Why networking matters

Public policy, like many other sectors, is highly network-driven. But networking can be daunting, especially for those who don’t already feel like they “belong” in a certain professional community. We hope this guide creates a fairer playing field by demystifying networking and showing how even those without any existing connections can make meaningful professional connections in DC policy.

According to the Washington Post, over 70% of jobs are landed through networking, and DC is no exception. The more someone knows, trusts, and respects you and your work, the more likely they will recommend you for a job. In DC, it’s common for people to secure employment or receive job recommendations even when their interaction with the hiring manager or the person making the recommendation has been fairly minimal.

Many policy job opportunities both inside and outside of government are never advertised publicly but are filled with trusted contacts from the organization’s network. This means there are two main avenues to securing a job in DC:

1. the traditional, formal approach of responding to job postings and submitting applications online, and
2. the more personal, informal approach of leveraging your network to uncover hidden opportunities.

Developing a strong network enables you to use the informal approach and makes it more likely you will (1) get valuable advice, (2) hear of relevant job openings, (3) be successful when you apply, and (4) excel at and have an impact on the job (e.g. by collaborating with your professional contacts). Fortunately, networking is a trainable skill that you can improve with practice—two popular resources on networking are the books Never Eat Alone and How to Win Friends and Influence People.

The networking mindset

“Networking” does not need to be inauthentic or parasitic. The best way to “build your network” is by being helpful and an eager student, identifying shared interests and goals with whoever you’re talking to and having genuine conversations about those. Don’t treat your interactions as an extractive one-way flow of information or introductions. Know that you can bring valuable questions, knowledge, and perspectives to the table. 

Generally, there’s a culture of giving back in DC, and many people—from recent graduates to late-career professionals—want to give advice to those just starting out because they’re grateful for the help they received along the way. Whenever you can, pay it forward to others who are in a similar situation.

The networking process can feel uncomfortable, especially if you are not already acquainted with DC networking culture. This is unavoidable. But remember that basically everyone you talk to also got help from distant acquaintances or strangers. Always respect people’s time, but do not feel like you are asking for something strange—everyone knows this is part of the process.

While networking, if done well, almost always improves your job prospects leveraging your network is more important in some DC institutions than others. Congress is particularly extreme: It is basically impossible to succeed in a congressional job search without extensive networking. Many jobs are never posted publicly, with candidate recruitment happening solely through internal listservs and/or word-of-mouth. And jobs get so many applicants that you almost never even get interviewed unless someone “flags” your application with the hiring manager. Since networking is so crucial for getting a job in Congress, the process can easily take up many dozens of hours (e.g. see these posts). 

How to start building a DC policy network

If you happen to have friends or good acquaintances who have worked in (DC) policy, you can pepper them with questions and ask for connections. But most people are not that lucky. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to start building your professional network from the ground up:

1. Pursue entry-level opportunities—like policy internships—that are accessible even to people who don’t already have an existing network. For example, when applying for Congressional internships, you may be able to leverage your individual background by applying to offices from your home state or district. In general, policy internships provide an enabling context to network with policy professionals, as you’ll have a “legible” role/title that allows you to request informational interviews and build relationships with other policy professionals. As an intern, you’ll be able to network with other interns and professionals in your organization/office and beyond, people you meet at events, and others through personal referrals. These individuals may provide mentorship, connect you to future policy opportunities, and recommend you for later roles.
2. Build relationships with professors, mentors, and alumni in relevant fields, especially ones that have worked in DC or have connections in DC. If you’re a student, you might be able to get an internship via your connections with professors or other mentors, especially if they are willing to advocate for you and write you a letter of recommendation. Look up relevant faculty members at your school and take their classes (if relevant), attend their office hours, ask to meet with them, and/or work for them as a research assistant (RA). If you have connections with alumni from your school, you can also reach out to them, describe your interests, and ask if they’re available to chat. 
3. Effectively leverage LinkedIn. LinkedIn can be really helpful in finding and connecting with alumni or individuals in your network who work in policy. You can see if you have mutual connections with a person and then cold message/email them. Browsing the LinkedIn profiles of professionals in your field of interest is also a great way to learn about particular policy opportunities (e.g. internships or fellowships) and about common career paths, which you can then try to emulate. LinkedIn is particularly helpful for searching for individuals with relevant experience who currently or previously attended your school, allowing you to send a DM requesting to chat.
4. Cold email people. Sending a simple, respectful email that connects your interests to their expertise and asks if they have time for coffee can go a long way (for tips, see these posts and templates). Describe your background and interests in 1-2 sentences, attach your resume/LinkedIn, mention any ties to their organization and anything you have in common with them personally, and ask if they could spare 15-30 minutes to talk about their career and possible job opportunities. The great majority of your cold emails will likely go unanswered, but the handful that reply could still be very helpful. If you haven’t heard back from someone after two weeks, you can send them one friendly follow-up email (but not more than one), which can increase the response rate. It can be hard to get started on cold emails and similar strategies, but given how central networks are for policy jobs, there is really no substitute for asking people for help.
5. Consider spending time in DC to meet people in person, if you can afford it. If you already know some people in DC, they may be able to connect you with relevant policy professionals to meet. Even weekend trips can be really valuable if you plan them well and manage to meet multiple people in person; in-person meetings often feel more meaningful and can lead to stronger connections (though there’s nothing wrong with sticking to video calls, especially if a visit to DC isn’t currently accessible to you).
6. Make use of your school’s alumni network and career services. Your school may be able to connect you with alumni working in policy jobs, and your school’s career services may help you with preparing your application materials such as resumes and cover letters. Sometimes these services are available to both alumni and current students.
7. Be kind and friendly. Being a pleasant person is very valuable, especially in DC where reputation is highly based on networks of trust and likeability (since measuring technical merit in policymaking is much harder than in some other fields). People generally want nice colleagues. Beyond the immediate benefits of kindness, it’s also important to try to be kind to everyone you encounter since you never know who will end up in a position of influence. Try to find ways to be helpful to someone you talk to, even if it’s a small act like sending them an interesting article/source they might not have read.

