Read This if You Want to Earn $10,000 More
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on February 25, 2010 in HKS News, News
Think about the whole benefits package, not just the salary. Develop a personal scale weighing the value of each component. Kill off a bad offer as soon as possible. These were some of the tips Professor Brian Mandell had on negotiation compensation.
Mandell, who teaches a highly popular negotiation course at HKS, illustrated strategies that could help prevent a job taker’s version of buyer’s remorse in a seminar organized by the Office of Career Advancement on Feb. 17.
The seminar was a mix of more general advice about job interviews and specific suggestions about how to maneuver through the dreaded salary conversation. While he acknowledged that job interviews are largely spontaneous, Mandell also said that a certain level of “self-scripting” is important for developing an “anticipatory stance.” Such a stance is key for walking away with compensation to be happy about.
Part of being anticipatory is being prepared to answer the kinds of statements or questions you’ll frequently hear. Such “squeezing” tactics might include: “It’s a very tough economy now,” “I’m sorry, but this is company policy ” or, “By the way, do you have an MBA or JD?” Each is a subtle – or not so subtle – way of telling you that you need to lower your expectations.
According to Mandell, the ability to respond properly to such questions can make up to a $10,000 dollar difference in salary offer between two otherwise identical candidates. “You have the power in the interview to shape their expectations just as they shape yours,” he said.
Mandell began the seminar by reminding listeners about the importance of the first few minutes after you sit down for the interview. “You’re largely getting the job in the first 3-5 minutes or you’re not,” he said. “It’s like the starting pistol at the Olympics.”
How exactly are employers evaluating you in those early moments? Mandell walked through his “6 Cs” – Credibility, Competence, Collaboration potential, Commitment, Congruence, and Confidence. These form what he believes are the basis of what will become your salary.
Credibility is essentially whether there is a clear connection between your narrative, your CV, and the job you are applying for. If you’re applying for a “stretch position” – like in a sector you’ve never worked in before – your credibility will appear a bit thinner. Competence, meanwhile, is about coming across as articulate, focused, and engaged. Mandell was careful to distinguish between being smart and signaling competence. “People want to know, ‘Can I trust your judgment’?” he said. “Do not assume that graduating from this 375-year old institution is a substitute for competence.”
Collaboration potential and commitment are largely self-explanatory, while congruence refers to whether or not there’s a gap between your verbal and non-verbal communication. Looking and sounding committed, in other words, is as important as the level of commitment displayed in your CV and cover letter. Mandell referred to Confidence as the “sniff test” about one’s “ability to be able to persevere under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty.”
Then Mandell got into the nitty-gritty of compensation negotiation. He began by reminding students that compensation is about more than just salary, but rather the full package of salary and benefits such as health care, vacation, bonuses, training opportunities, etc. When considering an offer, he stressed the importance of taking these factors into consideration – perhaps even of developing a 100-point scale to weigh the value of each component. For some, a strong health care package might be nearly as important as the salary figure itself, and many companies are more willing to budge in these areas than on salary.
When should salary come up in the interview? Some employers might try to discuss it early on, but Mandell said discussing compensation later in the interview, gives you a better chance to present your value proposition to the company.
If you feel confident and want to bring up the topic of compensation yourself, Mandell recommended setting an anchor at 20 percent higher than you want. Meanwhile, if they bring it up first, Mandell stressed the importance of quickly “de-anchoring” a bad offer. Otherwise, the longer a figure is on the table, the more likely it is to solidify. “It’s like drying cement,” he said.
What do you say if you don’t feel comfortable with an offer? If only a few thousand short, you can use the “yes, but” tactic. If the offer seems way off the mark, you can politely say, “This doesn’t sound reasonable given my value proposition,” or “Frankly I’m a bit surprised” and give two or three reasons why you think the offer is unreasonable.
Finally, for anyone feeling overwhelmed or flustered, there’s the ultimate get-out-of-jail card: “Excuse me, can you direct me to the bathroom?” Taking a couple of minutes to gather your thoughts and come back in prepared is perfectly acceptable and much smarter than agreeing to something you wish you hadn’t.
