At any workplace, there are actions and choices that are more likely to lead to a successful, challenging, satisfying career. At Harvard, we value our employees, and our mission is to facilitate continuous learning and growth — not just in our students, but also in our workforce.
So our philosophy is simple: Career development isn’t an action, but a process, one in which you and the University work together. You do the exploration, planning, and creative pursuit of a position you want, and Harvard helps with the resources that help you do those things well.
Internal Mobility at Harvard
A critical element of our philosophy is support for internal mobility. Internal mobility is the extent to which employees move into new jobs within Harvard. To us, it’s one measure of how well we encourage employees to develop and stretch themselves.
Currently, our internal hire rate mobility is approximately 33 percent, which means that out of all jobs posted, about one third of them were filled by internal candidates.
We value internal mobility, and that’s why we make it a priority to support internal candidates and take them seriously. And it’s why we make the effort to provide a multitude of resources to our staff for help with resumes, interview skills, networking, and other types of assistance that help them develop their skills, complete stretch assignments in place, or land the internal position they desire.
What do successful internal candidates do?
Employees who successfully at navigate their career at Harvard do these things well:
- Keep their skills and knowledge fresh and current.
- Maintain a reputation for being positive and adaptable.
- Develop and sustain meaningful professional relationships.
- Proactively set their own career goals.
- Stay informed about current trends influencing work at Harvard.