A person with training as a political analyst can find work in many different fields. Most political analyst jobs rely on an analyst's expertise in order to understand the underlying politics of a situation, and create reasonable predictions for future outcomes and changes. The broad field of political analyst jobs includes media consultancy, corporate research, politics, and military and intelligence positions.
Media analysts operate in a highly visible capacity, offering their understanding and interpretation of political events through news shows, editorials, and blog posts. A political analyst for a television news show may serve as an off-camera consultant, helping news anchors and editors understand the “big picture” of a story with political ramifications. TV analysts may also work on-camera, providing their viewpoint as an expert on a variety of political issues. In addition to training in political science, media related jobs often require some training in communications, journalism, or public speaking.
Some corporations may offer political analyst jobs in the field of market research. Consultancy firms often require good political analysts to help develop strategies for their clients, who may be politicians, other corporations, or entertainment personnel. Analyzing the current political spectrum in a region can help consultants determine the most successful strategy for promotion in a region. Market research analysts may need to be competent at obtaining data, analyzing it, and coming up with resultant strategies for each client. In this competitive field, advancement is sometimes determined by the successes and failures of strategies put forth by each analyst.
Not surprisingly, an important source of political analyst jobs is politics itself. Analysts may be able to find jobs working with a candidate or political incumbent, helping shape the strategies of a campaign for election or re-election. By conducting and analyzing the results of polls and voter data, analysts can help tailor the message of a politician to target specific regions or demographics. Political analyst jobs are also available at independent agencies that track political data, such as news organizations and think tanks.
Global political analyst jobs are often available through national intelligence agencies and the military. Applicants for these jobs may need to pass rigorous background checks and tests and also possess a wealth of knowledge about foreign politics. Many jobs in this field require fluency in other languages, as well as an extensive education and history of experience with a particular region of the world. In the intelligence field, an analyst has the opportunity to inform and influence relationships between nations by working to create grounds for improved global partnerships.
