This is the final article in our four-part working in Congress guide (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). If you’re interested in working on the Hill, see also our role-specific guides to internships, full-time roles, and fellowships in Congress.

Explore what job(s) you can get

After considering your personal fit for congressional work, the next step involves thinking through eligibility requirements and specific job options. 

Relatively loose credential, citizenship, and security clearance requirements 

Besides professional and cultural fit considerations, you may wonder whether you’re qualified or eligible to work in Congress. Fortunately, while Congress can compare unfavorably to other government work on dimensions like work-life balance, its formal requirements are generally looser. Notably:

1. Most hiring managers won’t care about your major or GPA: Many Hill jobs do not even ask for your college transcript. The skills that are most important to your success are “soft skills” like communication and emotional intelligence. Graduate training in specific fields may be a bonus but is generally not required, especially if you climb the ladder within Congress rather than applying for mid-level positions from the outside. Prior professional experience usually counts more heavily than educational credentials. This CRS report has more details on requirements and qualifications.
2. Permanent residents are eligible for most congressional jobs: This is different from federal jobs for which hiring happens through the USAJobs portal. For those jobs, even those that do not require a security clearance, US citizenship is almost always a requirement. Congress writes its own employment rules, and has given itself more flexibility; some offices also hire international students as unpaid interns, and Dreamers may be eligible for some full-time jobs. This is good news for those who are not (yet) US citizens but do want to work in US policy, though getting permanent residency is, of course, still plenty challenging.  
3. Only a small minority of staff positions require a security clearance: Many people worry whether security clearance requirements will prevent them from working in government jobs, both because getting a security clearance is generally a long and uncertain process and because it screens for certain behaviors (e.g. use of marijuana or other drugs). But unlike almost every foreign policy and national security-related position in the federal government, security clearance requirements are the exception on the Hill. About 600 Senate staff have clearances (out of more than 3,000 total); data for the House are not known. Many jobs that require clearances are committee staff positions on the Armed Services/Intelligence committees, and relevant Appropriations staff. Some personal office staff also have clearances. But the vast majority of staff positions don’t require one. See this primer on congressional staff clearances for more details.

The congressional office org chart

To understand the paths into congressional work, it helps to know a little more about the structure of a congressional office. Congressional offices typically have clear hierarchies, though titles vary across offices and, especially, between personal offices and committees. Personal offices are generally organized along something like the following structure:

Terminology can vary somewhat across offices (e.g. some offices have started calling their technology LAs “technologists,” and some senior legislative staff prefer the term “advisor”). Smaller offices, especially in the House, may consolidate certain functions (e.g. dedicated speechwriters are more common in the Senate). Office size and structure also varies based on Member seniority, size of constituency, and other factors. Around half of personal office staff work in district offices (as opposed to the “DC office” visualized above). District offices handle a lot of constituent and political work; because they mostly don’t work on policy, we don’t discuss them here.

Committee offices use different titles and terminology. The equivalent of the Chief of Staff is usually the “Staff Director” (though on Appropriations the title is “Clerk”¹). The equivalent of the Legislative Director might be called “Chief Counsel,” “Policy Director,” or “Deputy Staff Director,” depending on the committee. Mid-level legislative staff are “Professional Staff Members” or “Counsel.” Most committees do not employ LC-equivalent junior staffers, with committee Staff Assistants and interns helping out instead. Committees also frequently employ specialists with expertise relevant to their jurisdiction, such as investigators (e.g. for oversight committees) or economists (e.g. for finance committees).

Against this background, below are some of the most common points at which you can slot in across various stages of your career, focusing mainly on the legislative professional track.

Congressional opportunities at different levels of experience

Internships for current undergraduate or graduate students 

If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student, or a recent graduate², you could intern in Congress. See our congressional internship guide for in-depth advice on why and how to get a “Hillternship”. The guide includes advice on how congressional internships work, what tasks interns might perform, the benefits of interning in Congress, where and how to apply, as well as tips and additional resources on the application process.

Full-time roles

If you’re interested in full-time roles in Congress, read our full-time roles in Congress guide. It includes information on (1) entry-level jobs for recent graduates, (2) jobs for terminal degree holders or mid-career professionals, and (3) more senior and non-legislative jobs. 