Preparing for networking conversations

People in DC are very used to doing quick “coffees” (which can be virtual) or informational interviews, including with friends of friends of friends or even total strangers.

To be respectful of people’s time, it’s important to do your background research before talking to people. Learn what you can from the internet, and focus your coffees on (1) unique aspects of your situation and (2) things your interlocutors are uniquely situated to tell you about or help you with. Prepare specific, nuanced questions that they can help answer—it’s easy to underprepare for meetings and then ask many professionals the same generic questions without actually gaining valuable, actionable information.

Some questions you could ask them (depending on their background) include (and see here for some more general tips):

1. Here’s my CV. Are there ways I can describe my past jobs to be more competitive for a policy job [in Congress/at a think tank/executive agency/etc.]?
2. I have a couple of years of professional experience. Looking at my CV, do you think I should apply for positions like X? Or should I aim lower or higher?
3. I’m very interested in topics A, B, C. Do you know which organizations or people are especially active in those areas?
4. I worry a little about aspects D and E of working in policy job/institution F. Is this a valid concern? What has been your experience with D and E? How do people usually deal with them? 
5. Do you think I could get a job at organization X without prior experience in Y / educational experience Z / having a security clearance? 
6. Are there other people who you’d suggest I talk to? Could you connect me to them?

Treat these conversations as quasi-interviews. You may not have formally applied for a job, and in many cases the people you’re talking to won’t have any immediate opportunities for you—but you want to make a good impression. Remember that “soft skills” are essential in many policy jobs (especially in Congress), so people will look at your ability to navigate this stage of the process as indicative of how well you will perform in a job. If the professionals you’re talking to were especially impressed or you really hit it off, they may help you apply to other organizations/offices or flag your application with their colleagues. If you’re lucky, they may even be able to unexpectedly offer you a job in 1-2 months, for instance if one of their current colleagues decides to leave on short notice.

Some specific things that are often good to do when you’ve met someone: 

1. Follow up immediately after your first meeting with a thank you and mention something specific that you talked about that you found particularly interesting or helpful. (Not everybody likes sending or receiving these, so do what feels good/appropriate to you in your context.)
2. If they offered to connect you to others, politely remind them of that in your follow-up email. Once you connect with that person, follow up with your initial contact to share if you had a great conversation and thank them again for making the introduction.
3. Check in one or two months later (the specific thing you mentioned in your initial follow-up email will hopefully help them remember who you are), asking if they know of any new opportunities. 
4. Look for ways to be helpful and follow up again. For example, if you talked about a specific policy issue and you see a great new article or policy report on the topic, shoot them an email with the material. In passing, also give them a quick status update on your search. 
5. When you do get a job, send them an update and thank them again for their help.

Connecting with senior professionals

Senior policy professionals are typically very busy and get more connection requests than they can reasonably process. To improve your chances of connecting with someone senior—who is often responsible for their office’s hiring decisions—it often helps to connect with their staff first.

One professional in a government agency puts it like this: 

I encourage folks to do what they can to get connected with staff (whether that’s through a personal network, a fellowship network, LinkedIn, etc.). It’s hard to get the attention of an important person him/herself (for whom you will probably at least notionally be working) but all of these people have a bunch of staff working for them. I found my way into my agency based on a connection to one of the principal’s senior advisers who I happened to know (who himself was doing a fellowship when we connected). It was totally random and I didn’t have a connection to the principal. So the upshot is that the universe of people you can try is vast. That can feel overwhelming but it also means a lot of opportunity.