Duke University Employee Job Reviews in the United States

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"I'm not sure anymore."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Depends on your personality and what area you are interviewing for."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"It's becoming way too corporate. I used to work in Research, and I miss those days a lot."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Pay people more along with increasing benefits, fire the MBAs and vice presidents, and possibly restructure things."

"Dream job for many years that left a bad taste at the end."

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"The setting was nice. It was close to home, and it was steady employment that I thought I would have until I was ready to retire."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Do not make the mistake of thinking that a liberal-minded workplace will allow its employees to also be liberal-minded. I worked for the Religion Department where outsiders thought freedom of religion was encouraged exponentially more than at other employers. But that was not the case. Only the big 3 monotheistic religions were looked upon favorable, and if you weren't a member of one of them or were sympathetic to anyone outside of those 3, you'd best keep quiet about it."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"I have only my department and what I've heard from people I knew in other departments so this may not be entirely accurate. What I did not like at all about this company was that when it was time to start laying people off due to the downturn in the economy, supervisors did not take into account family situations and how it might affect people before laying them off. Many single income households (including mine) lost everything because Duke laid us off rather than encouraging early retirement for those who were due soon or had even already put in their retirement packages for the coming year. Or they flat-out lied and told some of us that our positions were being eliminated for us to find out later that they really only wanted someone in the position at a lower pay grade."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Treat faithful employees like they matter, especially when they've given many years of good service, and don't blindside them with a layoff. My boss let me work all day then hit me with a pink slip an hour before the end of the workday, so I had very little time to clean out my work area, and then had to leave without saying goodbye to a lot of people I had developed friendships with over the years."

"More hype than substance; no vision or accountability"

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"Very little. Nice campus with some good people, but they tend not to stay here."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Don't believe the hype. Get any promises, particularly about benefits or salary, in writing. Don't plan to stay long - look at it as a stepping stone to a better university or private/public sector gig. Be patient - job searches for fairly simple hires can take months of red tape and bureaucracy. Don't bother with temp jobs - they never turn into full-time permanent positions with the university unless you know the right people. If you're a minority, keep good records and notes - in professional and upper management and administrative positions, institution has issues with diversity."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"No vision in upper management - constantly looking for ways to keep up with similar institutions, but not developing talent and unique aspects of faculty and staff they have that would set the institution apart. Most of staff work is focused on projects that generate publicity, rather than actual results - it's an institution where there's much hype, but not much there there. Faculty and administrative politics spill into staff work; often no clear direction of where you're going. Decisions, particularly with vendors, often driven by personal financial or career interests of administrators and management. No shared decision-making and no culture of assessment and accountability. Not a place to create a career - people tend to get stuck in roles with no opportunity for professional growth or change without leaving institution."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"None, particularly. Administrators and management aren't open to suggestions and operate in a very closed, top-down manner. To improve, the overall culture would have to change to be more open and to have more personal accountability."

"An outstanding experience. Best work atmosphere for a Masters student."

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"The administrative team, the guidance of my advisor and the funding structure."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Contact the professors you are interested in beforehand so that you know their availability before you apply."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"The department is too small, which makes the task of finding multiple experts in the same field hard."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Need to recruit more professors and try to manage the same level of helpful guidance."

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"Flex time schedule and support creative work. Employ can access all kind of support and resource as long as he/she can think about."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Be positive and confident in the interview, and be honest."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"N/A. I pretty much like all the thing I did at Duke. The only thing I do not prefer may be the salary."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"It is pretty well organized. No suggestions at this moment."

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"Pockets of progressive and interesting people who sometimes manage to get their ideas past the firing squad of habit and tradition."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Make your case, but don't stop looking for your next stepping stone, preferably somewhere else."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"Level of authority completely unsuited for level of responsibility. Even if you do your core responsibilities well, you will be called on the carpet for any infraction."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I wouldn't want to run this show, so I have little to suggest."

What do you like about working at Duke University?

"It is a good student job which can make me accumulate experience in engineering."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"I think the interview can ask more technical questions to the student."

What don't you like about working at Duke University?

"I will graduate, so I can no longer get the student work."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I think the advisor can give the students more advice for their work."

"A great place to work, wish I never left."

"Great people, too much management."

"In research, most of these answers are unique to the individual lab."

"It is great place to work."

"Decent place for fame and challenge."