On Thursday, February 29, 2024, the Center for Career Education (CCE) hosted our Policy & Politics Industry Showcase: an exploratory event geared towards students interested in areas such as government agencies, think tanks, NGOs, and legal organizations. Representatives from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, FEMA Region 2, the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, Partners for Justice, The Roosevelt Institute, and the US Secret Service gave brief introductions to their respective organizations and potential career paths. Following the presentations, students were invited to connect with the employers during an open networking session.
Below are some of the key takeaways from the organizations in attendance.
United States Department of State
The representative from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security gave a brief overview of both his bureau’s work and the larger department’s mission. The representative outlined his bureau’s three primary missions as:
Investigations: The Bureau collaborates with other US and regional agencies to investigate crimes like visa and passport fraud, trafficking, and criminal misconduct of US government personnel both within the United States and abroad.
Protection: The Bureau provides protection and security to foreign missions in the United State, US missions abroad, and State Department personnel, facilities, and information/information technology.
Promotion of Security: The Bureau facilitates security training programs for the State Department, other federal agencies, and foreign security agencies.
They also highlighted the department’s strong DEI initiative. The Department of State has the largest law enforcement reach in the world, enabling young professionals to receive exciting assignments across the globe and gain valuable experience working for the federal government, both in the United States and abroad.
Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA)
The two representatives from FEMA’s Region 2 Office discussed the important work that young professionals can participate in as members of FEMA’s Response, Recover, and Mitigation Divisions. FEMA’s Region 2 Office serves communities in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands before, during, and after natural disasters. The representatives also described some important characteristics that FEMA looks for in its applicants. Serving the country’s most at-risk communities, FEMA employees are expected to display both strong communication skills and empathy, and they must always be prepared to deploy in the event of an emergency. Pointing to the social impact of FEMA’s projects — such as working with the NFL to prepare stadiums for disasters — the representatives emphasized the highly rewarding nature of working with FEMA. Please follow this link to learn more about FEMA’s “Make a Difference” recruitment initiative, which is geared toward current college students and recent alumni!
New Lines Institute
The Senior Director of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy gave valuable insight into both his organization’s mission and the career paths that the Institute is developing for students hoping to work in policy analysis. Founded in 2019, the New Lines Institute is a think tank working to enhance US foreign policy understanding and to promote principled leadership in the sector. New Lines Institute distinguishes itself from other think tanks in its commitment to providing objective foreign policy analysis and focusing on “analytical empathy” in their in-depth examinations of geopolitics. The Senior Director then highlighted the Institute’s hybrid practitioner/learner Master of Arts in Strategy and Policy. Through rigorous academic training and an integrated internship, students gain hands-on experience analyzing foreign policy within a think tank environment. This one-of-a-kind, 12-month MA program — offered directly by the institute itself — was designed to equip its graduates with the toolset needed to become policy analysts.
Partners for Justice
The Founder and Co-Executive Director of Partners for Justice shed light on the impactful work her organization is doing to combat injustice in the legal system. Partners for Justice is a nonprofit founded with the hopes of reforming public defense across the country and reducing the impact of the criminal legal system on economic mobility. The nonprofit aims to expand and enhance access to comprehensive legal and community/wraparound services for individuals from all backgrounds, eliminating the inequity individuals commonly face due to their race and/or wealth. Partners for Justice’s Client Advocate Fellowship Program places young professionals in full-time, entry-level positions within public defender offices across the country; though applications for this cycle have recently closed, students graduating in 2024 and 2025 are encouraged to apply in Fall 2024.
Roosevelt Institute
“We want people to think of us as their moral and political home.” — Eric Paul, Deputy Director, Roosevelt Network
The Deputy Director of the Roosevelt Network, the Roosevelt Institute’s undergraduate and early professional development program, discussed the many opportunities to get involved in the Institute’s work. The Roosevelt Institute’s goal is to produce ideas that change the conversation around the economy and its functions; the Network’s purpose is to give young professionals the tools to develop these ideas. The Institute currently runs three fellowships: the Forge Fellowship, which is designed as an introductory program for first- and second-years; the Roosevelt in Washington Fellowship, an intermediate internship program which places students in a progressive movement organization; and the Emerging Fellowship, a year-long, part-time program in which students develop a policy brief on a topic of their choosing. Applications for this cohort of fellows have just closed, but will reopen in mid-November.
United States Secret Service
The representatives from the United States Secret Service divided the agency’s work into two purposes: protection and investigations. On the protection side, the agency frequently collaborates with the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security to protect foreign heads of state; meanwhile, the agency’s investigations frequently center around issues such as financial crimes and cryptocurrency. Within such a multifunctional agency, young professionals are encouraged to pursue a wide range of career paths. Whether as Special Agents and uniformed police or in administrative, professional, and technical positions, employees are able to utilize and deepen their expertise in fields like psychology, finance, and IT. Learn more about the exciting new opportunities at the Secret Service here.
Key Takeaways
A career in policy is not limited to government. Many organizations — including some of this showcase’s participants — offer exciting roles outside of the public sector!
Use websites like Idealist to research social-impact organizations and learn about job openings.
Government agencies recruit across all fields. Students and recent graduates from all disciplines can find fulfilling positions that advance their personal career goals.
Keep an eye on the USAJOBS Portal and reference the Office of Personnel Management’s General Schedule (GS) Classification Standards to find out which positions you may qualify for.
Look into specific organizations’/agencies’ hiring practices. You may need a federal resume.
Utilize resources like this Guide to Writing an Effective Federal Resume on the Department of the Interior’s website and the USAJOBS Help Center.
