Entry-level jobs in Congress…

[Anonymous]

Asking for a young relative who graduated with a political science degree from a top 20 or 30 university (not Ivy) and is hoping to get an entry-level job in Congress and move to DC. Is it possible to do that without interning and without connections? What would be the best way to go about this? She did some volunteer work in college with one of the political parties and has some solid entry-level experience at other jobs but nothing political. Parents do not work in the political space and it’s a hard sell to get their daughter to work “for free.”

[Anonymous]

To be honest, it’s really hard to get a paid entry level job on the Hill without some connections. She needs to start networking or she needs to intern (and even then, those can be hard to come by).

Can she contact her internship boss and see if he or she can pass her resume? Does her school have any connections to members of Congress? What about fellow alumni?

Would she be willing to spend 2024 on a campaign? That’s a great way to break into it. Start as a volunteer and usually the dedicated volunteers are offered paid roles later in the year.

But none of this is going to be well-paid, and because of the hours, she may struggle to find a PT job to supplement. So prepare her parents that they will still be financially supporting her, even if she is getting paid.

[Anonymous]

^^by internship boss, I mean volunteer boss. Whoever was running the show at the party.

[Anonymous]

First, very few offices on the hill care about how prestigious your university was, especially in the House. If your niece wants to work in a personal office - as opposed to a committee - the front line staff are generally from the state since they interact with constituents and help coordinate tours. These jobs are rarely posted and are filled via word of mouth. Internships are critical for forming these relationships.

Also, she needs to be prepared to work in the office, not from home. I was hiring for an entry level hill job last month and most applicants requested to work from home and were shocked that we required staff in office. Entry level staff are basically customer service jobs.

Getting a job on a campaign doesn’t always work unless she’s doing press. The jobs don’t translate well to Washington.

[Anonymous]

She is looking for a staff assistant job. If she worked for one party that will dictate which offices to target. Start with her rep then other rep offices in the state from that party. Tons of people are hiring now. Turn over is huge on the Hill (everyone is depressed). She should subscribe to the Tom Manatos job list and start getting her resume out.