More details on congressional jobs—both those that are and aren’t discussed by the above guide—are available in the CRS report Congressional Staff: Duties, Qualifications, and Skills Identified by Members of Congress for Selected Positions, which synthesizes position descriptions and requirements for dozens of congressional jobs based on hundreds of past job postings. 

Congressional fellowships

Policy fellowships involve temporary (typically one-year) placements in a policy institution. See our congressional fellowship guide for more details and for a (non-comprehensive) list of over 15 congressional fellowships.

Networking and reaching out to people

Now that you have a lay of the job options land, you are ready to start talking to people. We realize this can be daunting, especially if you don’t yet know anyone connected to Congress. But everyone has to start somewhere, and we’ve spoken to many people about how to make professional connections in DC when you don’t have an existing network there. See our networking in policy guide for more detailed advice on networking in DC.

Tapping your network and doing informational interviews

If you do happen to have friends or good acquaintances who have worked on the Hill, you can pepper them with questions and ask for connections. But most people are not that lucky. If you don’t already know someone, good places to start include your university alumni network and professional communities. 

Networking is crucial for getting a Hill job, so know that this part of the process might take up many dozens of hours. One junior congressional staffer who wrote a detailed first-hand blog account of their experience describes their application process as follows: 

I spent about 20 hours a week for 3 months applying for congressional entry level roles almost exclusively…I spent the majority of my time ‘networking.’ For me, this meant sending emails to people, requesting that we meet briefly…I contacted (nearly) everyone I knew from the time I spent in DC [as a Hill intern], asked to catch up via phone or video call, let them know I was job searching, and asked them to connect me with people who work in Congress…I also emailed strangers who I knew worked on the Hill, whose names I found by searching on LinkedIn. I tried to find people who I had one or more things in common with.

Current or former staffers will be most helpful, since they have direct experience, but others who do policy work in DC should be able to provide relevant information and feedback as well. If you are early in your process, you may want to hold off before talking to current staffers in offices you want to work in. First, it’s good to be more knowledgeable when talking to staffers because you want to make a good impression on them. Second, you typically won’t get more than 15-30 minutes because staffers are very busy. Initially, you’ll probably be able to have more helpful and relaxed exploratory conversations with people who are not currently on the Hill.

Initial conversations with people adjacent to Congress

Not everyone in DC has great familiarity with Congress, but many people do. Former staffers will be most knowledgeable, but people who have worked at think tanks, advocacy or lobbying organizations, or federal agencies (especially in their legislative affairs offices) may also be able to help you.

People in DC are very used to doing quick “coffees” (which can be virtual) or informational interviews, including with friends of friends of friends or even total strangers. To be respectful of people’s time, it’s important to do your background research before talking to people. Learn what you can from the internet, and focus your coffees on (1) unique aspects of your situation and (2) things your interlocutors are uniquely situated to tell you about or help you with. Some questions you could ask them (depending on their background) include (and see here for some more general tips):

1. Here’s my CV. Are there ways I can frame my past jobs to be more competitive for a congressional job?
2. I have a couple of years of professional experience. Looking at my CV, do you think I should apply for an entry-level position, or continue working outside of Congress for a while longer until I can try for a mid-level position?
3. I’m very interested in topics A, B, C. Do you know which specific offices or staffers are especially active in those areas?
4. I worry a little about aspects D and E of working in Congress. Is this a valid concern? What has been your experience with D and E? How do staffers usually deal with them? 
5. Do you think I could get a staff job at committees F and G without prior congressional experience / a security clearance? 
6. Are there other people who you’d suggest I talk to about these questions?

Conversations with current staffers 

Once you feel sufficiently knowledgeable about Congress and congressional jobs, you’ll want to start talking to as many current staffers as possible. Hopefully, the people you’ve chatted with previously will be able to introduce you to a few of them.

Treat these conversations as quasi-interviews. You may not have formally applied for a job, and in many cases the people you’re talking to won’t have any immediate opportunities for you—but you want to make a good impression. Remember that “soft skills” are essential in Congress, so people will look at your ability to navigate this stage of the process as indicative of how well you will perform in a Hill job. If the staffers you’re talking to were especially impressed or you really hit it off, they may help you apply to other offices and/or flag your application with their colleagues. Or they may be able to unexpectedly offer you a job in 1-2 months, for instance if one of their current staffers decides to leave on short notice.

