Policy Career Guides

This article provides advice on how to find think tank job opportunities, which roles to apply for (including internships and fellowships), and how to improve your chances in the application process.

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Outline:

(00:24) Which jobs should you apply to?

(06:36) Finding specific opportunities

(08:04) Internship programs

(10:02) Succeeding in the application process

(17:26) Relevant degrees and credentials

(22:40) Fellowships

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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A political campaign is an organized effort to elect candidates to public office or pass ballot initiatives such as constitutional amendments, legislative referenda, or local ordinances.

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Outline:

(02:04) Campaign types, organization, and roles

(02:09) Campaign types

(04:49) Primary and general election campaigns

(07:44) Competitive campaigns and partisan campaign committees

(10:34) Legislative campaigns

(13:25) Executive campaigns

(14:12) Judicial campaigns and ballot initiatives

(15:32) Organization and roles

(17:51) Campaign finance

(18:53) Working on a transition team

(21:37) Campaign timelines

(23:46) Personal fit: Pros & cons to campaign work

(24:02) Pros

(25:01) Building experience, skills, and networks

(26:19) Career advancement

(30:29) Civic engagement

(31:28) Cons

(34:51) Testing your fit for campaign work

(36:16) Getting a political campaign role

(37:03) Choosing a campaign: a framework and tool

(39:02) Additional considerations for choosing a campaign

(42:40) Typical campaign salary

(43:51) Finding a job and the hiring process

(45:26) Preparing for an interview

(47:09) What comes next: post-campaign employment

(52:01) Transitioning from campaigning to post-campaign work

(53:18) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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Working in or with a multilateral organization can be a great way to tackle global challenges and advance your career, but this career path also has some important potential downsides.

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Outline:

(01:45) What is multilateral governance?

(04:08) The multilateral governance process

(06:24) Differences between multilateral governance and national policy

(08:52) Working on multilateral policy

(09:42) Multilateral organizations

(15:01) International NGOs, think tanks, and advocacy organizations

(18:50) National governments

(20:47) Why (not) work on multilateral governance?

(20:53) Making a difference: opportunities and constraints

(25:01) Professional development

(28:22) Personal fit

(32:55) Pathways and (early-career) opportunities

(35:19) Which multilateral organizations are most relevant to emerging tech issues?

(36:20) Further reading

(36:26) Appendix: International agreements on emerging technology and security

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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National labs like Los Alamos are crucial for informing government policy and advancing science and technology, particularly in national security.

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Outline:

(00:37) What on Earth are FFRDCs?

(05:48) Overview of FFRDCs

(06:23) Types of FFRDCs

(08:06) National labs: history and overview

(08:11) The labs: A (very) brief history

(11:27) Overview of the national labs today

(16:58) Why (not) work for the FFRDCs?

(21:35) FFRDC roles and personal fit

(22:00) Types of roles

(24:45) Placement opportunities and transitioning into government

(26:13) Getting an FFRDC job

(30:23) FFRDCs working on emerging technology issues

(32:02) Testimonials

(34:28) Additional resources

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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The law school admission process is highly competitive and time intensive. This article explains the process and how to strengthen your application in the most time-effective way.

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Outline:

(01:12) Overview of your application

(02:56) Where to focus your time and effort

(08:45) Quantitative components of the application

(08:49) GPA

(10:56) LSAT or GRE

(11:53) Comparing the LSAT and the GRE

(14:27) Deciding between the LSAT and the GRE

(15:50) Preparing for the LSAT

(19:48) Assessing your numbers

(20:52) Qualitative components of the application

(20:56) Resume

(22:06) Personal statement and other essays

(24:18) Letters of recommendation

(28:10) Interviews

(29:10) Application Timeline

(30:38) Schedule and take your admissions tests

(31:23) Request letters of recommendation

(32:54) Compile and submit your applications

(33:28) Waiting for decisions

(33:31) Timing

(34:02) Offer mechanics

(35:05) Waitlists

(36:07) A note on mental health

(37:09) Thinking ahead: One possible timeline for candidates applying in future years

(37:35) First and second year of college (and earlier)

(38:04) Junior year of college

(38:49) Senior year of college

(39:23) First year of full-time work

(39:39) Second year of full-time work

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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This article covers interview preparation, the scoring system, common mistakes to avoid, and what to expect during and after the interview.

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Outline:

(00:10) Getting started

(02:09) Preparation

(02:11) Understanding the vacancy and scoring system

(03:46) Strategies for effective interview preparation

(06:24) Avoiding common mistakes

(08:23) What to expect

(09:01) Succeeding in panel interviews

(09:41) Opportunity to ask questions

(10:32) Next steps

(11:52) Additional resources

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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The US intelligence community (IC) is a network of 18 government agencies and offices charged with collecting, analyzing, and delivering intelligence to senior US leaders to support national security decision-making.

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Outline:

(01:21) Background on the IC

(01:24) What does the IC do?

(03:16) The IC's diverse types of roles and activities

(04:01) Functional and regional analysts

(05:50) Technical roles

(07:08) Intelligence collectors and case officers

(09:25) Why might you (not) want to work in the IC?

(10:02) Upsides to IC work

(14:46) Downsides to IC work

(18:08) IC members

(20:06) The federation and its components

(21:50) Intelligence outside of the IC

(24:35) How the IC plugs into the policymaking process

(31:52) Intelligence work on emerging technology topics

(36:47) IC components relevant to emerging technology

(40:02) IC work on AI issues

(41:38) IC work on biosecurity and countering WMD

(43:30) IARPA and In-Q-Tel

(44:10) Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)

(45:05) In-Q-Tel

(45:58) Working in the IC

(49:53) Desired qualities and skills

(53:02) Job and internship listings

(54:39) Appendix: The different kinds of intelligence work

(54:45) The intelligence cycle

(57:11) Types of intelligence (the INTs)

(01:00:06) Testimonials

(01:01:32) Additional resources

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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This guide serves as a starting point for exploring careers in biosecurity policy in the executive branch. It reviews key policy areas and agency roles and highlights key considerations to inform your career planning.

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Outline:

(01:44) What is biosecurity?

(03:23) Mapping the federal biosecurity ecosystem

(09:05) What agencies work on in biosecurity

(09:54) COVID-19 vaccines as a case study in government coordination

(14:34) Navigating executive branch biosecurity careers

(18:46) Appendix: A brief history of biosecurity policy

(27:20) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

The original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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Last updated:

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This guide serves as a starting point for exploring careers in biosecurity policy in the executive branch. It reviews key policy areas and agency roles and highlights key considerations to inform your career planning.

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Outline:

(00:09) Policy institutions

(00:23) Executive branch

(00:45) Congress

(01:09) Think tanks

(01:33) State-level policy careers

(01:53) National labs and FFRDCs

(02:15) Intelligence community (IC)

(02:36) Multilateral organizations

(03:01) US political campaigns

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

The original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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This guide is a starting point for exploring AI policy careers in the executive branch. It reviews key policy areas and agency roles and highlights key considerations to inform your career planning.

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Outline:

(01:57) What is AI policy?

(03:52) Mapping the federal AI ecosystem

(08:03) What agencies work on in AI policy

(08:52) Chip export controls as a case study in government coordination

(14:13) Navigating AI careers in the executive branch

(18:39) Appendix: A brief history of AI policy in the US

(29:45) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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