MBAs, and it has spent 16 years on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Why MBAs Love Adobe
As for why MBAs love Adobe, there are many reasons. The Fortune 500 company has a culture and brand that is recognizable worldwide. Adobe is also known as a leading SaaS/cloud company with a broad portfolio of industry-leading products. It’s also a marketing intelligence leader.
MBAs also love Adobe for its business case competition. The Adobe Analytics Challenge is a unique analytics-focused competition that gives MBAs the opportunity to use Adobe products and real-world data to solve a company challenge. Over $50,000 is handed out each year to top candidates from NYU, Duke, Kellogg, BYU, UC-Berkeley and other schools.
Adobe also pays its employees well. The average MBA earns $130,000 as a base, not including signing bonuses, relocation fees or performance bonuses. That salary is just a little higher than the median salary of an MBA in tech: $115,000.
Life at Adobe
As for what it’s like to work at Adobe, it depends on your job function. MBAs at Adobe can work in almost any department, and for MBAs that aren’t sure where they want to work Adobe offers a unique two-year rotational program. This program allows MBA grads to rotate between three different teams within specific business units or functional groups. Then, at the end of two years, the MBA grad can decide where they fit best.
However, it’s important to note that a good portion or MBA jobs at Adobe are within product management and development. A senior product manager at Adobe is expected to define and lead product strategy and work alongside engineering to implement that strategy. They also manage product backlog and establish the metrics necessary for success. And all Adobe employees are product evangelists.
As for working at Adobe, Danielle T. joined the company after graduating with her MBA from the Anderson School of Management, and for her, it was a great decision. “I was surprised that teams here are very flexible; they make decisions quickly and go to market fast with new product features,” she said on the Adobe Life blog. “Although Adobe’s a big company, there are many teams that operate like start-ups. We use lean research methodology and agile product development practices … to continue to learn and iterate.”
Landing a Job at Adobe
Adobe recruits approximately 40 MBA graduates per year in the U.S., meaning that landing a job isn’t easy. And most recruits start off as MBA interns. In fact, that’s exactly how Liz Lowe landed her job at Adobe after graduating from the Haas School of Business. Her internship gave her an extensive and in-depth experience of what it would be like to work at Adobe full-time.
However, just having an MBA isn’t enough. While Adobe prefers digital experience, what they most look for is a hunger to learn, strong emotional intelligence and self-awareness, according to Adobe MBA recruiter Jeff Vijungco. As for the technology side, Adobe looks for MBAs with a computer science or technical background. And all MBAs should at least show a deep interest in data analytics and insights.
Since most MBA jobs are based in Silicon Valley, that’s where Adobe likes to recruit. They get many of their candidates from:
- Stanford Graduate School of Business
- University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business
- UCLA Anderson School of Management
The reason Adobe chooses these programs is their successful track record. Plus, with so many alums already from these schools, it makes it easier to consistently build Adobe’s brand on campus.
As for the specifics of what Adobe looks for:
- Five years work experience
- A track record of working with open source projects
- Experience collaborating with cross functional groups worldwide
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- And an ability to juggle several initiative and priorities simultaneously