Before you talk to people, make sure you do background research on the office. Tailor how you introduce yourself to the office’s interests. Some things you can do beforehand: 

• Look through the Member’s press appearances and statements, bills they’ve sponsored, etc., to get a sense of what they care about. Know what committees the Member serves on, and perhaps some of the caucuses they’re a part of.
• Look up the Member’s district or state and some of its salient features (e.g. urban versus rural, ethnic composition, what are the big industries, etc.). If you are talking to committee staff, research the Chair or Ranking Member and the committee’s recent activity (hearings, legislation, etc.) and jurisdiction.
• Think about how your interests tie into the Member’s district or state (e.g. do they have local companies that work on vaccine-related tech, if you’re a biosecurity person?). Emphasize any local ties you have (e.g. did you grow up there, live there, study there, family ties, etc.)—most offices really value this.

During your conversations, it is okay not to know everything and ask questions, but it’s good to demonstrate that you’ve done your research. Focus on specifics: “I saw [Member] introduced a bill on X last month. I’m very interested in / have done some work on X. Is this something you’re hoping to do more on? What do you think about it?” Do not ask things that you could have easily learned by looking them up online (e.g. broad questions like “what issues is your office interested in?”). Find ways to talk up your accomplishments and skills, and do not be shy about asking for opportunities or assistance:

1. What are your office’s hiring needs in the next [amount of time]? 
2. What is the application process like?
3. Is there anyone else you would recommend I talk to?

If there are specific offices you’re interested in working for and you are unable to get connected to staff there through your network, do not be afraid to cold email someone, even potentially at the Chief of Staff or Staff Director level. Describe your background and interests in 1-2 sentences, attach your CV/LinkedIn, mention any local ties to their office and anything you have in common with them personally, and ask if they could spare 15-30 minutes to talk about their career and possible job opportunities. The vast majority of your cold emails will go unanswered, but the handful that reply could still be very helpful.

You can find some staffers’ names online through Google and LinkedIn searches and guess their emails by following the standard congressional formats (see footnote³). Alternatively, to save you time and improve search quality, you can pay for a subscription service to access staff directories (e.g. LegiStorm). This gives you a comprehensive, up-to-date list of staff and their emails. Directories also often contain biographical information, which can help you find staff you have something in common with, like being from the same town, having gone to the same school, etc.

Whatever you do, don’t be shy

Much of this process can feel uncomfortable, especially if you are not already acquainted with DC networking culture. This is unavoidable, and know that you are not alone in feeling this way. But remember that basically everyone you talk to also got help from distant acquaintances or strangers, and most are happy to pay it forward. Always respect people’s time, but do not feel like you are asking for something strange—everyone on and around the Hill knows this is part of the process.

Consider also how you can be helpful to the staffers you speak with; try to avoid inundating a new contact with information, but mention how you could help them (e.g. by sharing resources relevant to their interests or providing them with relevant contacts).

It is basically impossible to succeed in a congressional job search without extensive networking. Many jobs are not even posted publicly, with candidate recruitment happening solely through internal listservs and/or word-of-mouth. And jobs get so many applicants that you almost never even get interviewed unless someone “flags” your application with the hiring manager. So do not be shy.

Some specific things that are good to do when you’ve met someone (here are more tips from a junior congressional staffer): 

1. Follow up immediately after your first meeting with a thank you and mention something specific that you talked about that you found particularly interesting or helpful. (Not everybody likes sending or receiving these, do what feels good/appropriate to you in your context.)
2. If they offered to connect you to others, politely remind them of that in your follow-up email. Once you connect with that person, follow up with your initial contact to say you had a great conversation and thank them again for making the introduction. 
3. Check in one or two months later (the specific thing you mentioned in your initial follow-up email will hopefully help them remember who you are), asking if they know of any new opportunities. 
4. Look for ways to be helpful and follow up again. For example, if you talked about a specific policy issue and you see a great new article or policy report on the topic, shoot them an email with the material. In passing, also give them a quick status update on your search. 
5. When you do get a job, send them an update and thank them again for their help.

