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8 Entry Level Jobs for Political Science Students

Learn about common entry level jobs for political science majors and how to find them on Handshake.

If you’ve majored in political science, you may be wondering what your options are for an entry level job. The good news is, political science students are well suited for a variety of career paths. Here are descriptions of common entry level jobs for political science majors and tips for finding these types of jobs on Handshake.

Legislative Assistant

Legislative assistants support elected officials, advocacy groups, or nonprofit organizations on a variety of responsibilities related to legislation.

What does a legislative assistant do?

A legislative assistant’s responsibilities may include:

  • Writing, editing, and tracking legislation in a specific issue area
  • Gathering support for a bill or amendment
  • Serving as point of contact for constituents
  • Drafting speeches and talking points
  • Writing press releases and media plans

Press Assistant

A press assistant helps to manage the communication operations for an employer.

What does a press assistant do?

A press assistant’s responsibilities may include:

  • Maintaining press lists
  • Drafting press releases and talking points
  • Coordinating press conferences and other media events
  • Pitching and scheduling interviews
  • Managing content for social media, web, and email

Paralegal

Paralegals assist lawyers with a variety of tasks related to legal cases and trials.

What does a paralegal do?

A paralegal’s responsibilities may include:

  • Drafting legal documents
  • Preparing and filing documents with courts
  • Summarizing and reporting on depositions, court transcripts, and more
  • Conducting legal research
  • Maintaining documents for current and closed cases

Government Relations Assistant

Government relations assistants work for a company’s government affairs office, business association, or similar organization, to monitor legislation and promote related business interests.

What does a government relations assistant do?

A government relations assistant’s responsibilities may include:

  • Researching proposed legislation and regulations
  • Summarizing committee hearings and legislation
  • Planning meetings with elected officials, state or federal agencies, and others
  • Creating presentations and briefing materials for meetings

Are you a government major? Here's our list of the top 10 entry level jobs for government majors.

Social Media Manager

Social media managers help create content to build an employer’s presence online. They also track engagement and interact with followers.

What does a social media manager do?

A social media manager's responsibilities may include:

  • Creating a variety of content for social platforms
  • Building a social media strategy
  • Analyzing results of social campaigns
  • Identifying trends and opportunities for growth

Public Relations Coordinator

A public relations (PR) coordinator helps promote and shape the public’s perception of an employer through content, press releases, public appearances, and media opportunities.

What does a PR coordinator do?

A PR coordinator’s responsibilities may include:

  • Monitoring press coverage
  • Writing and editing press releases
  • Managing media contact lists
  • Creating coverage reports for PR team initiatives
  • Researching reporters, publications, and industry trends
  • Tracking press opportunities and speaking engagements

Market Research Analyst

Market research analysts conduct research, then analyze and report on data related to an organization’s products or services.

What does a market research analyst do?

A market research analyst’s responsibilities may include:

  • Collecting and analyzing data about consumers, competitors, industry, and more
  • Creating reports to present data findings
  • Developing research proposals
  • Conducting consumer research
  • Measuring and reporting on campaign or product performance

Management Consultant

Management consultants work with companies to help them solve problems and increase performance and efficiency.

What does a management consultant do?

A management consultant’s responsibilities may include:

  • Interviewing company leaders and employees
  • Collecting and analyzing company data
  • Developing suggested solutions or improvements
  • Reporting and communicating solutions to executives

What are the best entry level political science jobs?

That depends on your interests and skills. The best entry level political science job for you is one that allows you to use your strengths to reach your career goals.

If you prefer a fast-paced environment, meeting new people, and writing—you may like being a legislative or press assistant. But if you’re more analytical and enjoy research, you may want to consider market research or consulting.

How to find entry level political science jobs on Handshake

Follow these steps to find the right entry level political science job for you on Handshake:

  1. Add the types of political science roles that you want to pursue to the job preferences section of your profile.
  2. Get the latest job and employer event alerts by downloading the Handshake app from the App Store or Google Play.
  3. Save jobs you want to apply for. That way you’ll receive important notifications, and your recommendations will surface similar entry level political science roles.
  4. You can also save your job searches. You’ll be notified when employers post new entry level political science jobs that match your criteria.
  5. Follow employers you like, so you’re the first to know when they post new entry level political science jobs or virtual recruiting events.

Log into Handshake now to start looking for entry level political science jobs.

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels.

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