Optimistic MBAs more likely to find jobs

For students seeking jobs with a “glass half-empty” mindset, it might be time for a paradigm shift.

A recent study of MBA students shows that graduates who express overall optimistic outlooks receive job offers and promotions more quickly than their pessimistic peers.

In the study, authors David Robinson, a professor of finance for the Fuqua School of Business, Ron Kaniel, an associate professor at the Fuqua School of Business and Cade Massey of Yale University jointly describe an optimist as one who “places more weight on favorable states of nature when making [job-seeking] decisions than a pessimist does” and hold the “broad, general belief that good things tend to happen more often than bad.”

Following the results, Robinson and Massey told the press that they recognized that optimism contributes to student applicants’ charisma and assists in one’s ability to adapt and engage in realistic courses of action.

For Duke students seeking employment, Sheryle Dirks, associate dean for career management at the Fuqua School of Business, said her experience in working to help students seek jobs largely reflected the results of the study.

“Seeking a new job is difficult, particularly in current economic conditions, so a great attitude is an important ingredient to seeing the job search through to a successful conclusion,” Dirks explained. “Those who are intuitively positive or more resilient may tend to allow failure or rejection to ‘get them down’ for shorter periods than others, and they may also be more likely to see how those ‘no’s’ can teach them something and ultimately move them in a positive direction.”