State Department Unpaid Internships

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

Hello everyone,

I am planning on applying for either the Spring or Summer internship through the State Department (hopefully overseas).

Anyone have experience applying to to this internship and have any advice/insight/knowledge about what they look for in candidates and what would make a strong applicant?

Any and all advice or help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

2

I currently work for a local large government body which has a similar hiring process to the state department. The main thing those HR analysts always look for is that the language you use on your resume matches the same skills and whatnot they have listed for the job…I swear a robot does it!

I’ve been in more than one applicant pool for State Dept/Fed jobs…they are all the same… keywords, very generic, boring…don’t make it too flowery.

3

@LaJay87 As a person kind of interested in this myself, what sort of language and keywords do they expect from state department applicants?

4

Basically a straight up almost copy paste from whatever the job post looks like…

So if it says
“knowledge of foreign affairs”

then under your major you bullet point- knowledge of foreign affairs.
etc…

5

@LaJay87 Huh that always struck me as odd because I imagine if there are only so many openings for jobs and internships, how do you distinguish yourself from all the thousands of other applicants that do the same thing

6

Well with anything in government, its about getting past the first part and being “banded” into an eligibility list…its really annoying but necessary that they weed out people who cannot even create a resume…oftentimes there are tests as well after…I think internships may not have the tests, but who knows now!

7

^^Exactly, and the person making the first cut often has no idea what the item is. The HR people know nothing about foreign affairs, that AP Spanish is Level 4 (so say Level 4 if that’s what is asked for), and no idea that you have a high school diploma if you are in college. You have to say so. If it says college junior, state you are a college junior, not that you have 90 credits. Hit every point asked for.