Most people think of a political job, they think of running for a political office and nothing else. There are many other roles to politics than what is seen by the average person. First, someone has to run that entire campaign for a candidate. What happens to political parties in between elections? What about press releases? And who really does all of the speech writing?

Networking can help greatly when trying to break into the hidden job market, and when it comes to finding a political job there can be a number of barriers to break through before finding a job. Even though many political jobs are in the public sector they can be difficult to land and can require digging through many layers before finding out how to apply for a job.

The career center can be a great source of information on internships and job leads. The internet can be helpful too, though it can take much time and searching before turning up useful information. In turn, meeting people through those internships or through volunteering can create job leads. Social events are another way to find a job. Even professors and neighbors can be unexpected job leads. It is important to keep a list of contacts and keep it updated regularly. A notebook can be a useful tool to jot down contacts and information as you network. It is important to keep careful notes about the contacts you meet as it can be easy to forget information in a short time.