Top MBA Employers in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is an attractive city for young professionals for a number of reasons—and that’s not even to mention the weather or proximity to the beach. As the center of the nation’s entertainment, however, MBA graduates may be inclined to think the city is more a home to actors than business leaders. Nevertheless, Los Angeles is a thriving center of business for a wide variety of industries, from entertainment to healthcare to energy.
When one also considers the recent growth in employment in California—with almost 60,000 jobs added in just one month in 2016—Los Angeles is an appealing new home for an MBA graduate.
We’ve rounded up some of the top employers in Los Angeles for MBAs. Representing a wide variety of industries, these and a number of other top employers in the LA metro area make the city a perfect place for MBAs looking to get to work.
Walt Disney Studios
One of the most recognizable brands across the globe, the Walt Disney studios were founded 93 years ago and headquartered in Los Angeles County. Today, the Disney Corporation is one of the top employers of MBAs in the nation. In employees, Disney seeks many of the same values that are taught with an MBA degree—innovation and global thinking.
Disney offers several opportunities for MBA students looking to join the team, such as recruitment efforts at a number of schools in the country, summer internships and even a program which allows students to rotate recent grads through several different departments.
DirecTV
Headquartered in the Los Angeles metro area, DirecTV is a provider of direct broadcast satellite across the country. In 2014, AT&T purchased DirecTV, expanding its reach across the country in the pay-TV sector. AT&T currently employs more than 280,000 people in its locations and stores around the world.
There are a number of benefits in working for AT&T/DirecTV, which ranks fourth in DiversityInc’s Top Companies for Diversity. There are currently at least fifteen jobs available at DirecTV’s El Segundo location which require or prefer applicants to hold an MBA.
Amgen Inc.
Headquartered in Thousand Oaks in Southern California, Amgen is a multinational biopharmaceutical company and the world’s largest independent biotechnology firm. As of December of 2015, the company employed roughly 17,900 people with a net income of $8.47 billion.
Amgen is a top employer of MBAs in California and offers a number of MBA-specific opportunities through their internship program. Available for students who have completed the first year of their MBA program, Amgen offers internships in finance, global strategic sourcing, operations, sales & marketing and international sales.
Mattel, Inc.
Mattel is an American multinational toy manufacturing company and 403rd on the Fortune 500 list. Based in El Segundo, Mattel had a net income of $498.9 million as of 2014 and roughly 31,000 employees in 2015.
Mattel is consistently recognized as a top company for its employees, with a comprehensive benefits program and several career development opportunities in place to cultivate and retain talent. In addition to available jobs, Mattel offers an MBA specific internship for students in both full-time and part-time program. Several divisions within the company, such as marketing, finance, supply chain and human resources have available internships for MBAs.
AECOM
AECOM is an American multinational engineering firm offering services such as design, consulting and management to a wide variety of clients. Placing at 156 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list, AECOM currently employs roughly 95,000 people and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
AECOM is always looking for new and passionate employees, and focuses on recruiting both current students and recent graduates for internships and new careers. According to their website, AECOM is the place for you if “you are driven and love to work with creative, fun professional teams” and “you are looking for a career and career growth, not just a job.”
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Top MBA Recruiters: Citigroup
Many MBAs seek employment from top financial services firms following graduation, and one firm close to the top of any “Dream Job” lists is Citigroup Inc. As reported in our “Best Companies to Intern For In Chicago”, Citigroup has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. According to Forbes, Citigroup employs around 231,000 individuals.
The company provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services and wealth management. According to Citi, the firm currently operates through two primary business segments: Citicorp, which represents core growth franchises, and Citi Holdings, which contains businesses and assets that are not necessarily core to the firm’s future.
A Little Bit of History
According to Citigroup, the City Bank of New York was chartered in 1812 when a group of merchants took the first steps toward setting up a new bank to help New York compete with rivals in Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore. Citigroup in its current incarnation was formed from one of the world’s largest mergers when Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group merged in October 1998. As of recent, it is the third largest bank holding company in the US by asset value.
