How Do You Get A Public Policy Research Job In DC?
I agree with decathecting that not living in DC may be a big factor, because with the economy (particularly the implosion of the banking sector) the types of positions you’re looking at have gotten much, much, much more competitive. With so many strong applicants to choose from, companies are less likely to spend money flying people in from across the country, particularly if you graduated from “a middle-tier grad school.” I doubt it has much to do with having a masters in applied economics vs. public policy; in fact, I expect that actually is working in your favor. Just not enough to tip the scales yet, since you’re up against people who are coming out of programs at LSE, Harvard, Yale, etc. If I were you, there’s two things I would do going forward: 1. Start listing two addresses on your resume–if you know ANYONE in DC, seriously anyone at all, ask them if you can use their address–and after the DC one put “(expected residence April 2009)” or something to that effect. Alternatively
Thanks for all the good advice. Based on the responses, here are some of my thoughts: 1) I’ve began considering moving to DC. I think I would be able to swing it financially for about 6 months, with the hope that I could get a few temp jobs while I search and eventually land a decent permanent position. I’m not ready to make the move yet, but its’ definitely something I’m considering. 2) I have applied to about 8-10 federal government positions. I haven’t heard anything back from any of them, but I know their hiring process tends to take awhile. I am very willing to work for the federal government, but at this point I don’t feel like I should pin my hopes on these positions and should instead explore every opportunity out there. 3) I understand everyone’s comments about the apparent lack of strength of my resume as I presented it. In regards to my graduate assistantship, I worked with a diverse research team for an education-related research grant where I collected, compiled, and conve
