Dataset, Go
A three-part internship series about where to find ’em, why you need ’em, and how to turn one into a full-time job
Part III: On the Job
Second-year student Adam Freeman spent ten weeks last summer evaluating a Medicaid program as an intern with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Almost a year later, with graduation around the corner and a full-time HHS job waiting for him, Freeman reflects on his summer experience and offers first-year students advice on turning internships into employment opportunities.
Why health policy?
The recent health care reform debate really caught my interest. It’s a huge area of the government and so interesting in its extreme complexity. My eyes weren’t glazing over, which happens to a lot of people. So I enrolled in GPHAP, which is a joint health administration certificate program between the Harris School, SSA, and Booth School. As part of the requirements, I had to do a related internship.
Why HHS?
The program hosted a networking event with HHS Regional Inspector General, Ann Maxwell. Her job sounded really interesting, so I just approached her afterward and asked for a business card. Then she mentioned that they were hiring summer interns. I know it’s trite, but networking is so important. My office is about 90 percent master’s grads from the University of Chicago.
What did you do?
The job was located in Chicago, and a great opportunity to do work on the federal level without moving to DC. I was basically a full-time employee for the summer, so I wasn’t getting coffee; I wasn’t doing random spreadsheets. I was assigned to a team of program analysts to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in HHS programs. The study I came in on, which I’m still working on today, was about Medicaid reimbursements for a drug discount program. I happened to come in at the very beginning, during the pre-inspection phase, which is basically an opportunity for the entire team to learn about the program and do interviews. That was great for me because I learned about it at the same time as the rest of my team, as opposed to them just saying, “Here’s the data, crunch these numbers.”
Did you expect it to turn into a full-time job?
Frankly, I never saw myself working for the federal government. It wasn’t even on my radar. But it quickly became clear to me that I was interested in working there.
When did you realized they were interested in you, too?
My team leader was very clear that she liked me. She asked me to stay on part-time through the year, so I jockeyed around my class schedule and have been working there two days a week. For about a month I knew that they were interested in offering me a full-time job, but had no formal offer. I kept going to them saying, “Hey, I’d really like to stay here, but I’m looking for jobs and need to start working.” Obviously, I wasn’t in a position to pressure them, but had to let them know that I was going to look for other jobs. Then a program analyst, who was actually another Harris School grad, transferred to the San Francisco office, which opened up a slot. I was first in line. I think I got the offer formally in either December or January.
It seems like you really clicked with your team of analysts. Do you have any advice for other students about turning their internship into a future job?
People want a formula. Even if you knew exactly what you wanted, there’s no guarantee. I think the majority of policy jobs are about finding where you fit in, where there’s availability, and, most importantly, whether you like it or not. That said, I definitely treaded lightly my first couple weeks. My office was really non-hierarchical, but not every place is like that. You want to go in and really throw yourself into it and be really productive and proactive and demonstrate your value, but there are two sides to that. You don’t want to be too brash and step beyond your role in the organization. I think the beginning of your internship is really feeling out what’s expected of you. I found pretty quickly that I was expected to be a full-time contributor. Sometimes the stars align.
Read Part I: Reality Check >>
Read Part II: Sector Searching >>
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