About this guide

Working at a think tank could be a great way to build policy-relevant skills and networks and to promote socially beneficial policy ideas. This guide explains how the think tank world works, focusing specifically on US policy and Washington DC-based think tanks. Our goal is to allow you to make informed decisions about (a) whether think tanks are a good place for you to work, (b) which think tank jobs you could/should target and why, and (c) how to find and pursue specific job opportunities.

This guide consists of four main articles for anyone interested in think tank work:

1. Why (not) work at a think tank? (this article) explains how think tank work can allow you to contribute to policy change and advance professionally. 
2. Think tank types and activities explains how more than a hundred think tanks in DC aim to inform and influence policymaking through a combination of research and writing, convening stakeholders, and advocacy.
3. Think tank roles and personal fit lays out the main job categories at think tanks—including non-research roles—and how to determine your personal fit. 
4. Getting a think tank job provides advice on how to find think tank job opportunities, which roles to apply for, and how to improve your chances in the application process. It also provides some pointers on think tank internships and fellowships.

The bottom sections on our think tank overview page provide further resources on think tanks and think tank programs relevant to emerging technology, especially in AI and biosecurity, and link to a database we put together with a sample of ~100 think tank job postings. 

Key takeaways

A few key takeaways that we elaborate on below: 

• Think tanks can be great places to gain exposure to policy work and grow your professional network, providing a perch from which you can get a broad perspective on the policy ecosystem. Almost nobody has a “think tank career”—instead, see a think tank job as one possible step in a “policy career.”
• Direct policy impact is possible, but most think tank jobs will be useful primarily for (a) testing fit (for both think tank work specifically and policy work more broadly), (b) building and demonstrating relevant aptitudes, and (c) growing your network.
• There are many kinds of think tanks and they have a wide variety of jobs beyond pure research roles (e.g. in comms and ops). If you are interested in policy but don’t want to do research, you could still be a good fit for some think tank work.
• Getting a think tank job is often challenging, but can be made easier by bringing your own funding. There are several competitive think tank fellowships (see also our general policy fellowship advice), which offer funding for think tank placements.

Focus on DC think tanks

This guide focuses exclusively on think tanks located in Washington DC. In part this is because it is the ecosystem we have experience with. More substantively, we think the US government is likely to be particularly influential across many policy areas, and for US policy careers there is no substitute for being physically located in DC. Many of the benefits of think tank work discussed above (having a direct impact through advocacy, building a network and a granular understanding of the policy process, etc.) are much smaller when working outside of DC—even if you are at a research organization that advertises itself as working on “policy.” 

Think tanks can play different roles in different countries and policy systems. Some of this post’s content will be relevant to other think tank scenes as well, but not everything transfers. 

Why might you (not) want to work at a DC think tank?

Washington DC is home to more than a hundred think tanks, running the gamut from rigorous and relatively objective research institutions focused on generating novel policy insights to more advocacy-oriented organizations seeking to justify and amplify certain predefined policy priorities. But all think tanks are united by a common goal: to inform and ultimately influence policymaking (more on this in Part 2).

This focus on policy influence makes think tanks a promising place for (a) meaningfully contributing to the policy process or (b) professional development relevant to policy careers. These goals are mutually reinforcing, though we expect that for most (especially entry-level) individuals, professional development considerations will weigh more heavily. As discussed in Part 3, working at a think tank could also be a good fit even for people who are not interested in being researchers.

Contributing to policy change 

Think tanks are often key players in the policy arena, in large part because their analysts have time to conceive, analyze, and advocate for specific ideas—and time is a scarce commodity in policy circles. One high-level policy official and former think tanker puts it like this:

There’s a lot more sanity in the think tank world than there is in government. You’re not on the treadmill as much…It is a chance to step back, to actually think. If you’re in government, you’re dealing with those boundaries that have already been set. In a think tank, you start with a blank piece of paper.¹

The potential for impact through think tank research is widely accepted in the policy world. For a concrete example, consider the following excerpt from an impact analysis of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP):

• CBPP played an important role in the emergence of the Congressional consensus in favor of fully funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
• CBPP helped develop and championed a proposal to have infant formula manufacturers bid competitively for contracts with WIC programs, which now results in $1.8 billion/year in savings for these programs according to the USDA.
• CBPP created a process for states to near-automatically enroll people applying for food stamps in Medicaid if they are eligible, which has resulted in 613,554 people being enrolled in the first six months of 2014 according to official Medicaid figures.

