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    Harvard Business School Reviews

    Updated November 13, 2018
    128 reviews

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    4.2
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria
    Nitin Nohria
    17 Ratings

    Employee Reviews

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    Pros

    • "Excellent work-life balance/flexibility and autonomy of work" (in 12 reviews)

    • "Harvard also has great benefits with health insurance," (in 13 reviews)

    Cons

    • "No career path-- but many former RAs go on to grad school and other good jobs" (in 3 reviews)

    • "Quality of the experience depends on the professor with whom you work" (in 3 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "Great environment"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - IT Program Manager in Boston, MA
      Current Employee - IT Program Manager in Boston, MA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Harvard Business School full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Salary, smart peers, challenging work

      Cons

      Horrible internal business customers (one in particular)

    2. "Research Associate position"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Research Associate in Boston, MA
      Current Employee - Research Associate in Boston, MA
      Recommends

      I have been working at Harvard Business School full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      -Opportunity to write teaching cases and gain experience in research
      -Often some opportunity to travel
      -Reading a lot of teaching cases and learning about companies in a variety of fields
      -For research associates, some flexibility in scheduling / working from home, depending on the professor you work for
      -In my case, I have a great boss who has been appreciative and given me increasingly more responsibility as time goes on
      -Lots of free food
      -Amazing gym with lots of classes
      -Ability to take classes at the Harvard Extension School for $50 (as opposed to thousands)
      -Can lead to a number of future jobs depending on your interests
      -Pays well

      Cons

      -Job quality greatly depends on who you work for. Many RAs split their time between two professors, and there can be tensions in coordinating between the two and meeting deadlines for each of them
      -Can be repetitive. If you are not ok with revising the same draft 20 times, this job may not be a good fit for you
      -Little natural sunlight in some of the offices
      -Can be lonely. There are RA lunches and get-togethers, though, so this depends on your personality and willingness to take initiative in interacting with people
      -There isn't a clear path for advancement. RA positions are limited to 5 years. That beings said, you can always apply for other jobs at Harvard, there just isn't a clearly delineated "next step." I think most RAs are expected to be on the road to grad school, in business or otherwise.

      Advice to Management

      Provide more natural light in offices
      Fix the Word case template, which is very buggy

      3. Join the Harvard Business School team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "Well-funded doctoral program with excellent scholars"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Doctoral Student in Boston, MA
      Current Employee - Doctoral Student in Boston, MA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at Harvard Business School full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Lots of great scholars
      Incredible funding (for a doctoral program)

      Cons

      Poor at mentorship
      Decision-making is very dispersed

    4. Helpful (1)

      "Faculty Assistant"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Harvard Business School full-time

      Pros

      HBS was a great place to work.

      Cons

      I do not have anything negative to say about HBS!

    5. Helpful (1)

      "Great place to start a research-oriented career"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Harvard Business School full-time

      Pros

      - Excellent exposure to world-class thinkers and leaders in and outside of Harvard
      - Works can be very interesting and impactful
      - Competitive salary+benefit packages compared to similar roles in other institutions. Many perks of being a Harvard staff.
      - Excellent work-life balance/flexibility and autonomy of work
      - Very supportive research services staff and tremendous resources available
      - Beautiful campus and work environment

      Cons

      - Limited upward career mobility inside HBS. But good exit options: most research associates stay for a couple of years before going to top MBA/grad schools/PhD programs/the private sector.
      - May not be appealing to more experienced professionals

    6. "Great Culture with Smart People"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Cambridge, MA
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Cambridge, MA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Harvard Business School full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Great culture with smart people. Reasonable pay even though it is technically non-profit.

      Cons

      Very slow advancement in administrative roles since people don't leave

    7. "Staff Assistant"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      Pros

      Winter break, access to classes

      Cons

      Difficult to network, not diverse

    8. "Senior Lecturer"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Harvard Business School full-time

      Pros

      Interesting work, bright students, wonderful colleagues.

      Cons

      Absence of HR policy, short-term focus.

      Advice to Management

      Treat Senior Lecturers like valued members of the HBS community.

    9. "Great discipline"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Financial Assistant
      Former Employee - Financial Assistant
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Harvard Business School part-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Great job of motivating through big picture idea

      Cons

      Work load given was somewhat repetitive

    10. Helpful (2)

      "Research Associate for senior tenured professor"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Research Associate in Boston, MA
      Former Employee - Research Associate in Boston, MA

      I worked at Harvard Business School full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Working for the right professor can really make an experience and involve opportunities for travel and growth. Many people have turned their RA role into a springboard for a meaningful career.

      Staff community are exceptionally friendly and professional.

      Really nice gym!

      If you want a job, try to connect with your targeted professor - the RA management office is largely perfunctory and has little power.

      Cons

      Opportunities for advancement are limited and only offered after many years of work.

      RA work can feel remote or isolating, depending on where your desk is placed.

      The quality of your job experience depends heavily on which professor you work for. Mine took no interest in my professional satisfaction or growth, which left me feeling like a research minion and nothing else. My professor also chose to put other professors' name as the lead author on pieces that I wrote, and in which the listed authors had almost no involvement. Other RAs have had more positive experiences.

      Also, the general culture of service every professorial whim can feel a bit feudal and excessively hierarchical - service and loyalty are valued above innovation and creativity throughout the organization.