I noticed a comment (I'm not used to receiving them!) so I figured I would take some time to answer it.
"Hey Sean, I'm curious--where did you intern? whose campaign? when gaining experience in politics/government, is it ever okay to intern on a campaign for someone whose politics you DON'T fully agree with?"
For the record, I interned in Washington DC for Senator Joe Biden's Presidential Campaign. But the more important question is the last one. I for one interned for Senator Biden because I admire the man and his politics. I felt and still feel very strongly that he is the right man to be our next President. When it comes to agreeing with their politics, I think the concept of NOT agreeing with them has to be more fully elaborated. In general, I would say that if you're a Democrat, you should campaign for Democratic candidates, and if you're a Republican, Republican candidates. This is a matter of putting someone into public office, so volunteering your time (as most internships are unpaid) for someone of the opposite party could be suicide for your career within your own party.
However, if your political differences are confined within the party, i.e. you're a moderate Democrat thinking of interning for a Liberal Democrat, then you should be OK. What's most important is BELIEVING in who you are working for. You'll do much better work if you're committed to your candidate. Either way, your doing campaign work is a terrific learning experience. However, all that learning would be for naught if your goals are within the Democratic Party and you're working on a Republican campaign.
On the other hand, if it's government work your after, then political differences are less of a factor. It actually is a terrific learning experience to work for someone you DON'T agree with after he's already there. It makes you more well-rounded to hear different points of view. That being said, most of the paid employees WILL be of like mind, and as I experienced myself, being a liberal in a conservative office can often times be an uncomfortable situation. Moreover, if you do decide to go this route, I wouldn't advertise it when you're applying to an openly partisan job. At the very least you should be vague on your resume so that you can explain it away in a later interview.
Campaign Internships
Resume Writing
If you think resume writing that does not warrant me blogging about, take a look at some of the resumes I saw this past summer and you'll think differently. I was helping out the intern coordinator at the office where I was working sort through some resumes of perspective interns for the Fall and I saw some resumes which were truly appalling. Clearly these individuals never took the time to even do a simple Google search on "How to write a resume." A standard resume that any organization or company will look at is concise in all ways. You want to convey the most information about yourself in just a very few words. First off, resumes should not be longer than one page. If you go over by a few lines, it's probably just fine. However, I saw resumes which took up 2, 3, even 4+ pages. NO!
Again, think concise. That means, you don't want to explain yourself in full paragraphs. Use bullets. For each listing on your resume you should include "Job Title" and then 3-5 bullet points containing one sentence descriptions of what you did at that job. Under no circumstances should you list your job and then write a paragraph explaining your duties. Whoever is looking at your resume probably has 20+ other resumes to look at, and they will not read an essay. Instead they will throw away your resume without even taking a second glance.
Going off that theme, make your resume easy to read. Whoever is reading it should be able to easily see your past experiences (therefore bold your job titles). I like a basic list form. Don't get too fancy with it, but you do want your resume to catch the eye. What you must remember about your resume is that whoever is reading it should be able to get a good idea about you in less than 30 seconds (maybe even 15).
Hopefully this advice has proved helpful. I know writing a resume sounds like a simple concept, but there is a specific form and style a winning resume should have. If you write an essay or a novel in place of a resume, you will be jobless. Guaranteed!
Back Again!
Sorry for the delay, but I am once again picking up my blogging responsibilities. I'll be updating only once a week these days and I will try to be keeping it more relevant to careers, internships, etc.
So with that, my first blog entry will be a piece of advice I can give based on my experiences this past summer. So I did manage to get one internship with a Presidential campaign, and it was a great experience. However, I made the mistake of being overconfident when I was applying. I had expected to be a shoe in for 2 internships I applied for and a quality candidate for 1 other. Yet my summer plans were shaken up when it turns out I only got one of the three internships I applied for.
The lesson here, you may have a great resume, but don't be overconfident! You never know what criteria these places are applying for. I was actually turned down for one internship in the Senate because I had previously worked there! There are no sure-fire bets when you're applying for internships, so make sure you cast a wide net. In retrospect, I should have applied for at least 2 more internships this past summer.
