Oryza Astari

This is the last entry of a three-part series on lessons from interning on Capitol Hill. The views expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the office for which I worked.

So, you want to work in government. Below, I will be discussing the necessary skills for positions on The Hill or government agencies, and some of my tips on how to land these positions from my personal experience.

I recently made the move from the legislative branch to an executive agency (federal government). Currently, I serve as a Harold W. Rosenthal Fellow of International Relations at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Bureau of International Affairs (ILAB), Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (whew, that’s a mouthful!). I support the Research & Policy Division with researching and editing the 2018 edition of one of ILAB’s flagship reports, Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, which is prepared in accordance with the Trade & Development Act of 2000. I also assist with creating the graphics for the report’s magazine companion, as well as testing ILAB’s two mobile applications, Comply Chain and Sweat & Toil.

One difference that I have noted from this transition is that internships on The Hill are typically geared towards current undergraduate students or recent graduates. While not rare, “Hilltern”-ing as a graduate student has its pros and cons. On the one hand, staff members were more willing to give me more substantial projects. For instance, one legislative staff member tasked me with many research projects that culminated in a bill or an amendment that the Congresswoman introduced in Committee. Another staff member in charge of corresponding with constituents often assigned me more “difficult” letters than those assigned to my undergraduate counterparts. On the other hand, as administrative tasks were still part of my duties, I still had to run errands and do the usual “intern” things. It takes patience and humility to remember that these are equally important parts of the job.

In contrast, at DOL, interns are expected to be current graduate students. My tasks are more project-based and research-heavy, requiring attention to detail, quick turnaround, the ability to think on my feet and juggle multiple tasks and deadlines, as well as discretion and maintaining a high level of confidentiality. In order to work in this capacity, I had to undergo a Public Trust background investigation, where I completed a questionnaire asking questions about where I’ve lived, worked, went to school, and any military history or police records. (This is different than a security clearance.) It took me two months from the initial offer to the final offer for me to be cleared to work at DOL, whereas my Hill internship did not even require a background check.

If you are interested in my internships in government so far and wondering what skills may be necessary for these positions, below I’ve listed some hard and soft skills that I’ve learned and found to be essential.

Hard Skills

Research & Analysis

In the information age, research is essentially an expected duty of any intern ever. But how much research do you actually need for your position, and what research skills do you currently have?

When reading the job posting, be sure to look for specific research skills that are needed for the position. For more general internships, your academic research is sufficient. But for positions that explicitly say “research” in the title, be sure to highlight specific projects that are relevant to the position in your resume, i.e. senior thesis, major papers, publications, etc., and familiarize yourself with the works of other experts in your field (Brookings, the Council on Foreign Relations, Congressional Research Service, and Foreign Policy are good places to start).

For an internship in government, keeping yourself updated with current news is expected. I recommend subscribing to these daily newsletters: New York Times Morning Briefing, Foreign Policy Morning Brief, Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, or at the very least, theSkimm. I also have the AP News app and follow journalists on Twitter for breaking news.

Writing & Editing

Along with research, interns are also expected to do writing and editing work. It is essential that you brush up on your writing skills and be highly attentive to detail when editing other people’s work. One of the most helpful guides in writing that I’ve come across in my academic career is The Elements of Style by Strunk and White (my two English-major-graduate best friends told me this was their Bible in college). The Kindle version is only $2.99 (the paperback and used versions run less than $10), and I swear to you–if you are still in school or contemplating going back–it will be the best $3 you will ever spend in your life.

It also helps for you to have, or at least start, a writing portfolio. It can be as simple as keeping up with a blog or as complex as a peer-reviewed article. I’m grateful that my professors at the Elliott School this past semester made me write op-eds for their classes. While writing long papers is important as an academic exercise, particularly if you are thinking of obtaining advanced degrees, I find more and more in my work that succinct writing is the way to go. On The Hill, the legislative staff members I worked with preferred their memos to be one page long. At DOL, one of my colleagues advised me that interagency emails should be “short, simple, and to the point.” Writing op-eds is a great exercise to achieve these objectives. Plus, having published work would make you an even more excellent candidate.

Web Processing & Social Media

Most offices now look for people with at least some experience with social media and web. So, if you’ve had more than the regular exposure of just casually scrolling through the ‘gram or retweeting memes, be sure to express that in your office. If you have a blog or have had one in the past, that qualifies you to be proficient in that blogging or web platform. And even if you haven’t had much exposure, just simply being enthusiastic about learning more or willing to help can go a long way (particularly if you are working with a Member who is actively trying to expand their digital presence).

On that social media note, I must stress that discretion is key. Ever wonder why people’s Twitter accounts say “RTs are not endorsements”? It’s because when you work for any government or organization, you represent your office or your organization wherever you go. Your First Amendment rights protect you from being persecuted for what you say, tweet, or publish, but it does not protect you from being fired, dismissed, or otherwise reprimanded. After two years of teaching, I’ve learned my lesson to simply keep all social media private and protected from public consumption.

Plus, if you are going to be a public servant or serve one, be mindful of what that office truly represents, and whether your thoughts and actions align with that.

