Policy Associate Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Policy Associate resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Associate is one of the most common job titles in the legal world. It’s an entry-level position that usually requires a couple years of experience in a related field like law or human resources.
If you’re looking for a new opportunity where you can gain valuable hands-on experience and work alongside seasoned professionals, an associate role could be the perfect fit for you. But before you can land the job, you need a compelling resume that showcases your skills and experience. Here are some tips and an example to help you write yours.
How to Write a Policy Associate Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters and hiring managers will see. And they’re the best way to showcase your experience and qualifications.
So it’s important to use them to their full potential. And that means using them to describe your responsibilities and achievements in a clear and concise way.
For example, rather than saying you “assisted with research for legislative initiatives,” you could say you “assisted with research for 10+ legislative initiatives, including drafting white papers, conducting legal and economic analysis, and providing recommendations for legislation.”
The second bullet point is much more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a policy associate role, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. ATS programs rank resumes based on the number of relevant keywords that are found in the job posting. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right terms, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, focus on including policy associate keywords in your resume. You can find some of the most commonly used keywords by reading through a few job postings and taking note of the terms that seem to be repeated most often.
- Policy Analysis
- Public Policy
- Politics
- Legislative Relations
- Legislation
- Community Outreach
- Research
- Government
- Policy Writing
- Political Science
- Legislative Research
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Grant Writing
- Legislative Affairs
- Public Speaking
- Community Development
- Strategic Communications
- Coalitions
- Political Campaigns
- Political Advocacy
- Grassroots Organizing
- Program Evaluation
- Program Management
- Change Management
- Grant Management
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Event Planning
- International Relations
- Conflict Resolution
- International Development
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a policy associate, you will need to be proficient in the use of research databases, policy analysis software, and word processing programs. You will also need to be able to effectively communicate with other members of the policy team, including the policy director and policy analysts.
Some of the programs and systems that policy associates are typically expected to be proficient in include: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, policy research databases (e.g. LexisNexis, Westlaw, Congressional Research Service), and policy analysis software (e.g. PolicyMap, Quorum).