Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

HireMizzouTigers  powered by Handshake is the University-wide career management system that allows students and alumni to: 

• View job postings 

• Find and register for events 

• Search employers and contacts 

 

The Public Policy Handbook provides graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in public policy administration and analysis with resources for internships and after-graduation positions with think tanks, advocacy organizations, federal agencies and other institutions engaged in policy analysis and implementation. (Contact Truman School Career Services Office for the password). LINK to career services contact info 

 

In addition to the Public Policy Handbook for internships and the general job posting boards (Monster, Indeed, etc.) there are several good resources for exploring internship and job opportunities more focused on the public service arena.  Though by no means an exhaustive list of resources, here are a few ideas to get you started on your internship/job search.   

Federal government 

If you are interested in working for the federal government, make sure to create a profile on USAJOBS where you can make your résumé visible to recruiters.  You can save jobs, save and automate job searches, and manage your application documents.  You should not use your standard one or two-page résumé to apply for federal jobs. USAJOBS has tips for completing a federal résumé at or you can contact the Career Services office for assistance. Students and recent graduates should check out the Pathways program on the USAJOBS site. 

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate maintain their own job and internship posting sites. If you are interested in a political appointment in the White House, the Biden-Harris Administration has a site allowing you to upload your resume and identify your areas of skill and interest. 

The Partnership for Public Service also has information about applying for federal jobs.  

State government 

Most states have a job application portal accessible from their main website (which is the two-letter state abbreviation-dot-gov, e.g., mo.gov).  From here, you will likely find an application portal for state government jobs.  Each state website is structured differently, so you may have to do some digging.  Keep in mind, these state sites may host jobs only for a state’s executive branch agencies.  Separately elected officials, independent agencies, universities, the judicial and legislative branches, and other state-level agencies may host their own job sites. 

The official U.S. Government website usa.gov also has a wealth of information about states and territories. 

Local government 

In addition to accessing the website of a particular city to search for jobs, most states have a state municipal league. These websites for these organizations often host a job-posting service for their members. The National League of Cities has a directory of state municipal leagues with hotlinks to each league’s website. 

The International City/County Management Association's Job Center is another good resource for exploring careers in local government. 

International 

GoinGlobal helps job and internship seekers find opportunities both at home and abroad. The site includes professional organizations, links to job posting sites and cultural norms/expectations concerning the job search and the working environment. Going Global also features profiles/guides on many U.S. cities. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) focuses on administering civilian foreign aid and ending extreme global poverty.   

Nonprofits 

Idealist is one of the most popular resources for finding opportunities in the nonprofit sector – internships, jobs and volunteer.    

If you are interested in the Kansas City area, Nonprofit Connect is a regional association serving more than 5,000 professional members from over 700 organizations representing local, regional and national nonprofits of all sizes as well as community-minded businesses and foundations.  They host a regional nonprofit job board.   

If you are interested in nonprofits in the St. Louis area, the new Rome Group non-profit career board allows for the creation of custom email job alert messages.  You can create alerts based on your personal job preferences and search criteria.  You can manage and add alerts to your account at any time. 

Additional nonprofit job sites include: 

• Council on Foundations 

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy 

• The NonProfit Times 

• Work for Good 

Other 

More and more employers are using LinkedIn to advertise jobs and recruit.  Make sure to polish up your LinkedIn profile.  If you would like assistance or feedback on how you might improve your profile, contact the Career Services office (graduate students) or the Career Center (undergraduate students).   

Daybook bills itself as the “leading job search resource for political, policy and non-profit professionals.”  Access to some postings is free, but full use of the site requires a subscription (currently $5/month).  You can filter by location, job focus and position type (internship, entry level, mid-level, senior level). 

Professional organizations often host a job-posting service for members and also provide a number of opportunities for networking.  Three of the most prominent organizations in the public service field – NASPAA, APPAM and ASPA – sponsor PublicServiceCareers.org, a website for finding jobs, career advice and information on degrees in public service and public affairs. 

The Association for Public Policy and Management hosts Career Connections, a job board for those seeking positions in the public policy field. 

Have you found a great resource you would like to share?   

Pass it along to Leanne Tippett Mosby at tippettmosbyl@missouri.edu and we can expand our list!