How to find jobs in politics
Spend your career championing the causes that matter to you most.
Do you follow politics the way others follow sports teams, regularly checking poll stats, media coverage, and policy updates? Good news for your wonky ways: There are plenty of jobs in politics that can put you on the front lines of the political battlefield. Working on campaigns—whether for candidates, ballot initiatives or causes—can be intense, exhausting, and ultimately very rewarding. Get ready to hit the trail running.
Go after your passion
A political job is like any other—you need to enjoy it if you’re going to stick with it. “You have to believe in the cause,” says Chris Jones, president and founder of PoliTemps, a legislative, government and political staffing service in Washington, D.C. That “cause” can be a person or an issue.
Political campaigns based on local, state, or federal elections are dedicated to getting someone elected or re-elected for a certain position, and are generally divided along the two-party system.
There are also issue-based campaigns dedicated to changing legislation or public sentiment. Nonprofits, trade associations, and political action committees often take the lead on these types of campaigns, which aren’t necessarily tied to a political election season, Jones says. For example, people work year-round to advance LGBTQ causes, climate change initiatives, and education issues.
Build your knowledge—and your network
Whether you’re campaigning for a person or working on the activist/lobbyist side, you need to be able to discuss the issues in an intelligent way and serve as an advocate for the person or idea you’re working for.
“We look for interest, background and experience in the political process and legislative affairs or PR,” Jones says. “We look for some thread that indicates they’re interested in our clients.”
To get involved in the community, you need a connection, says Erin Loos Cutraro, founder and CEO of She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. The local branch of your political party of choice, or nearest campaign office for your favorite candidate, is a good first place to reach out to. Express your interest in getting involved, and ask about open positions. Attend networking events as much as possible—learn about concerns and priorities, and look for ways your skills can help address them.
Find a fit for your skills
There are many different jobs in politics that require a wide variety of skills—from copywriting to coding—and no matter your background, there’s probably a place for you as long as you’re willing to work hard. The number of paid employees will vary depending on the size of the campaign, but will typically include several roles.
The strategist will dictate the message and tone of the campaign, as well as place media buys. The campaign manager will serve as a coordinator to ensure every aspect of the campaign is working well together—the mailings are getting printed and sent out, volunteers are organized, the scheduler is on time. “It’s the hardest and most time-consuming,” says Lionel Rainey III, founder and president of LR3 Consulting and Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting agency based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “They can make good money, but it’s exhausting.”
The grassroots coordinator manages paid interns and the volunteer base. “This person is important, because they [interact with] voters and are responsible for get-out-the-vote efforts,” Rainey says. Fundraisers tap networks for money and work hard to build a sizable network they can go to again and again to raise funds.
Other political jobs include communications director, who serves as a spokesperson to the media, and a press secretary, who works as the director’s deputy. The candidate may need a handler who takes pictures and directs the candidate at events. Pollsters, data managers, and digital coordinators are also involved in many campaigns.
Be ready to climb a ladder
You may have visions of writing policy, but in reality your first days on a campaign are more likely to involve phone banks, database work, knocking on doors or some other boots-on-the-ground tactic. But if you do it well, people will notice.
Nial Patel, senior vice president of Washington, D.C.-based Cornerstone Government Affairs, started out by working on Bobby Jindal’s 2003 campaign for governor in Louisiana. A lot of the work included grassroots efforts, such as organizing people to go door to door and work phone banks. “It wasn’t really the sexy drama you wanted to see,” he says, “but it gave me the opportunity to understand how a campaign works.”
As more people joined the campaign, Patel’s role changed. “If you do something and do it well, you’ll get more responsibility,” he says. After a failed runoff in the gubernatorial race, Jindal decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives—and Patel found himself doing the policy work that interested him.
Build long-term relationships
Politics is like any industry, Jones says: It’s built on relationships. As campaigns rise and fall with the political cycle, the people you work with will move on—and may be able to make a connection for you down the road. “Social media makes that easier now,” he says. “People you met two or four or 10 years ago move up and move out, and may connect with you again later in life.”
In Patel’s case, he and Jindal had family friends in common, and the fact that they both come from Indian backgrounds provided a connection. “I saw an opportunity,” he says, and expressed interest in helping out with the fledgling campaign. He had planned on staying only for the summer, but enjoyed the work so much he stayed on.
Brace for the boom and bust
On larger campaigns, the money can be good, but politics is cyclical, Rainey says. You’ll be working toward some kind of goal on a deadline, and you’ll either hit it or you won’t, starting the cycle over again. After the campaign ends, other opportunities may include working at a lobbying firm or think tank. At Cornerstone, for example, Patel works on business development and policy work.
No matter what kind of campaign you work on, you’re likely to find that it’s hard and demanding. “During a campaign, depending on the size, you can go days or weeks and not see your family because you’re working so much,” Rainey says. “There’s no off time. There are always deadlines.” But that only makes the achievements that much more gratifying.
Boost your job-search campaign
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