Political Career Counselor To Join IOP Staff

In response to growing student interest in politics and public service, the Institute of Politics will hire a full-time career counselor to help students at the College find long-term jobs in politics.

For the last few years the IOP has hoped to strengthen its career service offerings, and the recent growth in students seeking political jobs, coupled with the record number of applicants to the Director’s Internship program have encouraged the Institute to move forward, said IOP Director Bill Purcell.

Purcell said that despite University-wide budget constraints, the creation of the position was a priority for the IOP this spring. However, there is no firm timeline for hiring the career counselor, according to IOP Director of Communications and Marketing Esten Perez.

The position will complement the IOP’s current internship advising programs, according to IOP Internships Director Amy A. Howell.

While the IOP currently offers programs and support for summer positions, Howell said that the new career counselor will be able to provide guidance to students who are frustrated by the difficulty of finding long-term positions.

“We’re never going to get to a point where careers in government are as straightforward to get as a job at JP Morgan,” said IOP Vice President Sarah E. Esty ’11. “We’re trying to make it less mystifying, less based on who you know or just serendipity of what you come across when you’re Googling.”

The new career adviser will also strengthen the collaboration between the IOP and the Office of Career Services, OCS Director Robin Mount said. Students can use OCS as a general resource in the job search process, Mount said, but this new staffer will be able to provide more targeted direction and greater resources to students with an interest in politics.

Mount hopes to meet regularly with the staffer to coordinate joint programming that will increase support for students pursuing political careers.

Leaders of student political groups praised the IOP’s acknowledgment of the need to provide career planning support beyond internship offerings.

“In general, political jobs don’t lend themselves quite as well to on-campus recruiting,” said Harvard College

Republicans President Mark A. Isaacson ’11. “A lot of times these jobs, while they certainly exist, are not necessarily as visible on campus.”

Jason Q. Berkenfeld ’11, President of the Harvard College Democrats, said he hopes to establish a relationship between the new staff member and the Dems.

“The greatest advantage would be the potential for some form of institutional memory. Right now it’s sort of ad hoc, in that you get a campaign or a political organization that needs interns for one summer,” said Berkenfeld. “One individual that is at the IOP for the long-term can accumulate those opportunities on a long-term basis to make sure that they continue to exist.”

—Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu..