Interning for the U.S. Government in 2020: What is it Like?

Nov 6

Nov 6 Interning for the U.S. Government in 2020: What is it Like?

This article idea came out of a conversation I had with some friends over the summer about our experiences interning for the U.S. government. Eleni and Caroline both interned with the U.S. Department of State, although Eleni’s spring internship meant she got to start her internship in person at the State Department while Caroline’s summer one was remote. This conversation has been edited for clarity.

Eleni (International Relations and Modern History, Fourth Year)

U.S. Department of State (Spring 2020, in person for a month, remote from March 2020), Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, Washington D.C.

Caroline (International Relations, Fourth Year)

U.S. Department of State (Summer/Fall 2020), Office of Policy, Planning and Resources, Network Division, Remote (originally based in Washington, D.C.)

What interested you in working for the government?

Eleni: I’m from DC, so many of my friends’ parents worked in the government and some were State Department employees. Many of them were FSOs (Foreign Service Officers) who travelled and lived in many different countries and I thought that was so cool. So that interested me in State. Also, you get great benefits working for the government (although none of that applied to me because I was an unpaid intern).

Caroline: I study IR and I’m interested in pursuing a career in international law, so working in the State Department seemed like a great way to get started and gain some experience.

How did you get your internship/what was the application process like?

Eleni: This was actually my second time applying for a State Department internship. I applied for Summer 2019 and didn’t get it. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t get an internship the first time! I applied before the new, simplified application process which was put in place in October 2019. My application involved applying through USA jobs with a statement of interest and answering 3 essay questions about leadership, communication, and other topics like that. I only applied to bureaus, not specific offices. They then take your application and give it to all offices within that bureau. They sort through CVs and email you for an interview if they like your CV. But sometimes they call you at random to interview you! I did two interviews for this specific position. I also had to send a writing sample after the first interview. After the second interview, I got a call that I got the job! They often do these interviews last minute.

Caroline: It was very thorough but relatively confusing, because they used a new system through USAJobs which was hard to log into (you need a U.S. phone number, for security reasons). I had to submit a CV and cover letter and do a bunch of basic admin stuff to get a security clearance, submitting personal details, etc.

Did you have any expectations of what working in the government might look like under the Trump presidency?

Eleni: Obviously, I knew the state of politics going in and expected for that to be reflected in the State Department. And once I got there, I did see Trump’s foreign policy being created. The nature of bureaucracy and my being an intern meant there was nothing I could do about it even if I disagreed, because I’m not a person in power (yet). If anything, it makes you more determined to make change.

Caroline: I thought politics wouldn’t really be that involved because the Trump Administration is marked by a lack of foreign policy. But in reality, it was lots of work because we had to kind of pick up the pieces of that lack of direction and make things work. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and to be honest didn’t have any major expectations going in.

What did your day-to-day tasks involve?

Eleni: A lot of really cool meetings! I was surprised by how much they actively wanted interns to participate. I met other interns working on such cool projects; there was a guy working in the office of some high-ranking State official and he said that his friend in his position and picked up the phone one day and it was one of the USA’s highest ranking generals trying to reach his boss. You normally get to travel a lot; an intern got to go to New York to witness the anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. You also get to publish writing and get your name out there. I went to Capitol Hill several times for briefings and to take notes and it was very cool. You really get the full experience!

Caroline: Lots of meetings via UberConference, and lots of Slack messages to get everything communicated. I managed social media for the bureau and communicated with Sub-Saharan African and Latin American embassies.

What were some of the challenges in your experience of working for the U.S. government?

Eleni: Personally, it was my first time in as professional an environment as the government. So it was different; people dress really professionally at work. It was hard to navigate the culture (approaching people, dressing well, etc.) and deal with how things are done (getting proper security clearance for everything). Navigating networks and personal connections was hard. But ultimately, it was just a matter of putting yourself out there. Plus, they normally have events for interns to network. That said, the work itself was super manageable. You’re required to be an independent worker, and St. Andrews definitely prepared me for that. It’s impressive to them when you can figure out problems on your own. My boss was very impressed when I had all my computer systems and badge and everything set up on the first day by myself.

Caroline: The weird bureaucracy where things have to be approved by lots of different people could get frustrating. Articles I wrote would get edited by lots of people who sometimes gave contradictory edits. Also, it was a little bit questionable for me morally to be pushing American soft power on Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. My job involved encouraging entrepreneurship in these places, but for American benefit.

What was your favourite part of your job?

Eleni: Having the professional experience and getting to figure out if I actually want to work in the State Department. I got to meet some very cool people, and I got to go to as many talks as I wanted that related to my office’s work, at places like the Brookings Institution. And they would pay for my taxi so I could go to listen to these talks.

Caroline: I think communicating with the embassies was my favourite part. It was so cool to see the direct impact of my work and to have a tangible relationship with American embassies.

Did your experience working for the government change the way you view the United States as a whole?

Eleni: Yeah, I think the U.S. could get a lot more done if it wasn’t held back by the system in place. In the government, everything needs to be checked by everyone (for a reason). However, sometimes it just gets silly because everyone wants their say. For example, wording of reports get debated for ages even to the extent of debating words like ‘it’ and ‘they’. Every official’s social media page must be cleared and checked before tweets are published. So it might make more sense to have fewer accounts, like just one per bureau. Also, a LOT of the political appointees put in place by Trump are white men, and not the most qualified people for the jobs. Trump has a track record of removing qualified appointees.

Caroline: I have a lot more respect for the U.S. government in terms of the individuals that work there. They don’t get as much credit as they deserve; there’s so many things going on and they are doing the best with the resources they have.

Tips for applying to U.S. government internships:

Eleni: They really pay attention to your CV! That is the primary thing they look at. If you have something specific to the bureau you’re applying to on your CV, that’s really good. Make sure you’ve edited it well and be sure to list the languages you speak. If you know someone in the State Department, or if you’re able to land an internship, network and ask around because they can point you to another bureau that could offer you an internship. You also meet people from think tanks, Capitol Hill, etc., and you can network that way.

Caroline: Look at the different bureaus offering internships. Apply to ones you’re actually interested in and be able to back that up on your CV. I had social media experience and could speak Spanish, so that helped me get a job with networks working with Latin American embassies.