We love receiving emails that ask very specific questions. While it鈥檚 impossible to answer every email we receive with a blog post, we do like addressing the questions that we believe apply to the general public. We recently received this email:
鈥淗i, I am a junior in high school and am looking for a productive way to spend my summer, to also build my resume for college. For the last couple of summers I have interned for campaigns, I currently intern for an assemblyman in New Jersey, I have done a summer program at Georgetown, and I am looking to land something a little more impressive and competitive this summer due to the fact I feel I am qualified because of my background and academic excellence. Let me know. Thanks!鈥�
This is a great question, and if you have a similar inquiry please send them our way.
We鈥檙e going to get right into it: the root of the problem here is that the student doesn鈥檛 know exactly what it is they like about politics. Here鈥檚 how we would work with a client to place them at an internship that shines on their resume.
The first step is to get down to the bottom of what aspect of politics you鈥檙e into. These days, an interest in any broad subject is not enough if you want to attend a competitive college. Liking 鈥渂usiness鈥� or 鈥減olitics鈥� won鈥檛 cut it, and the way to demonstrate an interest in a particular part of any field is to focus on those with internships, AP classes, research, and jobs.
So, we would start by making a list with our client that includes every single thing they like about politics. We would ask a lot of questions about what they liked and hated from every experience they鈥檝e had within politics. Is it the introverted act of crafting legislation? Do they love canvassing and signing people up to vote? Is it the more academic approach, as in learning about history? This list is broad and it is meant to be.
Then, find a common thread between the interning you鈥檝e done and the experiences you鈥檝e had. In this case, the student in the email has already worked on campaigns and currently interns for an assemblyman. Once she has properly asked herself the questions and done the work, she should be able to hone in on 1-2 very specific areas that she want to focus on.
Next up is the summer job/internship research. For this client, we would have three suggestions (and then help them with that search)
1. Paid position working for a campaign.
It鈥檚 always good to show colleges that you鈥檙e not just willing to work, but were able to find a paid position. Getting paid certainly isn鈥檛 the only way to show that you鈥檙e valued, but it doesn鈥檛 hurt. This position would be best for a student that has past internship experience and is ready to level up and take on more responsibility. IMPORTANT: don鈥檛 take a paid position just because it鈥檚 paid. Money is great, but if you鈥檙e going to be going on coffee runs and making copies you won鈥檛 be left with much to put on your resume. We would only recommend a paid position if you鈥檙e getting an equal amount of experience as you would with an unpaid internship.
2. Research with a professor.
Don鈥檛 forget that political science is still a science. For students that are interested in the more academic side of politics, and don鈥檛 see themselves standing on a street signing people up to vote, you might want to consider doing research. It鈥檚 not always easy finding research opportunities in high school (read: it is actually very difficult), and you might have to pitch the position yourself. Reach out to schools and professors and offer your services. But be specific.
3. Another internship, but pay attention here.
Hopping from internship to internship doesn鈥檛 show growth if the experiences aren鈥檛 related. Three summers of working on different campaigns doing the same exact thing doesn鈥檛 add much value to your resume or give you personal data points to work off of. You should build upon the skills you already have, and look for other opportunities. This might mean going from working on a campaign to interning at a larger corporation or non-profit.
Above all, don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e above cold emailing, asking for favors, and stalking LinkedIn. While those aren鈥檛 always the most effective strategies, it鈥檚 a good place to start. We also recommend starting your summer internship search as early as possible. Our last piece of advice to our readers is to always be open to the possibility of creating your own internship or opportunity. It鈥檚 what we do. And don鈥檛 be afraid of rejection.
We go more in-depth with our clients, but this is a general overview of our process. If you want to work with someone one on one, contact us here.