Job searching? We’ve got your back!

Higher Ground Labs, TheBridge, and All Hands are here for you as you navigate the job search and broader career reflections. For job seekers coming off recently-suspended presidential primary campaigns, it’s understandably a nerve-wracking time given our new COVID-19 impacted world. Yet despite the obstacles, there is still so much work to be done. From ongoing campaigns, to political technology startups and beyond, there are still many available roles that will help you bring about change in November. The resources below will help you in finding a great next role where you can leverage all of your unique and important experiences. We hope you’ll find these tips and resources helpful.

Step 1: Coming off a campaign? Start here!
1. Audit Your Skills. Write down everything you did, both in your job description and beyond. Try to measure and quantify accomplishments while it’s still fresh. Reflect on what you enjoyed doing and what felt like a struggle. 

2. Stay in touch with your network! The amazing people you work with on campaigns go on to do fantastic things! Ask for personal emails, connect on LinkedIn, and, for people you worked closely with, request feedback. Ask them to list areas where you shined and really came through and areas that need strengthening or learning more about in future roles. People like to give feedback when they feel like they are really helping you set yourself up for success, so seize the opportunity. And never miss a chance to help out or make an introduction in your network; what goes around comes around.

3. Write out Top Three Pathways. What are three areas of interest that you’d be curious to explore? Leading with curiosity can help out in informational interviews. You may want to create three versions of your resume, one for each pathway, that showcases your accomplishments in those areas.

Step 2: Visit these jobs boards and add your resume to the All Hands resume bank ASAP!
As you are reviewing job descriptions, keep notes on what opportunities excite and energize you. Look for transferable skills- similar responsibilities to previous work where you can demonstrate experience and measurable success. Many roles and responsibilities have different names but are quite similar in action.

All Hands	all-hands.us	Resume bank, jobs board, tailored matchmaking support for product + eng
Higher Ground Labs	highergroundlabs.com/jobs	80+ roles in progressive political tech startups
The Bridge	TheBridgeWork.com	Gov, political tech, nonpartisan
The Arena	app.arena.run	Field & campaign roles

Step 3: Don’t be shy and reach out! Connect with hiring managers, recruiters, or other employees to learn more and see how companies may need extra support even beyond what’s listed in their open job descriptions. Informational interviews (especially virtual) are easy and low commitment. Do your homework ahead of time and ask great questions. It’s always valuable to ask what their favorite and least favorite part of their place of work is.

Step 4: Remember these tips when updating your resume:

Political tech startup roles include biz dev, sales, marketing, operations, data science, engineering, polling and client strategy. 

If you have experience with these roles (or working with someone who had this role), great! But, it’s not required. The main qualities you need to succeed in these roles are:

• Nimbleness 
• Problem solving abilities
• Prioritization
• Big picture solutions 
• Creativity
• Human skills
• Some level of technical skills as relevant to the job, but deep expertise not always required

Step 5: Stick with it! Track the status of your job search in a spreadsheet, and remember not to get discouraged. Job searches can take time.

Looking for more suggestions? Don’t miss this 1-hour webinar recording of our Political Tech Virtual Resume Workshop featuring hiring experts from Higher Ground Labs, Change Research, TheBridge, and All Hands!