Hiatt Career Center

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Government, Law & Community

Hiatt engages a whole ecosystem on and off campus to support students interested in a variety of careers in government, law and community. We collaborate with faculty and across campus as well as student clubs, Brandeis alumni, employers, recruiters, and community partners.

Hub Research

O*NET: Explore career pathways in government, law, and community sectors, and learn about the skills required for each.
Vault: Get insights into a typical day-in-the-life for specific jobs in these fields.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Access detailed information on pay, job growth, and long-term career prospects for various roles. Start with legal and community and social service occupations.

Gain Experience

Internships, jobs, and on-campus opportunities are key to sharpening your professional skills, building valuable connections, and applying what you’ve learned in the classroom.

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Professional Experiences

Career-Ready Skills

Khan Academy: FREE, world-class education available to anyone, anywhere. Use Khan for professional/personal development as well as to learn new skills that can help you in your career. Academic Courses on Khan Academy include US Government & Politics, Teaching Careers, Humanities, Community Service.
EdX: Founded by Harvard and MIT, edX is home to more than 20 million learners and offers FREE and fee-based online learning. EdX employs a freemium model in which learners audit classes for free or pay to participate in certificate programs that verify their identities. Explore programs and do your research before participating.
Check out workshops by the Digital Scholarship Lab and SIMS Lab, as well as research skills resources available through the Library.

Opportunities on Campus

Get involved in campus clubs to start trying out careers and develop skills. You'll find lots of groups on CampusGroups, check out: Brandeis Pre-Law Society, The Right to Immigration Institute, Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative and the Waltham Group.

The Department of Student Engagement and the Samuel Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation also collaborate with community partners, student leaders, and other departments to make an impact in communities.

Employer Insights

Every industry has its own timeline for hiring. See the typical planned hiring timeline for non-profits below.

Government recruiting

Government, law, and community organizations encompass a wide variety of employers, many of whom do not have a significant on-campus recruiting presence. Government hiring is often planned and can take time, while other employers in this sector typically hire on an as-needed basis. Be sure to check job postings frequently around the time you're looking to start.

Top Skills

These are the top skills sought by employers for entry-level roles. The darker blue indicates the frequency of skills in job postings, while the lighter blue represents their presence in job seeker profiles. The larger the gap, the greater opportunity for you to stand out if you can gain or demonstrate that skill.

top common skills: Communication Advocacy Planning Coordinating Writing Management Detail Oriented Organizational Skills Problem Solving Computer Literacy

top software skills: Microsoft Office Microsoft Excel Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Student Information Systems Salesforce Zoom (Video Conferencing Tool) Google Workspace Microsoft Access

Top specialized skills: Social Work Case Management Human Services Psychology Mental Health Treatment Planning Crisis Intervention Student Services Substance Abuse Bilingual (Spanish/English)

Industries to Consider

Top industries posting entry-level opportunities (by volume) in the Northeast.

Individual and Family Services	Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
Child and Youth Services	Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Elementary and Secondary Schools	Nursing Care Facilities
Social Advocacy Organizations	Temporary Shelters
Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	Correctional Institutions

Sample Job Titles

Top industries posting entry-level opportunities (by volume) in the Northeast.

Case Managers	Care Coordinators
Therapeutic Mentors	Community Navigators
Family Intervention Specialists	Family Outreach Workers
Caseworkers	Victim Witness Advocates
Admissions Counselors	Family Support Specialists

Hiatt & Employer Events

Hiatt collaborates with departments, clubs, and employers to host a range of on-campus and virtual events for career education, networking, and recruiting. These events are open to all students, regardless of class year. Employers engage with Brandeis students and alumni through programs, information sessions, online workshops, case competitions, and site visits. While campus recruiting is one aspect of their engagement, students should view each event as a chance to engage, learn, and connect with professionals in their fields.

Top Employers Recruiting at Brandeis

Learn more about Recruiting at Brandeis. Current events are available to view in Handshake and on our website under Upcoming Events. It’s never too early to get involved!

The Internship/Job Search

Figuring out where to start when searching for and applying to internships and jobs can feel overwhelming. Let us help!

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Essential Search Tools

Job Search Materials

Your documents should present who you are as a candidate in a clear, concise, and compelling way that is customized for the position to which you are applying. To get started, we suggest:

Format your documents using the anatomy of a resume (pdf) and the anatomy of a cover letter (pdf) as guides.
Try out Hiration for professional-looking resumes and help to craft bullet points with an AI assistant.

Networking

The Rise Together Mentor Network is the virtual space for Brandeis students to build confidence in their networking skills and connect with alumni mentors. Hosted on the Brandeis community platform, B Connect, Rise Together is similar to LinkedIn but its users are solely made up of Brandeisians who have opted in to participate and help you.

Join the Rise Together Mentor Network to engage with students and alumni with similar professional interests and aspirations. You may answer questions specific to careers in tech and innovation, offer career guidance, discuss the graduate school application process, share your professional expertise and experience in small group discussions, and more.

Finding Internships & Jobs

The most popular and effective internship and job search tool is to locate positions through online sites including Handshake. You can narrow down your search based on geographic location, job type, industry, and role. Hiatt also promotes employers that have a close connection with the University (i.e. alumni) and labels postings accordingly. This gives students more opportunities to connect with organizations and positions that exclusively look to hire Brandeis students and alumni.

Current Opportunities in Handshake

Use the handshake labels to filter and find even more positions

DEI Opportunity — Search for roles and opportunities in Handshake with employers looking to hire diverse candidates. Opportunities include national organizations as well as Black-Owned and Led Companies.

Brandeis Connection — Find roles with employers that have strong recruiting connections to Brandeis University and are looking specifically to hire Brandeis students.
Identity at Work - Affinity group resources to explore how intersecting identities might impact work and professional development.

Specific Job Search Sites

Graduate School

Pursuing further education beyond your undergraduate degree is a common consideration for students. This could include a post-bachelor's program, a master's degree, or a doctoral degree.

Law School Resources: With over 200 law schools in the U.S. and hundreds more internationally, Hiatt can help you navigate the process!
Graduate School Resources: There are many graduate programs other than law that students interested in government, law, and community might pursue. Common programs include: Public Administration (MPA), Public Policy (MPP), International Affairs, Social Work (MSW), Nonprofit Management, Master of Education, and many more!

Find Where Brandeisians Go

students at graduation Brandeisians offer the world a wide range of peersperspectives, academic interests and experiences.

Employment by Industry: See where Brandeisians work after graduation.
Advancing Education: One-third of graduates go directly to graduate school.
Major to Industry: Discover the path between graduates' major and career.

Work With Hiatt

Visit us early and throughout your time at Brandeis! We will meet you wherever you are in your career planning and decision-making process.

Express Appointments with Hiatt Advisors

Express appointments (20 minutes) are for students seeking quick help with application materials, Handshake, LinkedIn and other career-related questions. Express appointments are available during the academic year when classes are in session from 12 - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday. Schedule An Express Appointment.

Appointments with Staff

The Career Team helps Brandeisians discover who they are, what they want and how to get there, through career and affinity hubs providing individualized career support. Meet with us for 30 or 60 minutes on topics ranging from exploring majors and career interests, reviewing application materials, internship and job searching, networking, interviewing, and graduate school or law school planning/applications. Review team member profiles to discover more about our staff.

Make Your Appointment

“The U.S. Department of State represents America to the world, which is why we recruit at places like Brandeis. The university draws students from all over the country and gives them the academic preparation and skills we seek for those embarking on international public service careers.”

Phil Beekman, diplomat in residence (DIR), New England, U.S. Department of State