Among the participants was Wade Barnes, MPP’11, who found the scenarios Mandell played through to be especially beneficial. “Professor Mandell did a good job demonstrating how employees preserve their leverage during compensation negotiations – and that the amount of leverage you control is dictated by the strength of your performance at the negotiating table” said Barnes.
Dean McCarthy Receives Retirement Reception by Kennedy School Community
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on February 25, 2010 in News
By David Ring, MPP’10
Students and faculty thanked former dean Joseph McCarthy’s 26 years of service to HKS and Harvard University in a reception February 16. McCarthy served 13 years as dean and director of degree programs. “The Kennedy School … was a thrilling place to spend so much of my professional life,” McCarthy said in a speech thanking attendees. McCarthy was also presented with gifts and letters of thanks, including a notable message from Governor Deval Patrick and an extensive written proclamation from HKS.
The Reception drew over 150 second-year students, current and former faculty and staff, former students, and members of the wider Harvard community. Former dean Graham Allison gave the first tribute, praising McCarthy’s “deep investment in making the Kennedy School a place that we’re proud to be part of” and noting that though the school would go on without McCarthy, “it’s hard to imagine it doing so.”
Former dean Joseph Nye reminded the audience of some of the qualities familiar to all those who know McCarthy. “Joe McCarthy cared for every student; he knew them, he listened to them, he sat with them at length,” Nye recalled. Noting McCarthy’s decision-making skills, Nye remarked, “He was extraordinary in his judgment because of a deep knowledge of the students and the people he worked with.”
After a video message from Acting Dean Judy Kugel – who spoke of the “privilege and challenge of filling Joe’s shoes” – Dean Ellwood gave his perspective on what made dean McCarthy so successful. “Joe loves people and it shows every time you see him,” Ellwood remarked. “He really believes in service and is loyal to that mission.”
After the presentation of gifts, which included not only proclamations but also a customary University Chair, McCarthy himself gave closing remarks. He noted that it had taken faculty seven months to secure his agreement for a date for the reception, and he saved most of his time for praising and thanking those around him. He closed by telling the audience: “The Kennedy School is the most exciting place at Harvard and maybe the most exciting place in higher education in the whole world.’”
McCarthy’s role in making it so was never in doubt, but all present were reminded of his hard work, commitment and generosity during Tuesday’s reception.
HKS Asks What We Can Do With Haiti
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on February 16, 2010 in News
By Emily Janoch, MPP’11
Since the January 12 earthquake in Haiti that killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced about one million more, the Harvard community has worked together to find ways to help in Haiti and closer to home. The third largest community of Haitian-Americans lives in Boston and at least 75 people from Harvard have been personally affected. While students at the Kennedy School are beginning to mobilize, some feel more needs to be done.
Those leading relief efforts include Partners in Health (PIH), an organization that works closely with Harvard’s Medical and Public Health schools. PIH has been at the center of the response, coordinating medical teams and supply chains. Dr. Allen Counter from the Harvard Foundation took a team of Harvard Medical School doctors with supplies to Port-au-Prince to set up emergency clinics. And Harvard University’s Credit Union set up a fund for its employees personally affected by the crisis.
The Kennedy School dedicated its first Forum of 2010 to the crisis. Local Haitian-American elected officials emphasized the need for a locally owned strategy, supported by technical assistance from the international community to Haitian institutions. Reflecting a debate within the development community, Kennedy School professor Ricardo Hausmann recommended that an external agency manage the recovery process and that Haiti should focus its efforts on building an export economy with the Dominican Republic in order to spur growth.
To date, students have focused their efforts on raising money and supplies to meet immediate relief needs. During the first week of school, tables in the Forum raised over $800 in student donations to support relief efforts. A fundraising mixer at Redline raised $1300 for a local Haitian organization. Rahim Kahani, a Research Assistant at the Hauser Center, worked with his colleagues to organize an event at Om Restaurant that raised nearly $7,000 for Partners in Health. And the KSSG’s first Quorum Call raised an additional $800 for the American Red Cross.
