Graduated in 2021 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: cello.
Position: Faculty Support Specialist at Harvard Business School. Francesca provides administrative support for four faculty members, scheduling guests, managing course delivery, turning notes into PowerPoint slides, managing their calendars, and so forth.
Overview: Doing the last year+ of college remotely drained Francesca’s zeal to work in music, and the many closures during the pandemic made her nervous about the security of that career, so she broadened her job search. After living at home (on the South Shore of Massachusetts) and working retail for a few months, she got a job as the administrative person at a very small marketing firm. But the pay wasn’t great and Francesca wanted to be back in the city, so she reached out to a recruiter whom a friend had mentiond.
This recruiter thought Francesca would be a good fit for her current job, and was very helpful, both making the introduction and coaching her through multiple rounds of interviews. One year after graduating from Berklee Francesca was hired into her current job.
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You can see Francesca’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “The #1 thing I enjoy is the people I work with. The faculty I support are great people, communicative, clear on what they want, and helpful. I also enjoy the people I work with alongside, including other faculty support specialists and the community we have. I also have a great manager; the community as a whole at HBS is really great.”
“I feel like the whole structure and rhythm I had at Berklee, though class and extrecurriculars really instilled a work ethic for me now. I graduated with high honors and worked two jobs. So I think having that structure and time organization really helped me translate those qualities over to a full-time job.”
“Networking is important, but I should come naturally. It can’t be something forced, and if it is those relationships won’t last. Network if and when you want to–when you genuinely want to know more and what they do–not just because you think you should. Find your own version of networking and enjoy it.”
“This job, you can easily find yourself wanting to be an executive assistant in the private sector. But HBS has a great growth/promotions ladder. In a couple of years there may be an opening for a coordinator or an assistant director. I’m not sure which way my career will go.”
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