For the politically passionate, jobs at political campaigns are a way to merge your interests and beliefs with your profession. Political campaign jobs exist for a number of skill sets, from public relations to research. When beginning your search for a career in campaigning, it is useful to look at the different types of jobs and see what is the best fit for you.
Public Relations
Public relations workers work with the team of the candidate or the cause to establish an image in the public media. The work in this field ranges from writing press releases and designing ads to formulating budgets and purchasing ads. Public relations is a field for people with good writing and verbal communication skills, as well as a working knowledge of the public media.
Polling
In an age when polls are a key part of a candidate's campaign, the job of a pollster cannot be overrated. Pollsters don't just ask people questions. They also formulate these questions in such a way as to frame debate in a manner that is supportive of a candidate's or cause's key issues. Pollsters should have a deep knowledge of important issues and demographics, as well as strong math skills.
Fund-raising
Whether trying to get a local zoning ordinance passed or elect someone to the Senate, political campaigns need money to function. Fund-raising takes many forms. Larger donors frequently contribute to many campaigns and are the inside sales of the political world. Smaller donors are contacted directly either through the mail, over the phone, or by door-to-door solicitation. Those with a background in sales can excel in this field. Strong organizational skills are important for accurately reporting total funds raised. Some experience with event planning helps when planning larger fund-raising events.
Volunteer Coordinating
Volunteers are the backbone of political campaigns, providing much-needed work at no cost. However, volunteers must be coordinated well to be effective. Volunteer coordinators engage in many of the same roles as retail and office managers. You will be in charge of recruiting, training and scheduling volunteers as well as delegating specific tasks. Volunteer coordinating is a good fit for those who have worked in the human resources field.
Researcher
Accurate, in-depth and up-to-date information is crucial for political campaigns. Researchers don't just gather information, however. They also help the candidate or those promoting a cause decide which issues are most resonant with different groups of voters. As such, they play a key role in a political campaign, intimately helping to craft position papers for the candidate or the cause. Strong research skills obviously help, but so do strong writing and verbal communication skills.
