Alumni Spotlight: Ouimette on Building a Career in D.C.
Justin Ouimette (Pardee ’11), Executive Director of the House Freedom Caucus, gave a talk to current graduate students at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University on October 5, 2016 on how to pursue a career in Washington D.C. after graduation.
Ouimette, who was named Executive Director of the Freedom Caucus in February 2016, previously served as Policy Director for the caucus and spoke to students about how he built his career in the Washington D.C. policy space. He discussed the challenges in navigating the partisan divide in Washington D.C.
“I was in the academic world for a long time, so I understand the impulse of wanting to take the most rational line, but there is a partisan divide,” Ouimette said. “It’s how this country, and more specifically that city works. You have to get comfortable with what side of it you’re on, and market yourself to it. There is a little bit of a hedge here in that if you do committee work you’re going to be acknowledged as more of subject-matter expert.”
Ouimette emphasized that holding a residence in Washington D.C. gives recent graduates an advantage in the job application process, and also makes networking much easier.
“I didn’t expect face to face interactions were going to be so vital, but they are,” Ouimette said. “This holds true as well for hiring into executive branch agencies where if you have a D.C. address or can claim one it gets you past a lot of obstacles. For some of you who are about to graduate, I’d recommend to those who are not doing summer work abroad to find an internship in D.C. and meet people that way. If there are four of you who want to take a run at it, get an apartment for six months, network the whole way through, have somewhere to hang your hat.”