Living resource list — updated as things change
Political Job Search Resources
For Democratic campaign, party, and civic staff who are job hunting or about to be. Bookmark this one — it's not a newsletter snapshot, it's meant to stay current.
Job Boards & Listings 7
-
JTAL started as a Google Group in 2003 — still exists, less active these days. GAIN Power later adopted JTAL along with its career services and board.
-
All Hands, from Cultivate & Higher Ground LabsA newer-ish resource that's grown a lot. Cultivate also runs an associated Slack group you can join after signing up online.
-
Runs resume workshops and career fairs. Also has a job board, though people report the need to resubmit your info each time is a real deterrent.
-
There's a Google Group too, but it's quieter than it used to be.
-
Started as a 50+ digital jobs for progressives Google Doc; now a full recruitment platform with coaching attached.
-
DNC Training Department's Party jobs
-
From Allison Ehrich Bernstein — a truly exhaustive list.
Trackers & Tools
-
Application trackerAim for 5+ applications a week. Be prepared to be declined a lot — that's the job of job hunting, not a signal about you.
-
Networking trackerThree columns is enough: name, done, notes. The job you land often won't come directly from either tracker — more often it's some quasi-stroke of luck sitting at the intersection of both. Keep tracking anyway.
On money: get YNAB (or any real budgeting tool) going now, not after. If you're heading into unemployment or already there, file for unemployment benefits.
If you're still employed and managing six-figure campaign cash flow without blinking — don't let your own bills slip past due, or sit on your own reimbursement while you're heads-down. Land your own plane too.
People to Follow
Training & Staying Informed
-
Trainings across a wide range of political skill areas.
-
Strong for presidential and Democratic news broadly.
If You Want to Volunteer Right Now
On Resumes
If you're coming into politics from another field — especially later in your career — stop writing your resume like you're a 22-year-old entry-level hire.
A lot of people moving into this work are former founders, operators, and tech execs in their 40s with real functional expertise. Politics isn't its own separate universe; it's a niche within the same broader professional ecosystem as everything else, and you already have the skillset. Lead with what you actually built and ran — don't flatten fifteen years of leadership into an entry-level frame because the job posting says "campaign."
More on working in politics: I write about the organizational and human side of this field — infrastructure, burnout, broken systems, and the parts that still work — over at Inside the Work of Change. Worth a read if any of this hit close.
Connect with your current work contacts — on LinkedIn and personal email — before anything shuts down. Don't wait until the campaign ends to do this. Go get 'em.