Project Denise, started by a Haitian Mid-Career/MPA alum, has mobilized $20,000 and 12 doctors to visit Haiti. In addition, the Student Alliance for Global Health at Harvard is organizing a benefit concert and other activities. Current Mid-Career/MPA student Bill Forry, editor of the Boston Haitian Reporter and married to a Haitian-American Massachusetts State Representative, has been working with other local and state officials to provide relief and support to local Haitians. Mid-Career/MPA student Craig Hoffman plans to put his engineering skills to use in the rebuilding process.
Of course, immediate relief is just the first step in a much longer and more complicated road to recovery.
HKS/MIT student Ashley Zohn has experience in working in disaster response and recovery. She believes, “Disaster recovery is a long-term process and Haiti needs our long-term commitment. HKS must build partnerships with organizations in Haiti to expand the capacity of Haitians to rebuild. ”
HKS and its affiliated centers have not publicly announced any plans or commitments to support the development of Haiti. HKS is home to students and faculty with experience and knowledge in governance and governing, international development, and disaster response, just to name a few. The Broadmoor project in New Orleans and the Community Development Project in Mississippi are just two examples of HKS coordinating its specialized abilities to help communities in need.
Students like MPP1 Melanie Vant are pushing for a similar coordinated, sustainable effort for Haiti. So during the first week of the spring semester, Melanie brought together a group of students and staff members to start HKS with Haiti. The initiative aims to mobilize and coordinate a comprehensive and sustainable response from our community. “We hope to work in partnership with the school’s leadership, faculty, and staff ambitiously leverage HKS resources and power, in alignment with Haitian-defined priorities,” said Vant.
Some of the ideas that the group is pursuing include:
- supporting local Haitian-American community organization(s)
- spurring institutional responses from the Kennedy School (its centers, faculty, student groups, etc.), particularly to advance Haiti’s long-term development
- facilitating direct student involvement through client-based class exercises, internships, and PAE and SYPA projects for 2011
- coordinating a more robust and sustainable fundraising campaign at Harvard University and in the local community
- mobilizing political activism to inform and advance policy priorities that will be key for Haiti’s development
“We must go beyond asking ourselves what we can do to asking ourselves what we must do to stand in solidarity with Haiti,” said Vant.
According to its founders, HKS with Haiti is ultimately meant to ensure that as a community, students at the Kennedy school stay engaged and work together to provide the best of our unique skills to Haiti’s recovery process.
To stay involved, join the HKS with Haiti email list:
Send a completely blank email with no subject line to
subscribe-hkswithhaiti@lists.hks.harvard.edu
State of the School
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on February 16, 2010 in HKS News, News
At a dedicated forum event on Tuesday, February 4, Dean Ellwood delivered the inaugural HKS State of the School Address. The address outlined the Administration’s perspective on multiple topics, including the school’s financial endowment, diversity of faculty, working space at HKS, and admissions. However, despite initial excitement among the student body when the address was scheduled, attendance remained low and the closing Q&A session (barring pre-submitted student questions) was relatively quiet.
KSSG President Dave Baumwoll, MPP’10 had lobbied for a Dean’s State of the School Address as part of his campaign platform, and fittingly, he made the introductory remarks and moderated the questions. After his opening remarks, which concentrated on the desire to serve among HKS students, Baumwoll spoke to the Citizen. “We hope to set a new standard for student/administrator interaction, and elevate students to a level of stakeholder in the Kennedy School and its future,” Baumwoll explained. “This event was meant to establish a tradition that gives us, the students, the chance to continue that relationship.”
The Dean’s address emphasized the collective commitment to public service that characterizes the HKS student body. In addition to describing the school’s wider mission, the Dean also explained his position on a number of specific topics. Of particular interest was a summary of the HKS financial situation in comparison to the other Harvard schools, and a breakdown of how HKS finances function. The Dean used these figures as a platform to describe his own priorities for HKS funds, telling students that working space, crucial as it might be, remains of secondary importance to pro- viding financial aid.
Jesse Wald, MPA’10 noted the importance of the speech: “I found the address hugely useful in understanding how strategic decisions are made in the administration – I’m just sorry not to have found out this information before.” Colin Taylor, MPP’10 also appreciated the Dean’s candor, but noted that attendance was low: “It was a frank conversation about the school’s financial and space constraints, but it would have been nice to see more students at the event.”
