Political Jobs

Career coach Emily Lamia has been helping people grow and develop in their careers for over a decade. She has supported countless people to network more effectively, interview more confidently, and think more strategically about how to get where they want to go.

When I started on the campaign trail, I was lucky enough to go through the Campaign Management Institute, where I became focused on grassroots political campaigns and met mentors through college programs and internships. Meeting folks who had made careers out of political campaigns, advocacy and public affairs, encouraged me to go on the road, pursue a career in politics and find a political campaign job and become a campaign staffer.

If political job hunting at any stage in life is a daunting process, searching for your first ever political job as a young person can be soul-crushing. While you may not be able to avoid all the headaches and meltdowns that accompany your transition into the Real World, these tips for your first political job hunt will at least help you breathe more easily (and maybe even sleep at night) as you navigate.

As someone who has recently gone through the daunting and tough task of job hunting, I can completely understand and attest to the fact that it’s tough to find political jobs in DC and even tougher to find a job that is the right fit for you. With so many newly minted undergraduate, graduate, and even law school grads hunting for jobs in the same market, it can sometimes be a very overwhelming and discouraging undertaking. But in the end, all your efforts will be worth it. Here are the tips I learned along my journey to finding a great job with wonderful people, and how you can do the same.

Anyone with a love of Washington D.C. who works in politics, has been here before: you are stuck in the never-ending vortex of finding political jobs in DC. This post is not going to be liked by everyone, but it lays out the experiences I’ve had through the job-hunting process. Also, if you don’t work in the political world, you may have a different experience in finding political jobs in DC.

Are you a college student interested in pursuing a career in politics? Do you have absolutely no experience in the field and not a clue where to get it? Fear not! I’m going to walk you through how to begin your journey into politics. The first step is getting a political internship.