fbpx Hire HKS | Harvard Kennedy School

Our students work hard to earn their degrees. They’ll work equally hard to advance the mission and work of your organization.

Here is how your organization can connect with HKS talent:

Contact us to discuss how your organization can best engage with our students.

Employer Recruiting Policy, commonly asked questions, and JACK

Organizations like yours dedicate significant energy and resources to recruit at HKS—we created our employer recruiting policy to support your efforts. Our mutual commitment to the policy is foundational for a fair recruiting process. 

 

Commonly Asked Questions About Hiring HKS
How do I post a job?

Register in Jobs and Careers at the Kennedy School (JACK), our job bank and career management system, to post any open positions, fellowships, or internships at your organization.

I posted a position on JACK. How do I receive resumes?

When you post a position on JACK, you determine how candidates will submit their applications: email, through your organization’s website, or using JACK’s resume collection feature.

If you chose the third option, return to JACK, review, and export submitted applications.

What if I do not have immediate hiring needs?

We invite you to share your work and promote your organization to our students at any time through group presentations, one-on-one “career chats,” and our networking events. We encourage you to complete our Employer Information Session Request Form to identify times that work best for you to meet with our students virtually.

Once open positions are available at your organization, you are invited to post them on JACK and schedule interviews or participate in an upcoming career fair.

How do I hire a student for a summer internship?

Our students typically start exploring summer internships after November; however, we will gladly promote internship opportunities to match your timeline. Internships generally run from late-May to mid-August.

You can post your internship on JACK or send it to us. We also encourage you to host a virtual one-on-one Career Chat to talk about your organization and internship opportunities to a group of interested students or pre-registered individual students.

Do interns receive compensation?

It is expected that students will receive a stipend from their summer internship employers.

HKS may provide limited summer funding support for internships in the public or nonprofit/NGO sector when stipends are not possible. Students must have offers in hand by mid-March to apply for summer assistance. They do not receive academic credit for internships.

Can HKS students work pro bono?

Our second-year Master in Public Policy (MPP) students work with public or nonprofit/NGO sector clients for their Policy Analysis Exercise.

Under the guidance of HKS faculty advisors, students work on an issue from September to April that is mission-critical to their clients. The end result is a written capstone thesis (for students) and a working recommendation (for clients). Students are not paid for this work; however, travel or related expenses may be reimbursed.

Do you have a book of HKS student resumes?
How do I engage with HKS students in this virtual reality?

Contact our employer relations team. Together, we will determine how best to connect you with our students remotely.

I have openings for more senior positions. Can you help?

Absolutely. Our Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) students are established, high-performing professionals with about 13 years of work experience. And HKS alumni continue to use our job bank and services as their careers evolve.

What if I have U.S. security clearance-required openings?

We are able to identify candidates with U.S. security clearance and contact them directly about your openings.

 

 

JACK legacy red, gray, and black logo.Let's get started.

We identify organizations as our "recruiting partners" if they use our HKS job bank—Jobs and Careers for the Kennedy School (JACK)—to post jobs, host events, or access our student resume books. Register in JACK to begin our partnership and post any open positions, fellowships, or internships at your organization. 

Our employer relations team will connect you with the talent and expertise you’re looking for.