- David Ring, MPP’10
KSSG Focused On Improving Student Space
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on October 30, 2009 in HKS News, News
For those students who have been grumbling about the lack of space at HKS – study space, eating space, socializing space – KSSG wants you to know that they hear you loud and clear. Improving student space is their top priority.
Students can expect changes in Taubman and the HKS library, as well as stricter regulations about when the Forum is set up for visiting speakers.
“This is such an important issue,” said KSSG President Dave Baumwoll, “because for many HKS is a second home. People spend all day here. We need to make sure that all students feel there is enough space designated for them.”
Over the last month, the number of complaints about the lack of such space has been on the rise. Students’ biggest complaint? Getting kicked out of the Forum earlier and more often to make way for speakers. At this point, most students have experienced being ushered out just as they were settling in to start a problem set or group project, sometimes as early as 1:30 p.m.
“This has happened to me more than once,” said Melanie Hui, MPP ‘11. “I sit down in one of the whiteboard cubicles, pull out my work, and then I’m told to leave. Then the question becomes, do I even bother searching or just go home?”
This is when the mass scramble to find unused space begins. Some may venture down to the library, but those working with a group will most likely head to Taubman. If they’re lucky enough to nab one of the half dozen wobbly tables on the ground floor, they’ll huddle around and try to block out the symphony of echoed voices or the amateur ping-pong tournaments that sprout up now and again.
“I remember once in Taubman, I was working with a few people on econ, and next thing we knew, a big group of people piled in for a cocktail reception,” said Melissa Gillooly, MPP ‘11. “They were literally bumping into us, and we could hardly hear each other. But we didn’t want to leave because we knew how hard it would be to find another spot.”
Most MPP1s have probably heard by now about the Kennedy School’s former Town Hall, which was demolished over the summer to make space for the Hauser Center. Once the heart of student space at HKS, its removal was controversial and has put pressure on the administration to do more to improve the student environment.
Baumwoll said the space issue has been the largest source of dissatisfaction among students this year and last. In the current economic climate, plans for constructing new space are unlikely any time soon. “The question becomes: How do we maximize what we have?” Baumwoll said.
At the top of the KSSG’s to-do list is a Forum agreement whereby facilities will never begin set up for a Forum event more than three hours before an event begins.
Plans for improving the space in Taubman are also being floated. Students may have already noticed that couches were moved down to the rotunda. Some have suggested featuring student artwork on the columns, and even bringing in a flat-screen TV.
As for study space, architectural plans for a library renovation are being submitted. They involve removing many older books and reconfiguring layout to accommodate more students, including those looking for group study space.
Imran Alimohammed, KSSG Vice-President of Student Services, is facilitating the effort, which he described as especially collaborative and welcoming of student voices. “I sat down with the architects and saw them change their drawings right in front of me based on student feedback,” he said. A timeline for renovations is expected once plans are finalized.
Finally, there’s the space within the Hauser Center on the ground floor that KSSG is pushing to be designated for students after 4 p.m., in part to accommodate overflow when Forum events are scheduled.
According to Baumwoll and others at KSSG, the current administration has been highly receptive to student input and plans for space improvements. Despite the continued negotiations between the KSSG, the administration, and the architects involved in various renovation projects, students will continue to have to play detective as they search out dedicated meeting areas on the HKS campus.
World-Class Jazz on Our Doorstep
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on September 30, 2009 in Culture
This past weekend, pianist Ahmad Jamal, who is one of the few of his generation still alive and playing, came to Cambridge with his quartet and put on an electrifying show.
The venue was the Regattabar, which has developed a reputation as the best jazz club in Boston, and one of the best on the East coast, in part because it attracts performers like Jamal. Located literally next door to the Kennedy School, inside the Charles Hotel, it is certainly worth the trip if you like jazz at all.
What Regattabar lacks in charm – a hotel is a hotel – it makes up for with superb acoustics, a classy vibe, and a lively, diverse audience. We shared a table with two Berklee students, one of them a harp player, and behind us was a table of four women who’d ordered a bottle of chardonnay for their ladies’ night. The bar has a few good beers on tap, plenty of cocktails, and the wait staff is friendly. Read: it’s a perfect place to take a date.
