Career Planning
As you plan your career, you are encouraged to consult with your academic advisor or other members of the faculty who may have experiences and information relevant to your career goals. In addition, listed below are a number of links to web sites with career planning and job information.
General Sources
- Provides a list of jobs available across the country
- All jobs are at the state, county, and local levels.
- Lists jobs by category, including:
- administration and management
- code enforcement
- community and economic development
- Listings include a limited job description, location description, contact information, and closing date.
Federal Agencies
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM): www.usajobs.opm.gov
- Most federal executive agencies must list positions through OPM, so this is the first source for federal government jobs across the nation.
- Search by location (e.g., state), category (clerical/professional/technical/executive) or job type (e.g., accounting, engineering).
Provides links to other sources at www.usajobs.opm.gov/other.htm
- Provides job description, salary information, and benefits.
- Great if you are willing to move in order to get a job
- Current emphasis is on military/homeland security type jobs
U.S. Agency for International Development: www.usaid.gov
- Great resource for jobs nationally and internationally
- Must be willing to travel
- Current focus on gender issues, business development, health and education
- Great short term opportunities—contracts, volunteer work, internships, etc.
U.S. State Department: www.careers.state.gov
- Resource for foreign service jobs
- Currently conducting a recruiting drive
- Must be willing to move anywhere
- Must take the foreign service exam
- Opportunities for anyone with a background in all areas of political science
Public Sector Associations
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration: www.naspaa.org
- Provides links to a wide array of federal, state, local, international, and nonprofit web sites.
American Society for Public Administration: www.aspanet.org/careers/links.html
- Excellent resource that provides links to a wide variety of web sites offering jobs
- Federal—listed by agency—takes you directly to each agency's job page
- Job Portal—links directly to agencies job page in a variety of fields:
- State—for each state there are links to various state, city, county, college and university, and miscellaneous offices or agencies.
- Links directly to job web sites in areas such as health administration, nonprofits, international opportunities, academic and private sector careers.
New England States
- Resource for state jobs within Massachusetts. Few positions currently offered for those with a background in Political Science or Public Administration
- Hiring freeze in effect for 2003, but any openings that cannot be filled by current employees will be advertised on this site
www.vermont.gov or www.det.state.vt.us
- Provides a full list of state jobs to be filled. Some appropriate for those with backgrounds in Political Science and Public Administration
- New Hampshire does provide job postings on the state web site
- Jobs currently available
- Well organized web site
- Search for jobs by category, agency, or location
- Jobs are currently available
- Search for jobs by agency
- Rhode Island does not provide job postings on the state web site
Local Government
Massachusetts Municipal Association: www.mma.org
- Provides a list of jobs at the municipal level across Massachusetts
- Updates list regularly
City of Boston: www.cityofboston.gov
- Posts jobs available within the city government
- Some residency restrictions may apply
Nonprofit Sector
- A great resource for jobs in the nonprofit field
- National and international opportunities listed
- Site also lists opportunities for volunteer positions, internships, and consulting
- Good resource for those in all fields of political science and public administration
www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/Content?Content=/communities/industries/nonprofit/index.html
- Excellent source for nonprofit career opportunities in Washington, D.C.
- Contains extensive links to other nonprofit career sources and resources.
- Provides postings for jobs with nonprofit agencies across the nation
- Can limit searches by location and category
- Provides a limited job description and contact information
- Lists jobs posted in last week, last two weeks, or all jobs posted.
- A fairly good resource for jobs within the nonprofit sector
- Site updates job postings regularly
- www.dotorgjobs.com
- A fairly good resource for jobs within the nonprofit sector
- Site updates job postings regularly
