When contracting for its professional staff, COHA always limits its search to its former and current personnel who have served distinguished internships. Candidates who lack these qualifications are at times selected if they exhibit proven research and writing skills. Ideal internship candidates should be highly motivated and, under the guidance of the staff, will be expected to show initiative and a capacity for innovation in an office renowned for its productivity. Environs COHA's downtown Washington office is fast-paced and highly professional, yet is informal and congenial, if somewhat scrappy, even messy by the day's end. Part of an intern's responsibility is to help keep the office and their work areas neat.
Interns pursue research topics of their and the organization's interest.
COHA internships are highly respected by the Washington policymaking community for their rigor and the valuable learning experience they provide, with former COHA interns gaining prominent positions in journalism, the Foreign Service, congressional offices as well as being admitted to some of the most prestigious professional schools in the country. COHA encourages applications from candidates with high computer literacy.