In this section we link to several more detailed discussions of think tank programs (or individual think tank staff) that developed policy ideas and recommendations that eventually had major impacts. But there are also plenty of examples of think tank work that has little to no impact. Whereas the potential for impact is widely accepted, the average level of think tank impact is far more uncertain.

Think tanks often do a combination of research and advocacy. If you are interested in think tank work, the most likely path to direct impact may depend on your policy area(s) of interest. In some areas, such as AI and other newly emerging technologies, there is a lack of developed and shovel-ready policy ideas. There, using a think tank job to develop actionable policy ideas could be very impactful. In other areas, such as biosecurity or global health, there already exist a fair number of concrete policy proposals. In those areas, it might be more productive to focus on advocacy-type activities, for example repackaging and tailoring ideas to specific policy audiences (e.g. certain constituencies in Congress). Regardless of the area, policy impact requires a solid combination of ideas and advocacy work, and working at a think tank can help you do either or both.

Limitations to think tank contributions

Yet, there are also important constraints to contributing to policy change via think tank work:

1. Funding constraints can restrict research freedom. Most think tanks rely on grants or external donors, which often means their research staff faces some limits on their research agenda. Even senior analysts might experience pressure to focus on hot topics favored by donors, spend significant time fundraising, and occasionally even to “reverse-engineer” conclusions or align their work with donor interests. This tension can leave some staff feeling less able to propose or pursue truly independent ideas on the topics they think matter most.
2. Think tanks are a step removed from “hands-on” policy work. Think tank work primarily involves developing proposals and informing policymakers. Unlike officials in Congress or the executive branch, think tankers don’t get to make or execute policy decisions—key steps in the policy process that determine the real-world impacts of public policy.
3. Timing misalignments can dampen policy impact. The rapid pace of budget cycles, legislative calendars, and political developments can outpace traditional think tank research timelines (which typically take at least several months). When policy windows close, even high-quality outputs can fail to achieve their intended impact. 
4. Risk-averse cultures can narrow research work. Many think tanks value more methodologically conservative, credentials-heavy research or programs. This often builds valuable trust but may feel constraining if you’re interested in rapidly prototyping novel ideas.

Professional development

DC think tanks can also be great places to start or advance a career in US policy and government. Some of the core professional development benefits of think tank roles include: 

1. building a network, including mentors and sponsors
2. increasing your understanding of the policy world
3. gaining policy-relevant skills
4. gaining a valuable policy credential and becoming a recognized expert

Building a network, including mentors and sponsors

Think tanks are generally excellent places to grow your professional network. One way this happens is through internal collaborations and meetings with colleagues at your think tank. Whether you enter think tanks in an entry-level job or further along in your career, you will likely work for/with colleagues who are already well-connected. Think tank employees have historically secured top jobs in large numbers every time an administration changes:

• During the early Obama administration, more than 60 percent of assistant secretaries at the State Department came from think tanks. 
• At least 66 Heritage Foundation employees and alumni had joined the Trump administration by January 2018, including in several Senate-confirmed positions. 
• The Biden Administration has appointed a large number (>100) of former think tank employees to influential and senior positions.

By the same token, people often join think tanks once they leave government (e.g. if their party loses power). As their colleague, you would have a chance to meet and ideally impress them. 

A common path for think tank staff is to get taken under the proverbial wing of a manager or senior colleague, who then functions as a “mentor” (providing career advice and feedback) and/or “sponsor” (advocating for you in your career advancement). If your mentor/sponsor moves into government they will sometimes try to bring you along, but they will also keep you in mind when others ask them for recommendations—which happens often in DC.

Think tank roles can also be an excellent perch from which to grow your network externally, especially if you become an established expert on a topic. For example, many think tanks host events providing networking opportunities, such as workshops, table top exercises, happy hours, and brown bag lunches with others working in your topic area, as well as talks and panel discussions where you can connect with other audience members. Some of these events are public, meaning you can sign up and participate even if you do not (yet) work in public policy.

Whereas you often have opportunities to develop deeper relationships with direct colleagues, most of your external network will consist of “weak ties.” These contacts can still give you a career boost, but they are often more useful when you have a specific question than for general mentorship/sponsorship. General advice about networking also applies in the DC policy world.

