Washington, D.C. is a major hub for Columbians both for summer internships and post-graduation plans. Students and alumni work for various organizations in the nation’s capital, especially in industries like politics, government, research, and international affairs.
To explore these industries a bit more, Andrew Knutson, Executive Director of Employer & Alumni Relations, and Lalaine Mercado, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Development, traveled to the D.C. Area to connect with local organizations including:
- U.S. Senate
- The Wilson Center
- Human Rights Campaign
- Smithsonian
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- New Lines Institute
With such a rich variety of employers, we were able to gain fantastic insights into the working landscape of D.C., but to focus our findings, we’ve broken down the information into three industry areas: think tanks, research & advocacy, and government. Within each of these, we’ll share a quick overview of the area as well as employment opportunities and tips for applying.
Think Tanks
We visited two Washington, D.C.-based think tanks: The Wilson Center and New Lines Institute. As think tanks, both organizations research and analyze global affairs, producing insightful scholarship and providing counsel to policymakers.
Both The Wilson Center and New Lines Institute focus on international affairs. Both organizations tackle a variety of topics that impact the globe — ranging from climate change to geopolitics.
Congress chartered the Wilson Center and emphasizes its nonpartisan role. It also hosts events that showcase dialogue and scholarship on international topics.
New Lines Institute is a more start-up-like think tank. Its goal is to shape foreign policy based on a deep understanding of regional geopolitics and the value systems of those regions.
Opportunities in Think Tanks
Roles at think tanks can vary depending on the organization’s size, internal structure, and the need for research at any given moment. Most have several entry pathways for students and alumni, including internships, research positions, or other full-time roles.
The Wilson Center, in particular, employs visiting scholars, permanent staff, and interns. The organization offers two types of internships for college students. Research assistants are assigned to work with a particular visiting scholar, assisting on their specific research project. Staff assistants support a particular program or office, which can be regional or topical.
Examples of programs and offices at The Wilson Center include the Canada Institute, the Development Office, the Indo-Pacific Program, the Africa Program, and the Science and Technology Innovation Program. Each program or office has dedicated permanent staff conducting research and organizing programs.
Students can apply for summer, fall, and spring internships. The applications usually open a few months before the internship. (The summer internship application opens in March, the fall application opens in July, and the spring application opens in November.)
As part of the program, all interns are invited to the Center’s events and programs. In addition to gaining experience in international affairs, interns also build a network they can carry to their next step. Alumni of the Wilson Center’s internship program have continued on to careers in international relations, as well as law, consulting, entrepreneurship, foreign service, and intelligence.
New Lines Institute has a team of scholars focused on different topical areas and invites scholarly contributions from outside experts. The think tank offers a paid summer internship for college students. Recent graduates can begin as senior interns, a full-time position that allows the intern and New Lines to test the position before making a permanent offer. New Lines also offers a new MA Fellowship for recent graduates, which is a 12-month professional master’s program, plus a Research Fellowship. Fellows take 12 courses over 12 months and rotate through different departments at New Lines.
Application & Industry Tips
Research: Research skills go beyond the ability to conduct research and write, although of course they are very important. They also include a deep interest in the work of the program, the ability to work with other people, language skills for some programs, and being a self-starter.
Networking: In this field where it can be difficult to distinguish yourself from other candidates, networking is important. CCE’s contacts in this industry recommended that interested applicants reach out to them. Connecting is a way to share your interest in the work and your intellectual ability, giving candidates a way to stand out among others.
Persistence: Candidates can and should apply even if they were previously rejected. Think tanks’ hiring choices often depend on what topics they’re working on at that time. Candidates can take a look at social media to see what their current priority topics are and align their applications accordingly.
Research & Advocacy
Think tanks only represent one aspect of research being done in D.C. Organizations like the Smithsonian and Human Rights Campaign use research on the arts, sciences, politics, campaigns, and other subjects to further and expand knowledge.
Perhaps best known for its 21 museums, ranging from Natural History to Air and Space, the Smithsonian is also a vast education and research complex. Its mission is to preserve heritage, discover new knowledge, and share resources.
The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. Their primary work deals with advocacy for equality, equity, and liberation for LGBTQ+ people. They work on political campaigns, advocate for inclusive policies, and create educational programming.
Opportunities in Research & Advocacy
The Smithsonian highlighted how it provides opportunities for almost all majors and all kinds of career paths, from the sciences to finance. Both internships and jobs are available in the central Smithsonian office, as well as the individual units/museums.
Summer internship applications are posted during the spring semester, and each unit sets its own hiring timeline. Interns enjoy a robust internship program; each unit has programs for its interns and the Smithsonian also provides center-wide programming for all interns. The programming includes fun events in the D.C. area, opportunities to build relationships with other offices, and professional development training.
