The economy has taken a toll on everyone in one way or another. I am writing this article to share some ideas on what I’ve learned about networking and how to build experience in the public health profession.   

Informal opportunities – creative networking
Become an APHA member with several different sections or interest groups. Benefits of membership include career, internship, networking and grant opportunities; exposure to a variety of advocacy and policy issues through multiple publications, periodicals, meetings; and information on the latest trends, legislation, and research.

• Attend the APHA Annual Meeting or meet with someone who has attended to learn about his/her meeting experience.
• Seek mentoring opportunities from organizations such as APHA, university career and employment services, state employment offices, student associations and alumni associations.
• Search local and state public health Web sites for opportunities to give and be part of their committee.
• Become involved in one of the CHPPD ad hoc committees.
• Participate in CHPPD committee conference calls.
• Volunteer or advocate at local nonprofit organizations that you have an interest in.  Not all volunteer opportunities take a great amount of your time — some may only require an hour a month. 
• Join your student alumni association.
• Become active on a local board of directors (e.g., alumni association, nursing homes).
• Keep up to date on the latest issues. I subscribe to various listservs from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) at no cost.  Check out http://www.kff.org/email for more information.
• Sign up and log onto the Joint Center Health Policy Institute Webinars. 

Formal opportunities – internships, fellowships, and jobs
Ask your advisor for a listing or individually seek externship opportunities with organizations that collaborate with the department/school that you either graduated from or one in your area. Externships are lengthier than a job shadow but less intensive than an internship. Externships provide the student with the opportunity to observe a professional's regular daily activities, potentially conduct informational interviews, and participate in office projects. Other valuable benefits include professional connections and gaining marketable experience.

• You may also want to check out internship and fellowship opportunities listed at the Kaiser Family Foundation Web site. 
• Encourage your school to promote internships that can be conducted half the time off-site and half the time on-site and offer opportunities for evening and weekend internships for those who work a non-public health full-time position and attend school part-time. 

How professionals can help students gain experience and/or find a position:

• Remember what it was like when you were a student or a new graduate? Finding opportunities and jobs can be difficult, and students may need guidance in locating those opportunities because they are just getting into the profession and may not know where to begin. 
• Contact a local university with a program in Public Health Policy or other public health specialties to see if they have a mentor program for students and/or new graduates. 
• If possible, offer opportunities for students and new grads to work on a current project that you are working on. 
• Offer information on where the student and/or new graduate can look for jobs in the field.  
• Volunteer to help students and new grads with reviewing their resume and offer suggestions on where they can build on their skills.

Professionals helping professionals
Find other policy professionals in your field to get together and discuss the latest issues by e-mail or conference calls.

• Be available for someone relocating to your area in order to help them find a position or get settled.
• Help someone understand what experience is transferrable and how to promote their skills.
• For anyone interested in tobacco policy, I have a contact list of tobacco organizations that I would be happy to provide you. Send an e-mail requesting the list to sschenat@gmail.com. 

I’ve shared my ideas with you, now I’d like to hear from the students and professionals about how to obtain experience in the field of public health policy. Public health professionals have a passion to help others live a better life in health and improve well-being. Why not help your fellow colleague by offering your knowledge, experience, and assistance by being a mentor or offering internships and networking opportunities to get his/her career off the ground and/or find better opportunities for professional growth so they can help others? Provide out-of-the-box thinking on how people can obtain low or no cost opportunities. How about ideas on where people seeking employment in health care policies can obtain employment? What other areas are you interested in that you can offer to people who are trying to gain experience in health care policy? We need to help one another, and we are our own best resource!

By Sue Schenatzki, MPH
Sue graduated with an MPH in Policies and Administration in 2008 from Indiana University at Indianapolis. She have worked as a state public case manager for two years in long-term care as well as worked for different physicians as a receptionist and medical transcriptionist. She also has person experience with caring for a family member with disabilities. Sue has a personal goal of making changes to laws to assist the uninsured in obtaining access to care when they are just above the poverty level but not enough funds coming into their home to pay for their health care needs.