Increasing your understanding of the policy world

An important part of many think tank employees’ jobs is to keep track of what is happening in the policy world. Dan Drezner, an academic who has also held part-time affiliations at think tanks, puts it as follows in his book The Ideas Industry (p. 136):

Indeed, the comparative advantage of think-tankers has historically been the informal scuttlebutt they glean from being based in Washington, DC. Compared to academics, policy analysts based at think tanks tend to know much more about the bureaucratic or legislative state of play surrounding a particular policy arena. I cannot recall an instance in which I knew more about the policy arcana of a particular issue than my colleagues based at think tanks.

This “scuttlebutt” is an area of focus for think tanks because it is central to policy impact: if you want to pitch a policymaker on an idea, you need to know what authorities they have (or don’t), who their various constituencies are and what they might say about your idea, where in the policymaking or budget cycle the best opportunities for intervention are, what the history of a policy issue is, what political landmines you may accidentally step on, and much more.

All of these questions are complicated, and answering them may take just as much time—or more—as coming up with your original policy idea. Over time, think tankers build up a stock of “process knowledge” about how government policy is made and implemented, which is highly valued in other parts of the policy ecosystem (e.g. in government roles or policy-oriented nonprofits). This knowledge is also transferable to private sector jobs in “government affairs” (lobbying/advocacy) or to jobs that otherwise involve monitoring/affecting policy conversations—though if your ultimate goal is to work for a company, think tanks may not be the ideal starting point.

For young people in particular, the fact that think tanks interact with a large swath of the policy ecosystem makes them attractive organizations to start a policy career. Through research, meetings, events, etc., you can familiarize yourself with the activities of different organizations, which, in turn, can help you get a sense of your “fit” for many types of policy work. Comparable junior roles in government (e.g. Congress or an executive agency) are often more narrowly focused (e.g. on answering constituent mail) and may not allow for as much exploration.

That said, this benefit can be less pronounced at more theoretical or academically oriented think tanks, where research may be more abstract and detached from the policy process. These institutions may provide fewer opportunities to engage with policymakers directly or build the same depth of process knowledge as more policy-driven think tanks.

Building policy-relevant skills

Think tank jobs also allow you to improve several policy-relevant skills. Depending on your role, this can involve research and writing, but also other important skills such as communication, project management, event planning, and other types of staff support. 

While think tanks are research-oriented organizations, the majority of most think tanks’ staff are not researchers, and even research roles often involve a heavy dose of non-research work. Much of this non-research work is also highly valued within government and the policy ecosystem more broadly (see Part 3 for more details). For example, even relatively senior analysts in government can spend a lot of their time drafting meeting notes, talking points, and speeches for senior principals. Experience providing similar staff support to leaders at your think tank can be an asset when you apply for those types of roles. Some people describe think tank jobs as “the policy equivalent of management consulting.”

Gaining a valuable policy credential and becoming a recognized expert

Some think tank roles will allow you to become a recognized “expert”² on a topic. This applies mostly to those in (non-entry-level) research roles. Writing just a few high-quality policy papers—particularly if they say something novel—can be sufficient to establish expertise in a subject. Papers can also provide the basis for op-eds which broadcast both your recommendations and your existence as a policy researcher to a wide audience, and journalists may start reaching out to you for quotes if they’ve read your work and found it helpful. While gaining name recognition is often a tough battle early on, opportunities and offers can quickly compound once you cross a certain threshold.

Becoming an expert is not only a great way to build a positive reputation, but it also can give you skills that may be directly applicable to other jobs. For example, if you go on to work in government after your time at a think tank, the knowledge you acquired during your research will be one of your most important assets. In the words of a former State Department official:

When I did my time in State policy planning, I realized that no one was learning anything once they got into the government—they relied upon their intellectual capital [from] before they went in for however many years they lasted.

Note the similarity to the earlier quote, which also emphasized the “time to think” as an important element of think tank jobs and impact.

Although producing high-quality outputs can establish your public expertise, traditional think tank structures can still heavily favor conventional credentials. Career advancement or recognition sometimes hinges more on advanced degrees and years of experience than on the quality or impact of your research contributions. If you’re eager for rapid advancement, the emphasis on formal qualifications can be discouraging.

Generally, your professional development at think tanks can vary significantly depending on your specific think tank and role. One goal of this post is to help you anticipate and think through the experience you would have at different think tanks and in different roles

Footnotes