Power of the network

John Bridges graduated with an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from the London Business School in 1989. But he is convinced, more than a decade later, that his membership of the MBA network is still paying dividends. "Last year, I was one of many WorldCom employees who took voluntary redundancy. Only a few companies were advertising jobs, so I concentrated on networking instead."

He is now working as an associate for a project management consultancy, run by a group of Cranfield University MBA graduates, whom he met through a networking event organised by the Association of MBAs. "No one can or should rely on the old boy network to get them a job these days", he says. "But an MBA gives people some reassurance in your ability to think and work in a certain way. It's an extra bonus."

The days are gone when having an MBA meant being part of an exclusive club. The Association of MBAs, which accredits less than a third of UK programmes, estimates that around 11,000 people a year graduate with an accredited MBA. But, as the popularity of the MBA increases, so do the number of senior managers who hold the qualification.

Hamish Davidson, chief executive of Veredus Executive Resourcing, suspects that having an MBA will be increasingly important for managers in future. "There is a tendency to recruit people in your own image, and the number of senior people with MBAs is definitely increasing. This is one of the strongest commercial reasons for acquiring the qualification."

As the job market continues to show little sign of recovery, business schools are doing more to help graduates network, organising alumni reunions in several countries and updating their databases of graduates from different industry sectors.

The Association of MBAs also operates a regional network, giving graduates the chance to take part in personal development workshops or hear captains of industry dispense wisdom at nationally-organised events. "We offer MBA graduates access to a network of managers through our online address book" says the Association of MBAs' marketing manager, Paula Glason. "Business schools are great at offering their recent graduates careers advice. But we can offer people a chance to network on a regular basis."

The association's latest survey of salary and career prospects showed that half of the members who responded found their current job through word of mouth and felt that their MBA had given them access to a network of like-minded people. "The importance of networking can't be underestimated," says Davidson. But he is not convinced that MBA students, with their heads in the management manuals, realise this early enough. "Too many of them lose contact with previous employers" he says, "and it is often not until after they graduate that they take networking seriously."

Bridges, 41, had been keeping in touch with other MBA graduates through the association's meetings for several years before he needed to use the events as networking opportunities. "It wasn't a case of asking people for work", he says. "It was simply a way of getting access to people who might know about job opportunities."

Although he went through all the formal channels, writing and phoning potential employers and headhunters, he made little headway. "It's hard to meet people through a couple of phone calls. But, through my MBA network, I was able to make a personal impression on someone who then passed my name on."

When headhunters have little to offer and the recruitment sections of the newspapers are thin, access to a network of experienced professionals is not to be sniffed at. "Having an MBA is about more than understanding a balance sheet," says John Bridges. "It gives you access to a great network. Don't underestimate its value."