Public policy professionals are tasked with making decisions that benefit the greater good. They use data and feedback from the community and professionals to guide their decisions. Those who work in public policy have a relevant educational background and strong analytical thinking skills. Gaining employment as a public policy analyst, legislative assistant, or legislative director will put you on the right track for a management-level role in public policy.
To secure a job in public policy, there are desirable soft skills you need to bring to the table. Public policy professionals are critical thinkers, with the ability to interpret data, negotiate terms, and create actionable policy changes that will benefit the public at large. In a leadership position, such as a public policy director, you must also demonstrate the ability to lead others and make informed decisions based on collected data.
If you want to land a job in public policy, you’re in the right place. We have compiled examples of effective public policy resumes and tips on how to land a role in this competitive field.
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Public policy analysts use their research skills and data interpretation abilities to influence decisions about public policy. These individuals are key players in providing leadership with the information needed to make an informed decision about policy changes.
When recruiting for this role, hiring managers will be looking for someone with a bachelor's degree in political science. A master’s degree is not always necessary but may help you land this role. Hiring managers will also be looking for someone with a couple of years of work experience in the political sphere, such as prior experience as a legislative assistant, policy consultant, or market research analyst.
In addition, hiring managers will be looking for a candidate who possesses the necessary skills to succeed in this role, which includes skills like data collection, analysis, drafting and publishing reports, and more.
A comprehensive educational background is key to landing the role of a public policy analyst. For those who have earned a bachelor's degree, completing some certifications is a great next step. You can get certified in public policy or policy analysis to demonstrate to hiring managers that you have robust knowledge in the field.
An important part of the public policy analysts job is to know how to collect accurate and reliable data to draw conclusions about policies. To land this role, you must show you are fluent in collecting and synthesizing data. Highlighting any prior experience you have conducting surveys and research is wise for this role.
The director of public policy is a senior-level professional who oversees many facets of public policy. As a director of public policy, you may be involved with ground-level tasks like collecting data, but you will also be heavily involved in making decisions and implementing programs based on your team’s research results.
A director of public policy typically has a master's degree in political science, though a bachelor's degree with several years of experience and demonstrated knowledge may suffice. Typically, hiring managers will be looking for candidates with key previous job experience, such as a prior role as a public policy analyst or government relations manager.
Hiring managers will be looking for someone who is knowledgeable in the realm of data collection and interpretation, but also skilled at creating actionable plans, communicating effectively, and implementing public policy changes. A good candidate for this role will be an analytical thinker, a skilled communicator, and an effective leader.
Directors of public policy are expected to effectively collaborate with government officials, political actors, and industry specialists to get policy changes across the finish line. For this reason, directors of public policy must be superb communicators, persuasive negotiators, and team players. To land this role, your resume should clearly highlight how you have used leadership and negotiation skills in the past to bring new initiatives or policies to fruition.
Many directors of public policy have previously held a job as a public policy analyst. This is because being able to accurately collect and interpret data is a key piece of being a successful director of public policy. All experience you have in conducting research, collecting data, and obtaining actionable insights from data should be highlighted on your resume. You can get certified in data analysis to bolster your resume, too.
We spoke with hiring managers who recruit for public policy roles at organizations like the Brookings Institution, the Center for American Progress, and the Urban Institute. They shared with us the most important things they look for when reviewing resumes for public policy positions. Here are their top tips for crafting a strong public policy resume:
Employers want to see that you have the skills to analyze complex policy issues and develop effective solutions. On your resume, emphasize your experience conducting policy research and analysis, such as:
Quantify your achievements wherever possible to show the impact of your work.
While a resume summary is optional, it can be a powerful way to introduce yourself and provide context for your experience, especially if you are changing careers or have a lot of experience. A well-crafted summary can help you stand out from other candidates and quickly communicate your value to potential employers. However, it's important to avoid using an objective statement, as these are outdated and often fail to provide meaningful information.
When writing your summary for a public policy role, focus on highlighting your relevant skills, experience, and achievements. Use specific examples and metrics to demonstrate your impact and avoid duplicating information that is already included elsewhere in your resume. Keep your summary concise and objective, and avoid using buzzwords or soft skills.
Your work experience section is the most important part of your public policy resume. It's where you showcase your relevant skills, achievements, and impact. To make this section compelling, focus on highlighting your most relevant and impressive experiences.
In this section, we'll cover key tips for writing a strong work experience section that will catch the attention of hiring managers and demonstrate your value as a public policy professional.
The education section of your public policy resume is a critical component that showcases your academic background and qualifications. It demonstrates to potential employers that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in the field. In this section, we'll guide you through the key steps to craft a compelling education section tailored to the public policy industry.
When writing a resume, you want to use action verbs to describe previous experiences, achievements, and skills. This makes your resume powerful and persuasive. You should start bullet points with an action verb and avoid overuse of the same action verb.
You will also want to ensure the action verbs you choose are relevant to the role. When it comes to choosing action verbs for a public policy role, you may choose words like “collaborated” or “analyzed”.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
When applying for a public policy role, you’ll need to ensure your resume highlights the relevant skills and qualifications for the role. Many companies use an ATS (applicant tracking software), to weed out resumes that don’t fit the skills they’re looking for. For this reason, you need to be sure your resume lists the relevant skills for the role.
You can list your skills in a separate column or work your skills into your previous job descriptions. Either way, you need to identify the key skills hiring managers are looking for. You can do this by checking out our list of relevant public policy skills below.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Public Policy job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
