Ask A Staffer is Back! What is the best capitol hill building and another jobs question

I’m back! Survived poison envelopes, Elvis impersonators and Anti-Gun legislation. Here are your best questions!

Question: I’m graduating this May from college and don’t have a job yet. I was an intern for a Congresswoman last summer and really liked it. I have applied to any offices that I can find that have an opening but haven’t even been offered an interview. Should I just plan on coming back to the Hill as an intern and intern until I get a position? — Johnny

Johnny, in the Obama economy, I’m not surprised you don’t have an offer sitting on the table yet. The Bush years are behind us. I feel for you.

Kidding aside, not many people these days are getting offers before they get their diploma — and even back in the glory days, rarely was this the case on Capitol Hill.

The problem is, and maybe has nobody told you this — a full 0.18% of Congressional offices are going to give you an interview without a local address and a degree in your hand. (I hear Sheila Jackson Lee’s office is getting desperate.)

No office is going to let a position go unfilled for a few weeks or a month because, no offense, there are probably 20 other people equally qualified (read: able to do menial tasks for little to no pay) that have signaled an interest. And they’re here. Now. With degrees.

So, it’s more a matter of timing. Don’t sweat it.

Regarding interning — you might have to do that again. Sucks, yes. But lots of people go from interns to Staff Assistants in the leader’s office. I’ve personally seen it happen. But others intern for a long time until they find something.

It’s a cruel, cruel world out there. Especially here. Don’t lose sleep over it.

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Question: Which House office building has the nicest offices to work in as a staffer (not factoring amenities), and likewise for the Senate. — Jack

It depends. My preferences have been Hart and Longworth, even though in the latter my ceiling was crumbling right over my head.

If you take amenities out of the situation, it all boils down to personal preference. Do you want to think you have a normal job, a normal life? Hart’s for you.

Stuck in the Mad Men era? Maybe Dirksen or Rayburn are for you.

Are you an old-school fuddy duddy or somebody who thinks they’re a BFD? Well, you belong in Cannon or Russell.

Either way, all are good enough buildings to work in.

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Question: — With the gun legislation behind, do you think capitol hill will take it up again this year? – A hill staffer’s Mom

No.

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