Remember that “networking” does not need to be gross or parasitic. The best way to “build your network” is by being helpful and an eager student, identifying shared interests and goals with whoever you’re talking to and having genuine conversations about those. Don’t treat your interactions as an extractive one-way flow of information or introductions. Know that you can bring valuable questions, knowledge, and perspectives to the table. Whenever you can, pay it forward to others who are in a similar situation.

Search and apply for jobs

Now, with all this research and “coffee” behind you, you’re finally ready to actually start applying for jobs! 

Selecting which offices to apply to

Sadly, getting a job in Congress is hard. Congressional office budgets are small, so there are not that many staff positions, and many, many people are excited to work on the Hill. Getting your first job is especially difficult, because so much hiring happens internally and through word-of-mouth.

One implication of this unfortunate reality is: Don’t initially focus too much on the relevance of the job to the policy area(s) you care about—the most important thing about your first job is that it helps you get your foot in the door. This is especially true the more junior you are: 

Interns and entry-level jobs: At this early stage, your main goals should be to build your experience and network, which you should do at whatever office is willing to take you on. Most offices try to hire interns and staff from their home district or state, so those are the best places to start looking, but it’s worth applying widely. If Members from your home district or state are not in the party that you want to work for, you’re usually better off prioritizing party affiliation over local ties. Even as an intern, the party you work for will shape your networks, references, etc., and it’s usually very hard to switch parties down the road.  

Mid-level jobs: Once you reach a more advanced stage, you start developing issue-specific expertise and getting opportunities for direct impact. Ideally, then, you’d be working on issues that you care about. However, as you are trying to break in—whether you’re climbing the ladder internally as an LC or applying from the outside—you should still apply for any job that you’re qualified for. For example, if you happen to have some tax-related expertise, apply to any LA position that has tax policy in its portfolio—even if you ideally want to be working on emerging technology issues. It’s much easier to add new issues to your portfolio when you’re already in an office than it is to break into that office in the first place. Once you’re in, you can typically find some way to collaborate with the colleague who has AI in their portfolio. And when they get promoted or leave—as is likely, since turnover in congressional offices is high—you’d be the logical person to take over the issue.

The one partial exception to this “just get your foot in the door” rule is fellowships. Because their salaries are paid by other organizations, fellows are free to congressional offices, and are therefore generally in high demand. For example, on average, TechCongress fellows receive placement offers from more than 7 offices, and they pick which offer to accept. If you manage to secure a fellowship, you can typically be a little more choosy.

A second reason not to initially limit yourself to a small number of options is that you also want to weigh factors like office culture and colleagues. As one congressional staffer put it:

In the short-term, personal fit and connections may play a larger role in career success than angling for the right committees. Working for and with coworkers who like you, respect you, and will be impressed by you is more important for early career building than working for the right committee.…pay attention to the details of a job, for example who your boss is and whether you’re good at the day-to-day.

If you are faced with the choice between (1) a job that has your favored policy issue in its portfolio but where your boss does not seem supportive of you or your career, and (2) a job only tangentially related to that policy area but in an office that you really like, it’s not obvious that you should go with the former.

None of this means you should forget about long-term goals. Keeping your goals in mind allows you to shape your job experiences and your networking around it. For example, even if you initially get hired as an LA focused on taxes and infrastructure, you can make it a point to meet or collaborate with staffers on your “goal” issues or committees; to add relevant tasks and issues to your policy portfolio when possible; or to frequently apply to personal office jobs of senior members on those committees. But when you’re starting out, do not apply only to a select few jobs. If you try only the most direct route, you may actually prevent yourself from reaching your destination.

Finding job openings 

You can find job openings through a variety of channels. There are generally at least some congressional jobs open at any point, though the volume of openings depends on the time of year and the electoral cycle. The resources below focus on jobs posted publicly, though many congressional staff jobs are, as noted earlier, not advertised (those non-public openings you will have to learn about through your network). 

Internships

Internships are managed by individual offices and either posted on Member websites only, or on both Member websites and in centralized databases. Because most interns are students, internship positions generally follow a spring/summer/fall semester cycle. Internships (even the unpaid ones) are often quite competitive; most people want to intern in the summer, so, if you have flexibility, it is somewhat easier to get accepted during the spring and fall cycles (e.g. via your university’s semester in DC program, if one exists). You’ll have a leg up with Members from your district or state, so those are good places to start your search.

