Kyle: I recently had a political internship with the Democratic mayoral campaign. Does the fact that I supported a single person/party hinder or help my chances of getting hired? Should I seek to balance this out by taking an internship with a Republican?

If you enjoy campaign work and you feel that it is providing you with skills that will help you land a future job, then by all means keep at it. Affiliation with a major party should not hurt (or help) you as long as you do not come across as too ideological or extreme: such people are not very good team players.

Of course, you might want to avoid the risk completely and simply mention the candidate’s name and leave off the party affiliation all together. When you think about it, it really isn’t relevant. When a prospective employer is evaluating your qualifications, she is focusing on your skills: what you did, not who you did it for. Leave it off and then you don’t have to worry.

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