Grads need to maintain high hopes.

• Position: Job Market - Brief article

As MBA graduates begin the job quest in earnest this spring, research indicates those with an optimistic outlook about life will have better career prospects than those with a pessimistic disposition. In addition, optimists spend less time and effort searching for jobs and receive offers more quickly--and, once in the working world, optimists are more likely to be promoted than their pessimistic peers in the first two years on the job.

These are among the findings of a study conducted by Cade Massey of the Yale University School of Management, Now Haven, Conn. According to the research, optimists also are more flexible in the way...