How to Get a Job on Capitol Hill

Questions You May Be Asked

Every House and Senate office conducts interviews differently, however most have two or three favorite questions that they always ask job candidates. Below are a series of questions you can expect, based on my own experiences as well as interviews with Capitol Hill chiefs of staff.

Why do you want to work for Congressperson X?

You should have a substantive, thoughtful and realistic answer to this question. “I’m desperate for a job as a Congressional Aide and am pursuing every opportunity I can find” is not appropriate. Craft an answer that combines an interest in the issues the Congressperson cares about, the district he or she represents and your own personal goals. 

  EXAMPLE 

"Congresswoman XYZ’s stance on environmental issues, and particularly her work on deforestation is very intriguing to me, as I spent a summer in Costa Rica learning about new forestry techniques. In addition, having grown up in the Congresswoman’s district, I am anxious to give something back to that community. As someone just starting out in my public policy career, this office seems to be an ideal place to learn about Congress and the issues I care most about.”

One House AA I used to work with would always ask job applicants, “What policy issues do you feel strongly about?”  He didn’t necessarily care what the answer was; he just wanted to be sure that they cared about something. Most people decide to work in a Congressional office because they want to make a difference, either for the region that they represent or on a particular policy issue. Make sure that you know how you want to make difference, and why the particular congressional office that you’re speaking with is the best place to help you achieve that goal.

How do you deal with conflict?

Because Congressional offices are so small and tight-knit, it’s important to have people whose methods of dealing with conflict mirror the attitude of the office. Frankly, it’s hard to know what the person who is asking wants to hear, so just answer the question truthfully. Describe a situation in which you were in a conflict, explain how you dealt with it…and hope for the best!

What’s your best quality? What’s your worst quality?

This is a bit cliché, but you will almost always be asked this set of questions. Congressional offices are looking for people who know both their strengths and weaknesses and are constantly striving to improve. As one AA puts it, “I always ask applicants to describe what the worst quality they think they possess in a work situation and how they work to overcome their perceived weaknesses.” 

The best way to answer these questions is to be honest – but with a spin. What do I mean by that? Well, present your best quality (or qualities – you can give them more than one) in as positive a light as possible. Highlight those qualities that are prized by Congressional offices such as writing or juggling projects, but only if you actually are a good writer or able to juggle projects. When identifying your worst quality, identify what it is and then move immediately on to your efforts to improve and specifically how you think a job as a Congressional Aide will help. 

EXAMPLE

"From my work writing for and editing the school newspaper, I gained excellent writing skills. In addition, I consider myself to be quite good at juggling several projects at once, something that was absolutely necessary in my work toward dual majors in political science and anthropology. 

In terms of my worst quality, I’d have to say that I tend to be im-patient with myself when I make mistakes. However, I am tackling that problem by working more carefully to ensure fewer mistakes, and striving to never make the mistake twice. Now, when I do make a mistake, I fix it and move on, instead of spending time beating myself up over it. 

Working in a Congressional office would help me in this effort because I would obviously have to continue to strive to keep mistakes to a minimum and, frankly, it sounds like there’s not a lot of time to wallow in self-recriminations. I think that working here would help me with my ‘fix it and move on’ practice.”

As one AA puts it, “Since most jobs require multiple talents and tasks, I ask people how they approach the tasks they find least exciting about their job. No one tells you they will procrastinate and never do it, but it gives a sense of the willingness of the person to work in a team and pitch in to get things done, even when they are not the coolest parts of the job.” 

Be honest that yes, into every job a little boredom must fall, but that you are willing to face those boring tasks head-on and get them out of the way. You could also choose to make it clear that you feel that you can learn from any aspect of the job – even if it’s learning your way around the Capitol delivering letters and other items. This is an especially useful perspective to demonstrate for entry-level positions.

What do you expect from this job? What do you think it will be like?

According to one House AA, 

"The question I always set up in interviews is to ask the applicant what they think the job is and to give me their idea of what the job description would be if they had to write it, or to describe ‘a day in the life’ on the job. This gives me some sense if the person is reasonable and practical but also if they are creative or innovative. 

It also allows me to judge whether they are clueless about the reality of Hill jobs, or at the other extreme, think that they are the congressman’s peer and suffer from visions of grandeur. It makes the applicant think an answer through and does not have a pre-scripted response that can be gleaned from the Political Almanac.”

EXAMPLE

“To me, the staff assistant position sounds like an outstanding opportunity to learn more about Capitol Hill and the district while honing my administrative and writing skills. 

I imagine that most of my day would be spent answering phones, opening mail, responding to constituent requests for tours, running errands, and providing general assistance for the staff as needed. I would hope to eventually have the opportunity to draft constituent correspondence, attend an occasional hearing or briefing on a topic of interest, or even handle a lower-level issue or two. 

My philosophy is that I can learn something new from anything, whether it’s how to talk to an angry constituent, set up White House tours or write a constituent letter.”

EXAMPLE

“Serving as the Environmental Legislative Assistant, I imagine that my day would be comprised of meetings with constituents and lobbyists, time spent drafting statements, responses to constituent letters and memos for the Congressman, and monitoring the floor, with the occasional hearing or briefing thrown in. 

While I definitely think I could learn a tremendous amount from this experience, I believe I could add value to the Congressional office as well. I am eager to put my expertise on environmental issues, my ability to juggle multiple tasks and my willingness to put in the time and energy to get the job done to work for you.”

While no one expects you to have a ‘grand plan’, most interviewers will ask you for some sense of your goals. “Because Capitol Hill is so transient, and so I can account for the interests and strengths of individuals, I always also ask where they want to be in 5 years…[it] usually gives me an idea if they are headed for policy, politics, law school, or leaving the Hill to open an incense hut,” says one House AA. 

Again, honesty and openness are the key. You do not need to pretend that you absolutely want to stay in the position you are interviewing for forever. Most congressional offices realize the people will want to move on to more substantive work – and if you don’t, that may indicate a lack of ambition or enthusiasm that just won’t do on Capitol Hill.

An appropriate answer for someone interviewing for a Staff Assistant job might be the following.

EXAMPLE

“I am interested in learning as much as I can about Congress, the legislative process and Capitol Hill in this position, and then perhaps moving up to a Legislative Correspondent or Legislative Assistant position. In addition, I am hoping my experience here will help me determine my next step, whether it’s going to law school or returning to my home town to run for local office.”

This article is an excerpt from the fabjob.com How to Become a Congressional Aide. Visit www.fabjob.com for information.