The TopMBA.com International Recruiter Survey collects primary data on the state of the recruitment market and predictions of future trends from recruiters in industry,
consulting, financial services, and technology. The data includes specific analyses by sector, geography, and year. Time-trend analysis and sector / regional variations have been incorporated into this final report. Unlike many surveys, the QS research does not rely on MBA graduates to report their earnings, but obtains the information from the employers who pay them. Each respondent is designated as responsible for MBA recruiting within his/her company as a whole or division. They are asked to identify their geographical responsibilities, confirming whether they recruit locally in their domestic market, regionally, or globally.

QS further differentiates its research by the objectivity of its position as a third party operating between recruiters and business schools, by virtue of the long established contacts with recruiters who are willing to share information with QS, and by the bank of data on MBA recruitment and remuneration built-up over the last 17 years, which allows meaningful trends to be identified over time.