Despite suffering huge losses during the global financial crisis of 2008 and having to be rescued by a giant US federal stimulus package, as of June 2012—its 200th anniversary—Citigroup had stockpiled a hefty cash reserve. Just years after the crisis, the firm established $420 billion in surplus liquid cash and government securities.
On Citigroup’s 200th birthday, CEO Vikram Pandit offered a statement during Global Community Day—an annual event that serves as an opportunity for employees, alumni, family and friends around the world to gather to demonstrate a shared commitment to its communities.
“For two centuries, Citi colleagues have worked to enable economic progress and support our clients on their journey from ambition to achievement. There is no better way to celebrate our 200th anniversary than by honoring our history, embracing the future and working together to strengthen the communities where we live and work.”
Citigroup and MBAs
According to Bloomberg, Citigroup the biggest MBA employer in financial services, ahead of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Barclays (BARC:LN), Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank (DBK:GR).
Fortune also notes that Citigroup ranks as one of the 25 “Most Desirable MBA Employers”, with 4.75 percent of all MBA graduates wanting to work for the firm. The ranking states that Citigroup expects to hire about 235 new MBAs each year as associates and management associates, particularly favoring candidates “with a global mindset and strong analytical and communication skills.”
Bloomberg also listed some other business schools that Citigroup commonly hires from, including Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business (6.75 percent, 19 students), Olin School of Business (3.55 percent, 5 students), McDonough School of Business (2.38 percent, 6 students). Recruiters have also highlighted career opportunities in Korea and Japan at events with Northwestern’s Kellogg School, University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School and MIT’s Sloan School.
Getting a Foot in the Door
With major locations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Chicago, Citigroup ranks high on the list of MBA internships. According to TopMBA, Citigroup’s MBA interns participate in hands-on work alongside analysts and associates for 10 weeks.
“Citi’s programs give interns the opportunity to have a real impact while doing real work, and many of them return as full-time analysts and associates following graduation,” said Courtney Storz, Citigroup’s head of graduate recruitment and program management for North America.
The competitive internship program gives interns the chance to contribute as a member of the team to which you are assigned and have responsibilities similar to a first year professional. Citigroup utilizes the summer internship program as a primary source for hiring full-time employees.
Internships are available in investment banking, equities, fixed income currencies & commodities, global transaction services, technology and human resources. According to Citigroup, the firm offers a competitive salary for interns, similar to that of a full-time associate already hired in an entry-level position.
Top MBA Recruiters: Procter and Gamble
When it comes to consumer goods, there aren’t too many companies bigger than Procter and Gamble (P&G). Founded by two Brits—William Procter and James Gamble—in 1837, P&G’s products include cleaning agents and personal care products, such as Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Old Spice, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Wella and Pantene. At one point, the company’s products included foods and beverages as well, such as Pringles. The company’s headquarters are in Cincinnati, OH. Continue reading…
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The business world is often thought of as a male dominated landscape. That’s a perception and a reality that has been shifting over the years. But, according to the Wall Street Journal, business schools are concerned that “the pipeline of young women may be running dry,” due to a dip in the overall number of students who are interested in getting an MBA. Continue reading…
Wharton Prof Listed in Best Business School Professors Under 40 List
Wharton Professor Keisha Cutright, has been named the no. 2 professor in Poets&Quants’ Top Business School Professors Under 40 list. Cutright teaches marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Professor Cutright’s research focuses on the psychology of consumption, personal control and structure, branding, religion. She has authored and co-authored several published research paper in the field of marketing.
Fortune describes all of the professors on the list as having similar qualities, including, “They are all supremely well educated, highly talented researchers, exceptional teachers and, perhaps most important of all, they inspire students and their students inspire them.” The professors featured in the list are what Poets and Quants calls the “total package,” because of their “excellence in research combined with world-class teaching prowess.”
