Author Archives: Brooke Allen

Is Cheating by Colleges Just Another Clever Marketing Ploy?

by Brooke Allen Should “caveat emptor” be the operative philosophy when colleges market to students, or should they hold themselves to a higher standard than, say, a drug dealer? Emory University confessed that for 11 years it has been fudging data it sent in for U. S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. The publisher said that,Continue reading “Is Cheating by Colleges Just Another Clever Marketing Ploy?”

Hiring in a Dysfunctional Job Market

For 2 decades, I have made a living deploying mathematical models to find hidden value in the securities markets. This is a difficult problem because these markets are very efficient, meaning that it’s very hard to do better than just showing up and stating your needs. Consider the stock market: If you want to buyContinue reading “Hiring in a Dysfunctional Job Market”

If you manage your time terribly, you’ll get more done

by Brooke Allen I’m terrible at doing what people tell me I should do, but I still get things done. I’m not sure why this is, but here is my best guess: I manage my desires more than my time. In high school, I never seemed to find time to do homework I didn’t wantContinue reading “If you manage your time terribly, you’ll get more done”

The secret to a higher salary is to ask for nothing at all

by Brooke Allen  More than twenty years ago, I developed a powerful approach to negotiating that goes beyond “win-win.” It involves starting by offering the most and asking for the least. It works extremely well, but I was unable to explain why until I read Wharton professor Adam Grant’s excellent new book Give and Take. AdamContinue reading “The secret to a higher salary is to ask for nothing at all”

To get a job, write your story instead of a resume

by Brooke Allen  I am 61 years old and I have been doing paid work since I was 16. I’ve been a grocery clerk, camp counselor, film projectionist, sound man, light man, cameraman, freight loader, computer programmer, teacher, operations research analyst, manager, salesman, writer, consultant, and for the last 30 years I’ve been a securitiesContinue reading “To get a job, write your story instead of a resume”

How to find a calling instead of a career

by Brooke Allen  In my Quartz piece, To get a job, write your story instead of a resume, I talked about the value of finding a purpose in your work, and suggested that in order to do that you reflect on your life and write your own narrative. I talked about how economics is aboutContinue reading “How to find a calling instead of a career”

Don’t come to Wall Street for the money, even if you plan on giving it away.

by Brooke Allen  I am a 60-year-old child of the 60’s who never gave up on the idea that I can save the world—even after three decades on Wall Street. That is why I enjoyed the piece in QZ.com by William MacAskill, To save the world, don’t get a job at a charity; go workContinue reading “Don’t come to Wall Street for the money, even if you plan on giving it away.”

Why business schools charge so much and pay their teachers so little

by Brooke Allen You and I know why business schools charge so much for an MBA. Because they can. But why do they pay so little to everyone except their superstars? It’s not just because they can. I think the real reason is much more sinister than that. Once upon a time—before starting my MBA at NYUContinue reading “Why business schools charge so much and pay their teachers so little”

The Problem with Talking About Intellectual Virtues

By: Brooke Allen This piece is a response to Colleges Should Teach Intellectual Virtues by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe. The problem with talking about Intellectual Virtues is that it can give intellectuals the feeling they are virtuous when they are just talking. Colleges might not think of themselves as being in the business of teachingContinue reading “The Problem with Talking About Intellectual Virtues”