Welcome to the Government, Law, and Public Policy Community!
The following sampling of tools and resources should be combined with your own research. We suggest you use targeted keyword searches to find representative employers and opportunities, explore professional associations, join LinkedIn groups, and browse additional job board postings. Remember to also search LinkedIN and MyPenn (formerly QuakerNet) to connect with Penn alumni in fields related to your interests. Additionally, the sample jobs and employers are only a small selection of what’s posted in Handshake – log in to see much more!
We also suggest using the Career Exploration section of our website for more information or researching by major.
Explore Careers in Government, Law, & Public Policy
There are a lot of career paths to consider when pursuing a role in government, law or public policy and you may also discover a bit of overlap among those fields. Some examples of roles within these industries are policy analyst, paralegal, politician or campaign worker, lobbyist or attorney, to name a few. Many of these roles are fantastic opportunities to gain experience and responsibility very early in your career.
Connect with Employers and Alumni
Through networking you can making connections and build relationships with professionals who can help you to learn what it’s like to work in a particular role, field, or industry. You can use Penn’s alumni database, MyPenn (formerly QuakerNet) as well as LinkedIN to find and connect with alumni who work in industries that are interesting to you.Read more about how to make connections.
Finding Opportunities
Opportunities in government, law and public policy can be found in a variety of places, from larger job boards, to industry-specific niche job boards, to the career page of company websites. When you’re on a larger job board like Handshake, make sure you’re using filters and keywords to hone in on opportunities that are relevant to the types of roles you are seeking. We’ve also curated a list of industry-specific job resources related to government, law and public policy that can help you launch your search.
Find Resources
On this page, we’ve compiled many resources to help you prepare for a career in government, law, or public policy. Of particular interest should be the Tom Manatos Job List and professional organizations such as Idealist.
This summer, I completed an internship with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI). In this role, I had the opportunity to support the Biden administration in advancing …
Ian Mijael Zhang, COL ’25, Buenos Aires City, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Has the Argentine public sector’s size gone out of control in the last two decades? Is Argentina heading to a labor market dominated by public employment? It sure seems …
This summer, I worked in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As an undergraduate intern, I conducted background research on cases in …
This summer I had the chance to gain one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had by working alongside a member of the parliament in my country. Together with him and other state officials, …
Check out this post from the Carpe Careers blog published on the Inside Higher Ed website – written by PhD/postdoc career advisors for PhD students and postdocs:
By Joseph Barber
Joseph BarberDirector, Graduate Career Initiatives
PoliCorner.org is a free political internship and jobs platform connecting Penn students with 2,000+ political and public service internships and career …
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New York City Economic Development CorporationView All Jobs
