How To Become A Lobbyist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lobbyist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

The average lobbyist salary is $45,609. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an political science major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a lobbyist. Lobbyists with a Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 22,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLobbyistUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,609

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.3

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59%

Asian 5.31%

Black or African American 10.17%

Hispanic or Latino 12.05%

Unknown 5.10%

White 66.78%

Gender

female 48.42%

male 51.58%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.8

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lobbyist

Explore lobbyist education requirements

Most common lobbyist degrees

Bachelor's

70.6 %

Master's

11.1 %

Doctorate

7.5 %

Start to develop specific lobbyist skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Policy	25.53%
Government Relations	18.72%
State Government	9.54%
Grassroots	4.74%
State Legislators	3.37%

Complete relevant lobbyist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lobbyists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lobbyist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lobbyist resumes.

Research lobbyist duties and responsibilities

Secure support for the Centene brand as a Medicaid manage care organization amongst healthcare providers and members of the advocacy community.
Preserve dietitian services as a require``condition of participation"for Medicare hospitals.
Advocate on Medicare reimbursement, research funding, dietary supplements and professional education issues.
Conduct analysis of international climate change implications and participate in the selection of tools for government agencies to monitor climate change.

Prepare your lobbyist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lobbyist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lobbyist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Lobbyist Resume templates

Build a professional Lobbyist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Lobbyist resume.

Apply for lobbyist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lobbyist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do lobbyists rate their job?