The Smithsonian also offers fellowships for graduate students who need to come to the Smithsonian to work with its collection or to connect with staff expertise.
The Human Rights Campaign advertises both internships and jobs on its careers website. There are many opportunities to get involved—fundraising, working on an election campaign, conducting policy research, advocating for healthcare or workplace reform, and more.
Internships are available in multiple areas: (1) policy and government affairs, (2) communications and digital media, (3) fundraising, (4) research and community programs, and (5) operations. Candidates can apply to multiple internships. Summer internship applications open in February, fall internship applications open in June, and spring internship applications open in October.
For recent graduates, early career roles with the titles “assistant,” “coordinator,” or “manager” allow employees to become heavily involved in the program work. Most entry-level employees move up quickly because of the level of responsibility they earn. The staff of HRC is mostly unionized.
Application & Industry Tips
For students interested in research and advocacy, it is essential to convey your interest in the work! Both the Smithsonian and the HRC recommended that applicants share what makes them interested in this field and what they hope to learn in the application materials. The Smithsonian internship application requests a statement of interest which candidates should use to show how they envision the internship as a learning experience, rather than as a typical cover letter. The HRC requires a series of short essays where applicants should make a special effort to convey the details of their interest in the work that position will do.
Once interns have secured the role, skills that will be helpful include research, writing, presenting, and working with data. Recent graduates in early career roles in advocacy also will need skills in adapting quickly to changing situations, dealing with ambiguity, and working with clients.
Government
When most of us think of Washington, D.C., we think of the city as the heart of the United States Federal Government. The city presents countless opportunities and organizations to explore across the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. For this visit, we connected with two organizations: the United States Senate and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Opportunities in the U.S. Government
Roles in the Senate are about as wide-ranging as you can imagine including everything from policymaking to graphic design. When considering opportunities within this legislative body, it’s important to keep in mind that roles can be either partisan or nonpartisan.
Internships are available in three broad categories: Senator Offices, Committees, and Sergeant at Arms Offices. Each of these offices has its nuances when it comes to the work. All position types are listed on the Senate Vacancies website with the instructions to apply and are collected by a centralized office and then passed to the appropriate office/committee.
Senator Offices: Each Senator’s Office leads the hiring of interns in their office. The pay and scope of the role can vary from senator to senator, but most commonly, interns take on administrative, legislative/policy, communications, and constituent services roles. Most of these internships will take place in the D.C. Area; however, some senators may have positions in their local state offices.
Committee Internships: Individual Senate Committees (like Environment and Public Works) recruit interns to help with similar functions to the senator offices, but these positions often seek those who have previous experience in a senate office and/or upperclassmen.
Sergeant at Arms: Roles with the Sergeant at Arms are the backbone of the Senate and represent the nonpartisan support roles. They often hire for the functional roles that make the Senate run like administrative services, cybersecurity, graphic design, information technology, photography and videography, and more!
The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) is a division of the larger Department of Commerce. As suggested by the name, the office is responsible for issuing patents and trademarks to protect the intellectual property of citizens and businesses. The protection of these new ideas is central to innovation and helps drive economic growth in the country.
The USPTO is almost always seeking to hire full-time Patent Examiners. These entry-level roles are great for students and alumni who have engineering and tech backgrounds because examiners often review a lot of research, schematics, and other technical documentation. These are great positions for anyone who likes to work independently, enjoys an almost entirely remote work environment, and is looking for employers who emphasize stability and work/life balance.
Since the USPTO is funded through patent fees, it’s an organization that operates regardless of government freezes and is continuously looking for talent. They recruit throughout the year in different cycles, so be sure to set up alerts at USAJobs to stay up to date with the latest information. Internships can also be found through that site for juniors!
Application & Industry Tips
Roles in the government sector can vary greatly depending on an agency or branch’s focus. For those applying to organizations like the Senate or others working within a particular geographic area or constituency, consider your ties to the state or location. For the Senate, a senator’s office will want to know why you’re interested in working for that particular area. This doesn’t mean you have to be a resident, but if you have a regional interest, knowledge of their priorities, or a shared value, that can go a long way.
Research is a huge skill to emphasize in your materials for more technical roles like those at the USPTO. This can be research that you’ve done in internships, in the classroom, or in the lab. In addition to research, be sure to highlight hard, technical skills as well as soft skills (such as self-motivation and curiosity). Employers are looking for well-rounded candidates with a mix of these.
We were only able to scratch the surface of opportunities and employers in Washington, D.C. As the center of the national government, the city attracts organizations and people eager to be at the forefront of policy, research, and advocacy. The U.S. Senate, The Wilson Center, Human Rights Campaign, the Smithsonian, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and New Lines Institute gave us some great insights into the possibilities students and alumni can pursue.