Though I bought our tickets late – on Friday morning for Friday’s 10 p.m. show – we ended up at a table just off the stage where we could practically touch the drummer. The hour-and-a-half set included mostly up-tempo pieces with a Caribbean flare, fired by the expressive Puerto Rican percussionist Manolo Badrena who danced around from his congas to his cowbells. On more than one occasion, he began blowing through what looked like a duct-taped piece of vacuum cleaner hose that produced an elephant-like trumpeting sound.
Jamal brings his own flare too. He may be 79 years old, but he’s anything but boring. He’ll moan, groan, and shout out while he’s playing. Stand up, sit down, stand up. If he likes someone in his quartet’s solo, he’ll get up in the middle of a song, spin around, and clap.
Jamal was one of Miles Davis’ favorite pianists, and his virtuoso rhythm and style have influenced generations of jazz musicians. Part of what makes him so unique is his use of sudden and intense fluctuations in volume and tempo in the middle of a song – as if to catch you off guard. He’s also famous for his “vamps,” which are extended periods of improvisation set to a series of repeating chords. Vamps allow musicians to deeply explore melodies and sounds and bring their own interpretations to a tune with few limits.
Something that always grabs and thrills me about jazz is that you’re watching art – personal creativity – unfold in front of your eyes. Jazz musicians have no interest in playing a song the same way twice, so what you see is genuinely unique and a reflection of the group’s personalities and passions at that time.
It was a joy to hear and watch Jamal in person, one of the last remaining jazz legends from the 50s and 60s. I’m going to keep an eye on the Regattabar’s schedule of performers, and the next time something promising shows up, I’ll close my statistics book again and head for the sounds.
Faculty Gender Imbalance
by Michael Zakaras, News Asst. Editor on September 16, 2009 in HKS News, News
As the new academic year began this August, many incoming Kennedy School students expressed concern at the visible gender imbalance among faculty who participated and spoke during orientation week activities.
During the policy concentration and course overview panels, for example, the typical ratio of male to female faculty speakers was 5 to 1, with only one panel featuring more than one woman.
When aggregated, this left the ratio of men to women at roughly 32 to 8. Similar concerns were also raised about the racial diversity of faculty during the orientation week.
Melanie Vant (MPP ’11) was among those surprised that the school did not pay more attention to this when welcoming new students. “There is no evidence that regard for diversity of any kind was taken into account. It seems to point to a systemic problem in the school’s programming and presumably in the hiring of staff and faculty.”
The lack of gender balance and diversity of faculty speakers stood in contrast to the composition of students in the audience. “If the Kennedy School prioritizes diversity in its student body, why doesn’t it hold itself to the same standards?” asked Vant.
Such a noticeable imbalance during orientation brought on a number of questions from new students: Was it reflective of the gender balance of Kennedy School faculty overall? Or was it simply a coincidence of scheduling and availability?
An unofficial count of faculty on the HKS website reveals that only 58 of the 263 names listed are women. Melodie Jackson, the Associate Dean of Communications and Public Affairs, had official numbers: Out of the 116 full-time faculty on payroll this year, 32 are women. In 2005, women were 25 percent of the faculty; they now are 28 percent.
Jackson noted that increasing the number of women faculty – especially tenured women faculty – has been an important priority of Dean Ellwood. She pointed out that over the last five years, the percentage of female tenured faculty increased from 9 percent to 24 percent.
Faculty available for comment confirmed that the situation has improved over the last decade. Iris Bohnet, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Women and Public Policy Program, also pointed out that female tenured faculty has more than doubled in that time. “Clearly we need more women,” said Bohnet, “but I’d stress that the school and Harvard in general is addressing the problem and has improved a lot.”
Christine Letts, the Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in the Practice of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at HKS, emphasized the Dean’s commitment to the issue and pointed to his recent appointment of the first female academic dean at the school as a sign of progress.
“In the past several years, the Dean has also placed an emphasis on the treatment of tenure track women to make sure that their voices and needs are addressed and to correct any inequities,” Letts said.
Despite the Dean’s efforts, most MPP1 students in the core curriculum are unlikely to see the signs of recent progress. That’s because of the 14 professors teaching this fall’s core courses, only two are women.
