How to start a career in public policy (or career advice to my younger self)

Delusion and social media may be required

Tech policy is beginning to grow as a more formalised profession. A mere four years ago, when I started out, there were barely any UK think tanks examining how governments should deal with tech revolutions. Today ‘publishing an AI policy report’ is the new version of ‘everybody has a podcast’. With such burgeoning industry comes more people wanting to kickstart a career in the field.

Now that I am at a stage of my career where a few people do ask for career advice every now and then, I thought I would write my thoughts down. Some of this advice, I think, is also just good early career advice in general. Note that this advice is for ‘how to get into the industry’, rather than ‘how to succeed/be good in the industry’, which I don't quite possess the hubris to write about just yet.

Most of the readers of this newsletter will a.) already have a career in tech/public policy or b.) not have a career in tech/public policy, and do not want one. But you may know someone that is considering such a career path, and I hope this could be of use to them.

Embrace Rejection

Rejection is part of the journey. I applied for over 30 jobs in public policy before landing one. Demos, the IfG, the IFS: you name a good think tank - I had been ‘Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward’-ed by them. In fact, my current employer, the Tony Blair Institute, rejected me three times before I received an offer. There were moments when my goal of cracking the industry felt unreachable. But each rejection is a step closer to success. Think of rejection like a storm passing through a forest—each one clears out the deadwood and makes room for new growth. Learn from it, adapt, and keep pushing forward.

The Delusion of Ambition

Part of processing rejection requires a grain of delusion. You may be told in your rejection emails you didn’t have the right skills or experience for a particular role. Of course, you must learn to process criticism, take it on board, but you must still possess the arrogance to pursue your path. The arrogance to believe that you are better than the scores of other applicants vying for the same roles. You cannot count on anybody else to believe in you. Believe in your potential. By putting yourself out there, even if you know that failure is a potential scenario, you increase your surface area of opportunity.  

The Power of Cross-Domain Expertise

Don't aim, from the jump, to be in the top 1% in a single policy domain. Instead, become a top 10% expert in multiple intersecting fields. This blend of knowledge gives you unique insights. Imagine you are in the top 10% of both nuclear fusion and economics expertise —your policy insights on the future of energy infrastructure would be invaluable. This is especially important for understanding the implications for general purpose technologies, which cut across numerous fields. How do you achieve this? There is no substitute for reading widely and deeply. Live and breathe brilliant policy analysis and proposals. Absorb the essence of every paragraph, the story behind each chart. Spending time consuming work of the highest quality will rub off on you.

Be prepared to take a temporary, loosely related job

It is very rare to come straight out of university or college and immediately land a role at a think tank. Before getting a job in tech policy I joined a small digital consultancy. I requested to go on projects that had a policy angle, so that I could show some relevant experience to potential employers in the policy world. If you know that the next job you want is in the policy world, try and work on stuff that has a clear relation to the field. 

Use Youth as Your Superpower

Use your youth to your advantage. Find the most impressive people in the field and offer to buy them a coffee for their time. Highly successful individuals often want to help the next generation. They see potential and want to play a part in realising it. This is especially true for younger people. In tech, age discrimination is less of an issue, and people will be more likely to recognise your abilities for what they are. 

Use Social Media as an Accelerant

Before I got a job at TBI, amidst my sea of rejection, I realised that I, to steal a phrase from Cal Newport, had to ‘be so good they couldn’t ignore me’. I had to smash my way into the world of the people I wanted to work with. Social media was truly the catalyst for this. The best policy discourse is on Twitter and Substack. If you do not have a presence then you aren’t really trying.

Writing publicly—whether it's Twitter threads or consistent blogging—acts as a portfolio of your thinking. It models your worldview for others and helps you stand out. I was writing up threads of reports we had published in my old consulting job, and here social media is almost a great leveller. The best policy thinkers, the ones you want to work with and for, will engage with the smaller accounts if they rate their thinking. You may feel like a small account now, but you won’t forever.

Network is Almost Your Net Worth

The public policy industry is not a meritocracy. No hiring process is truly fair. With an overwhelming number of applications, standing out requires more than just a great degree or impressive extracurriculars. Policy and politics deals in the currency of contacts. This is unjust, especially for under-represented groups, but the rules of the game aren’t going to change any time soon. Network diligently. Surround yourself with interesting, ambitious people. They will instantly raise your sense of what is possible, and be a great source of advice and support. Identify companies you want to work for and reach out to senior people there. Impress them, and when a role comes up they might just shift the bureaucracy to hire you. 

Do Great Things and the Network Comes to You

Networking is valuable, but spending time reaching out to people constantly is draining. As Naval Ravikant says, do something great, and the network will come to you. When Andrew Bennett and I wrote ‘Reviving Progress in the UK’, people we could only dream of interacting with reached out to speak with us. One blog post did way more for my network than a year’s worth of drinks events. Having ‘stuff you are known for’ also makes it more likely that people will engage with you when you do reach out to them (assuming said ‘stuff’ is of value).

Balance Your Life

Finally, have a life beyond work. I’m fortunate that most of my friends are outside my industry. Politicos love to talk about themselves and other Westminster-village gossip. And while that can be fun, it is draining and can lead to some relationships feeling transactional. 

People generally choose this career because they are passionate about the work. But that can also invite an all-consuming work-life balance that can blend into one, with after work-drinks being half-social half-networking. Find some distance, think about other stuff, and you can return to work with greater clarity.

In the end, getting a job at the intersection of technology and society requires a blend of ambition, resilience, and a willingness to embrace the madness. Challenge the consensus, blend domains, leverage your youth, and put yourself out there. Join the profession, it's worth getting involved in.