2019 Graduation: 60 Days Away

The look on a candidate’s face when they receive a job offer is priceless. For many candidates, it’s a completely new direction in life. Instead of thinking of life back home, the freshly minted congressional staff employee is thinking about Georgetown Law, the State Department, or running for congressional office. It’s a life changing event. One that we wish on anyone who wants to make a big difference in policy, press, and our global community.

In 2012, we created Time On The Hill not to specifically help women, veterans, or minorities. We did it simply to help anyone who wanted to work on the issues before Congress. Issues that make you want to serve on Capitol Hill as badly as we did.

After the 2016 elections, it was hyper-apparent that a table surrounded by every voice was critical. We set out to launch Placement With A Purpose, a registered 501(c)3 to help minority and veteran candidates, and we started working with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Quality Employment for Minorities, and National Science Foundation.

Our charge was to drive Emerging Leaders and diverse STEM candidates of all backgrounds into key career and development positions. The effort worked and delivered immediate results. Candidates of all ages were receiving and accepting incredible job offers throughout Washington.

Suddenly students from every college and university in America were receiving interview opportunities. In 2018, Democrats took the House and suddenly a whole new wave of hiring was underway. Budgets dictate staff size, and we executed quickly on this shift by placing spectacular candidates in key positions for future long-term success. Most of these candidates were women, and many were either first generation college graduates or the first members of their family to engage earnestly in the political debate.  

Looking forward, there will be more than 1.7 million diplomas handed out this year. These diplomas carry a heavy burden. For the first time ever, many students will learn the meaning of debt interest. This can be a powerful and painful lesson. According to the Federal Reserve, the first wave of millennials owed about $260 billion in student loans in 2004. By 2018, the figure had multiplied almost sixfold to $1.46 trillion.

So what do we do about it?

With less than 60 days until graduation, thoughts of the future trend toward anxiety and stress on campuses across the country. Questions of “Where will I find a job? Will the work be meaningful? How will I handle my student loan debt? Where should I apply?” really take a toll on students everywhere. This happens every May, so not exactly something new. But on a percentage basis, the level of turmoil is at an all-time high. Parents drive this call to action, as they should, but regardless the overall trend is often very challenging for students.

Fortunately, there is an effective solution. The job search process does not have to be a miserable process. In fact students have a golden opportunity to learn how to navigate their careers the right way for the rest of their lives.  

Step #1

Put everything on the table.

This is the time to explore. If you have ever thought about working in Congress, serving at a digital media entity, serving an advocacy group, international service work, or any other burning desire, put it all out there on the table. Go crazy. If something has appeal, put it out there as an option. This is the soul-searching phase and it’s very important.

Step #2

Start conducting your research.

We are not talking about receptions and bar parties. Those are social settings, not professional settings. We are talking about professional phone calls, meetings, and informal coffees. Group coffees are fine but one-on-one opportunities are better. Your mission is to learn as much as you can from experts in the field. You may have a vision that is misconceived. You may have overlooked an incredible opportunity. Give every potential opportunity the energy it deserves. Your outreach will help to gather invaluable intelligence to make the best decisions possible.

Step #3

Prepare your materials.

Far too many people place networking before the preparation. Even the best networking can quickly end a search with poor materials. Unprofessional LinkedIn photos, hasty résumés, and unprepared references, dash the outcomes of otherwise unbelievable candidates. If you can’t produce a résumé that employers are willing to share with their colleagues, your materials need more time and attention. Take a networking timeout and build the foundation. Sometimes great candidates have horrible résumés. With 1.7 million candidates targeting the same job openings, you can’t let this person be you.

Step #4

Prepare for interviews the right way.

Have you researched everything you possibly can about the organization? What do you know about the leadership? Does anyone else from your alumni network serve within the organization? What are the core goals for the entity in the year ahead? What are the challenges? How can you be of service?

Always keep close at heart the notion that it’s not about what you want, it’s about what the organization needs. The winning candidate who genuinely showcases the mentality of a team player always does well in the hiring process. Think about where you are strong, and think about what the organization is looking for in a spectacular hire.

Step #5

Negotiate the offer.

Represent yourself as best you can knowing that your mission in life is simply to get started. Within the United States Congress for example you are not judged on the first job but on the second. The first job is your get-on-the-Hill opportunity. Tough Members are famous, or infamous, for turnover. The beautiful thing about a tough Member is that they always have an opening. When you are first starting out, the employer has an emotional number in mind. The hire must fit somewhere in that emotional range or they will find a different candidate. Expectations outside the emotional range can sour the employer relationship and strategically hurt the candidate.

As a Staff Assistant in Congress, the median salary is $36,000 per year, plus top-notch healthcare coverage, a retirement plan, and up to $833 per month toward student loan repayment. Yes, $36,000 may not seem like very much money, but compared to $0, a salary of $36,000 feels like $1,000,000. With more than 15,000 congressional staffers, all working off the same pay scale, it’s challenging, but certainly manageable. Just keep in mind, this isn’t your last job. This is the beginning of your long-term career and growth success. Your salary will continue to rise. It’s not about where you start. It’s about where you finish.

Step #6

Give back. There was a time in everyone’s life where they were working on landing their very first job. In politics, the love and the support for those seeking to work on Capitol Hill is enormous. While the national numbers indicate a general dislike for Congress, the love for those who work tirelessly to help constituents is still incredibly high. The Members make executive decisions, but the overwhelming share of the work is actually conducted by the staff. Always be nice to the staff. Especially the Schedulers.

Step #7

Intern, intern, intern.

The United States Congress, as one of many examples, pays interns. It’s amazing what $1,000 a month can do in terms of the caliber of the applicant pool. In the House for example, you may receive up to $1,800 per month. Again, this is not a ton of money especially in an expensive city, but treat your internship like a long interview. Day in and day out, serve as a team player. Your name is not on the door. You are not the Member. One day you will be a Member, but for now you are a worker among workers. If at the moment you are not employed, immediately take an internship offer. It’s much better to be in the mix than to be at home.

Conclusion

Now is the time. If you are seeking employment, waiting another minute to get started is a serious mistake. Hiring managers all over the United States are begging for spectacular candidates to show up out of nowhere. Deliver yourself in mint condition on a silver tray.

Hiring is an expensive, time-consuming process. Make a hiring authority's life easier by showing that you are ready, eager, and capable. You have worked hard for this moment and you have invested a great deal of time and money into your success. Be sure to have fun, soak up the moment, and know that everything will work out beautifully.

But be sure to put in the work on your own behalf. A little initiative goes a very long way.

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Brent Sullivan is the President & CEO of Time On The Hill. He graduated from the University of Richmond and Syracuse University. To learn more about public service at the local, state, and federal level, visit www.timeonthehill.com.