Sample Next Steps.
Companies
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Brookings Institution
- Center for International Private Enterprise
- La Capra Associates
- Putney, Inc.
- StyleFeeder
- Topspin Partners
Positions
- Account Strategist
- Acquisitions Editor
- Consultant
- Senior Researcher
- Vice President of Finance
- Visiting Lecturer
Graduate Programs
- JD, Yale University
- MBA, Harvard Business School
- MBA, University California Los Angeles
- MPP, Harvard Kennedy School
- PhD, University of Chicago, Econ
- PhD, Stanford University, OB
Resources
- Alumni Recruiting
- Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
- Business History Review
- Executive Education
- Faculty Blogs
- Harvard Business Publishing
- Harvard Business Publishing: Downturn 2008
- Harvard Business Review
- Harvard Center for the Environment
- Harvard Economists React
- Harvard Green Initiative
- Harvard Office for Sustainability
- Healthcare Research Guide
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
- HBS Recruiting
- HBS Working Knowledge
- Job Postings
- MBA Healthcare Club
- MBA Cross-Registration
- MBA Program
- MBA Registrar Services
- MBA Recruiting
- Map/Directions
- Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government
Career Development
As a Research Associate, you'll find yourself meeting people and exploring issues and topics that open up new worlds, both professionally and personally. Former RAs have told us that the skills they develop in researching, writing, interviewing, analysis, and project management create a springboard to a wide range of options. In addition, a close working relationship with faculty members who are generous teachers and mentors is often cited as one of the greatest advantages of a position.
RAs also have access to on-the-job training in specific skills involving research methodologies, library resources, data analysis, case writing, and software. The experiences and skills our research associates develop lead to some exciting opportunities, including graduate programs at top-tier schools and positions at financial institutions, multinational corporations, and boutique consulting firms. A few RAs go off to launch their own businesses, while others may take on new challenges within the Harvard University community.
"Over the four years I worked as an RA, I went to school part-time and earned a masters degree in health policy and management. During that period, every case I worked on was a brand-new learning experience. When you're writing a case, you need to have the right information, compelling interviews, and interesting industry data; then it has to be put together in such a way that it becomes an effective learning tool. It's a very cool process. As an RA, I came into an organization as an outsider and interviewed managers at every level of the company. That experience has given me a degree of confidence in my current work as a healthcare management consultant because I know I can go into a new situation, ask the right questions, and represent my firm well."
Ayesha Kanji
BA, Biology, Wellesley College,
MA, Harvard School of Public Health
"Working as an RA gave me the opportunity to establish a professional and personal relationship with a well-known, highly regarded professor who was working in an area of great interest to me. At the same time, the position offered the flexibility I needed to develop and launch a start-up outside my duties as an RA. It was a great stepping stone to the next phase of my career as an entrepreneur."
Boyd Bishop
BS U.S. Military Academy, West Point,
MBA, Harvard Business School