Job opening resources: 

• Senate Internship Opportunities Bulletin
• House College Internships (subscribe to the House Employment Bulletin)
• Senate Democrats internship opportunities & Diversity Initiative internships and fellowships
• Individual Member websites and committee websites (not all offices post their internships in their chamber’s bulletin)

See our congressional internship guide for more details on “Hillternships”.

Full-time staff roles

Full-time staff positions (LC/LA/PSM/etc.) are often posted on the House and Senate employment bulletins. There are generally more job openings around the time a new Congress is inaugurated, especially if party control shifts and the new majority has lots of newly available staff positions to fill. When a new Presidential administration comes into office, they also typically hire a lot of Hill staff, opening up additional positions. For example, with both the Senate and the White House shifting to Democratic control, early 2021 saw lots of Democratic job openings on the Hill.

Job opening resources: 

• House Employment Bulletin (has a subscription option)
• Senate Employment Bulletin (you have to check manually)
• House GOP Resume Bank, Democrats Resume Bank 
• Senate Resume Bank, Diversity Initiative Resume Bank
• Job search subscription websites (paid) such as Tom Manatos Jobs (slightly more Democratic jobs), Traverse Jobs (slightly more Republican jobs), Time on the Hill, or WorkforCongress. The value-add of these services is that they can include jobs not formally posted on the employment bulletins.

See our full-time roles in Congress guide for more details on full-time Hill positions.

Fellowships

See our congressional fellowship guide for a (non-comprehensive) list of over 15 congressional fellowships.

Succeeding in the application process

To maximize your chances of getting an interview:

1. Apply quickly. Posted jobs are often taken offline when they get a sufficient number of applicants, and it can be helpful to be one of the first people to apply. If you do not apply within the first day or two, your chances of getting the job are significantly lower. 
2. Get your resume flagged. As noted above, the Hill is network-driven, and it is very helpful to have your resume “flagged” by someone the hiring manager knows. This can be someone else in the same office, a colleague in another office, or any other mutual contact.
3. Submit a tailored writing sample. Many applications require writing samples. These should definitely be short (usually no more than 1-2 pages), and can be tailored. For example, if the job you’re applying for involves doing press releases, consider writing a press release especially for the application, perhaps even one focused on the specific Member’s interests (though having a couple of generic samples may save you time). This shows you made an effort and directly demonstrates relevant skills.

To maximize your chances of succeeding during the interview: 

1. Know what your role will entail. The interview will focus on assessing aptitude and interest for your specific role. For example, interns and SAs will spend a lot of their time interacting with constituents. The hiring manager will want to know if you’ve worked in service-oriented jobs before and how you would respond to certain constituent-interaction scenarios. SAs may manage interns, and any prior management experience is a bonus. Your part-time barista job may be a bigger asset for an SA application than a killer GPA. Many LC tasks involve writing, so for that job you may get asked about your writing skills. 
2. Study up on the Member or committee. See Part 3 for an overview of the main things you’ll want to look into (district characteristics, bill sponsorships, etc.). 
3. Study up on what’s going on in Congress. You might be asked about some big news story, or someone might make a joke that you want to be able to respond to. Don’t seem uninformed or detached from current events. 
4. Prepare as you would for any other interview. Some questions you’ll get asked are unique to Congress, but many are not—good old interview staples such as “what are your biggest weaknesses?” could very well come up here too.
5. Expect the unexpected. There is not much standard hiring training on the Hill (unfortunately), and some applicants report being asked unorthodox and uncomfortable questions. As in all interview situations, we recommend you handle this with grace; if you’re uncomfortable answering a question, come up with a way to change the subject or express that the question is delving into a personal area you’re uncomfortable exploring.

Some helpful resources include:

• Glassdoor overviews (#1, #2) of interview questions asked during congressional interviews 

• 11 Congressional Internship Interview Questions You Might Get Asked and How to Handle Them (Medium) 
• Sample Interviews: Capitol Hill Interview Questions (Vault)

Related articles

Footnotes