"Harvard Student Agencies has allowed me to develop my business acumen and build a business that makes a real difference. The skills I've learned and the people I work with have made this experience the highlight of my Harvard education."
- Connor Wilson, Former Manager,
Harvard Student Resources
What type of people does HSA hire?
While there is no HSA "mold," our management team tends to be comprised of ambitious, creative, responsible, goal-oriented people who have an interest in learning more about business.
Do I have enough experience to be in charge of a real business?
HSA has a strong, long-standing reputation, but don't be intimidated, no prior experience is necessary. HSA is the first exposure the majority of our management teams have to being in a business setting where they are virtually autonomous. Most employees come in with limited knowledge, but leave with a wealth of experience. Not only will you be explicitly taught how to do some procedural items, but you will quickly acquire practical experience as you interface with your employees, vendors, and customers on a daily basis.
Is there any training I have to go through to learn the ropes?
While most of what you learn is on the job, there is training to familiarize you with your agency and with HSA as a whole. New managers train with the outgoing manager, who also prepares an operations manual completely explaining the inner workings of the agency. Team-wide management training is also conducted in writing a business plan and a budget.
HSA management positions are not your average desk job: you're expected to work a minimum of 15 hours per week during the term and you're actually being paid to do things that are related to your agency (i.e. not your homework). But this definitely does not mean that HSA will "become your life." First and foremost, we realize that your priority (or at least your parents') is your schoolwork: the time commitment demanded by HSA should not be a hindrance on your academic performance. Scheduling is easily worked around class schedules and other time commitments.
Additionally, most management positions require a full-time (40 hours per week) commitment in summer. You may be concerned that you will have to forfeit an internship experience in order to pursue a position at HSA. Most managers have great opportunities to intern at top companies, but they've realized that the experience afforded to them through their summer work with their agency is most likely beyond the scope of what they could have accomplished in an intern position. If you decide that you do want to pursue something else during the summer, there are term-time management and assistant management positions that may interest you.
Are people in HSA involved with other extracurricular activities?
Many members of HSA's management team are active participants and leaders in other campus clubs and organizations as well. Some of these include the Hasty Pudding, Black Students Association, Harvard Lampoon, Harvard Cheerleading, Women in Business, etc.
I'm not interested in being in a manager but would like to work with HSA, are other jobs available?
Yes! Let us know what you're looking for, and we can probably find it for you. We have all kinds of jobs: long-term, short-term, graphic design, editing, writing, postering, retail, moving, catering, bartending, clerical, etc.
You'll gain solid, practical business experience. HSA is Harvard's unofficial business concentration: it exposes you to everything from financial forecasting, business plan writing, budgeting, staff management, client negotiation, marketing, and entrepreneurship.
As you would through your association with any club or activity, you are guaranteed to meet many incredible people during your time at HSA. Although you may all share a common interest in business, you'll encounter a fun, diverse group of people that you may have never come across in your classes or other clubs or organizations. Don't forget, HSA is a real corporation, but it's run by students: it's hardly the stuffy, uptight environment that you may expect to find. It reconciles a casual atmosphere with one of professionalism, making it into a workplace that people can actually enjoy.
Not only will you be learning, building an incredible résumé, and meeting new people, but you'll have a competitive salary (with opportunities for bonuses) as well as perks such as company-wide dinners, retreats, and other outings compliments of HSA.
HSA Alumni are among the most successful Harvard graduates. They are employed at companies ranging from campus recruiters like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Co. to Fortune 500 companies like Proctor & Gamble and GE. Not everyone goes into business: a great deal of alums pursue alternative paths that cover everything from academia to law to medicine to entertainment. There is no limit to the number of fields in which you can apply practical experience in managing projects and interacting with peers.
