Candidates Offer Advice for Future Public Servants

Five SIPA alumni are running for congress or statewide office in the current U.S. election cycle. We asked them what advice they would give to students and fellow alumni who seek a career in public service.

Be persistent and don't take rejection personally. Call for the job interview. Call again. Call again. Call 11 more times. When they don’t call you back it’s because they’re busy, not because they don’t want to talk to you. Call again.

— Cary Kennedy MPA ’93 (running for governor of Colorado)

Get outside your comfort zone. In international affairs, it’s easy to follow some traditional career paths. But the great opportunities come from taking some risks and doing something different from the crowd.

— Elissa Slotkin MIA ’03 (running for congress in Michigan’s 8th district)

Build your network, and nurture those relationships. Make sure you meet someone new for coffee or a drink a few times a month, and try to catch up with someone in your network just as frequently.  Get involved with your city council or other local government. Finally, work on a campaign; that will give you the best sense of whether or not this is for you.

— Grant Goodrich MPA-ESP ’09 (running for congress in Ohio’s 16th district)

Think about what impact  you want to make, what you want to change, and think about the best way to go about doing that. The people I've seen who are successful are ones who have that purpose in mind, and don't just want to get to the next position for the sake of the title.

— Sara Jacobs MIA ’12  (running for congress in California’s 49th district)