Thoughts on Being a Staff Assistant

While considered an entry level role by many, the position of Staff Assistant is critically important to a Member of Congress’ success. It also is an incredible opportunity to learn how a Congressional office operates and how the various roles intersect. Effective Staff Assistants build a knowledge foundation that allows them to advance in their careers, often eventually to senior roles in the office and sometimes into elective office.

A great example is former U.S. Representative and Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln(D-AR), the youngest woman ever elected to the Senate. She served as a Staff Assistant for former Representative Bill Alexander after graduating from college. Eight years after she left his office, she was elected to replace Mr. Alexander in office and began a distinguished Congressional career.

Staff Assistants are literally the first person visitors to a Congressional office meet. Constituents, generals, cabinet secretaries, committee chairs, and others, the Staff Assistant greets them all and provides a first impression of the office.

Thus, it is imperative that Staff Assistants be professionally dressed, polite, and capable of successfully interacting with a broad range of personalities and backgrounds. Sadly, it is also imperative that Staff Assistants be constantly aware of their surroundings and cool under pressure and can appropriately manage tense situations with angry, uninvited, or difficult people.

I always like to point out that for many families, a trip to Washington, DC – our nation’s Capitol – is a seminal family memory. In my view, it is similar to a trip to Disney in that families save and plan extensively in order to have a much-anticipated experience that they will share with friends, coworkers, and neighbors and literally remember and talk about for the rest of their lives.

A tour of the U.S. Capitol, usually facilitated by their Representative or Senator, is often a focal point of a family’s trip to Washington. Staff Assistants are usually very involved in such visits; in addition to greeting the families, Staff Assistants are often involved in arranging or conducting tours or supervising Interns who are doing that important work. In my experience, when they return home, families often will write thank you letters to their Representative or Senator and mention their appreciation for the Staff Assistant or Intern who helped them.

Additionally, Staff Assistants often have the opportunity to be involved in a Member’s legislative, press, and scheduling operations. And it is important to be a reliable source of assistance for your office teammates. If the Chief of Staff finds he or she can always rely upon you, eventually you will be entrusted with new responsibilities in a different role. Also, looking down the road, the more experience you can gain across the office’s operations, the more competitive you will be as you seek to advance in your career and very importantly, you will be more competent and effective and ultimately successful.

From a legislative standpoint, Staff Assistants can be extremely helpful in a number of ways. They can help tally constituent calls on issues and otherwise make sure the legislative staff is aware of the issues that people are calling about. Staff Assistants can also help by processing form letters, making edits to personal letters, distributing casework, and conducting research. On the press side, Staff Assistants can help the press shop with research, editing, drafting, distribution, and website maintenance. They can help the scheduler as directed by helping to procure rooms, make other reservations, and just generally being another set of hands to help. If you are not involved in helping other members of the office, you should make it clear to the Chief of Staff of your desire to do so in order to be as helpful as possible to the team.

There are great opportunities for Staff Assistants to develop management, mentorship, and networking skills. Staff Assistants are often entrusted with the responsibility of supervising the office’s Interns. This is a great opportunity to learn how to effectively delegate and lead as well as how to serve as a mentor. Remember, today’s Intern is tomorrow’s Staff Assistant and perhaps someday a Congressman.

As for networking, as a Staff Assistant it is important to get to know the other Staff Assistants in the Congressional delegation and often on the particular floor of an office building. You will find yourself trading home state treats – Cokes for Doritos, for example - and helping each other with various challenges such as filling in on tours and finding tickets to different events. As you network with your fellow Staff Assistants, do not forget to try to network with people who are in the role you next want to be, whether that is legislative correspondent, press assistant, etc. They are often going to be the ones who help you find that next opportunity.

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