Soft Skills

Most internships I’ve had require:

• Sound judgment and ability to “read the room”
• Interpersonal skills to effectively interact with staff from all levels of the organization, including high-level officials
• Flexibility, adaptability, and being able to think on one’s feet
• Working in a fast-paced environment, both independently and as a part of a team, often juggling multiple projects and deadlines with minimal supervision, for which time management is essential

Some skills that could be beneficial in your internships:

• Public speaking skills
• Conflict resolution
• Leadership and teamwork
• Positive attitude, ability to accept criticism
• Strong work ethic and motivation for public service

The above lists are by no means exhaustive, but I hope they give an idea of what skills are necessary should you decide to pursue an internship or a job in the U.S. public sector in the future.

That’s a wrap for the Lessons for the Hill series! I hope you find the series helpful to you in your future endeavors. Until next time!

*Please note that U.S. citizenship is required for positions in the federal government. U.S. citizenship is not necessarily required for internships on Capitol Hill; paid internship opportunities are generally available for U.S. citizens only. For more information on opportunities for non-U.S. citizens, check out programs available through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) or the Washington Internship Institute.

This is the second entry of a three-part series on lessons from interning on Capitol Hill. The views expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the office for which I worked.

In this post, I want to share some life skills that I’ve learned from working on the Hill. I call them “life skills” because I think these are skills that would benefit anyone in any phase of their life, whether you’re a student, looking for a job, working right now, or in the middle of your career. But I think they’re especially helpful for anyone in my position right now: a student who moved to a big city in pursuit of a career in government or politics.

I grew up in a suburban town of Greenville, South Carolina. I was schooled there from elementary school all the way to college. I had little experience elsewhere then—a short summer stint in my birthplace of Jakarta, Indonesia, and a fall semester in Brussels, Belgium, but nowhere else in the U.S. I loved living in Jacksonville, Florida while serving in Teach for America, but living in a beach town was a completely different experience than in a metropolitan hub like Washington, D.C.

Moving here was an adjustment; some of these skills were born out of learning how to adjust to life here. Some were born out of embarrassing mistakes and failures–when I say it was a learning process, it really was a process. And some of these were born out of serendipity and a positive mindset. I hope that these tips, laced with my personal anecdotes, will serve to help you in any and all of your future endeavors.

Always be at your best! You never know who you’re going to meet…

The Congresswoman was introducing a bill on the House floor. Naturally, it was a super hectic day at the office. The intern who was tasked with delivering the bill to the “Hopper” (where bills are dropped off on The Hill) was asked to help the press team with the press conference. The other intern was also helping with the press conference. I got a text message asking if I could deliver the bill at 4:30pm. I was happy to go since Congress was in session and there’s a chance that I might run into some famous legislators.

To get to the Capitol from our office, the fastest way was to use the underground subway. When I got to the subway, I saw none other than Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She had gotten on the subway with her Chief of Staff just a few seconds after I did. (There’s a Members Only section so I didn’t sit with them.) My mouth dropped. Her Chief saw that I was fangirling (see: freaking out, but like calmly) and secretly recording her to put on my Instagram story.

When they got off the subway, her Chief signaled for me to come closer and held open his hand, palms up, the way people do when you asked them to take your photo. I got to talk to her, I thanked her for all she does in Congress, all that she represents and fights for, and especially for standing with her friend and colleague, Representative Ilhan Omar.

After that day, I decided that I was going to put some effort to be at my best every day. The day that I met her, I was running late and didn’t have a chance to wash my hair. I still regret that I wasn’t at my best, but I was glad that I had put some effort into my appearance that day. Now, I want to make sure that I would be ready for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities at any moment. 

There’s something to be said about recognizing society’s unrealistic (at times also Eurocentric) expectations of beauty. But there’s also something to be said about simply being at your best. The simple truth is that first impressions matter; therefore, our presentation matters. So, make it your best one. Or at the very least, make an effort to make it a good one each day. You never know who you will meet. It could be someone who can help you in your career. It could be your future boss. It could be Alexandria Ocasio-freaking-Cortez.

The power of saying thank you

Small gestures matter. There’s a sort of ethic that comes from living in a big city, where people know people and will help you meet your personal goal(s), without hesitation, out of the goodness of their own heart. But they’re also busy with their own things, so it’s important that we take the time out of our day to thank them for taking time out of their day to help us.

That means, yes, the good old-fashioned thank you notes can go a long way. A follow-up email works as well, but there’s nothing like putting pen on paper and hand-delivering them to someone.

But in an even simpler way, treat everyone graciously and say thank you for the small things, like thanking your supervisor when they tasked you with something important, when they give you feedback on something you did to make it better, when they answer your question, or when tell you that you’re doing a great job. Thanking the custodian or cafeteria workers for doing their job, because without them, you can’t fulfill your basic needs. Thanking everyone you meet, even your friends, for their time. These are simple things that not only will make the other person feel appreciated, but also cast positivity into the Universe that I wholeheartedly believe will eventually be returned to you.

Advocate for yourself

Along with being at your best, dress for the job you want. I don’t know about you, but when I dress up and put more effort into how I look on the outside, I also feel good on the inside.

The reverse is also true, which is why despite my full work and school loads, I try to get 7 hours of sleep each night and I don’t skip meals. Yes, that also means, take your lunch break! I understand some days where it’s so hectic that you forget to eat. But when your supervisor tells you that you have a 30-40 minute lunch break each day, take it! No, you aren’t losing precious work time (if you can’t accomplish a task without taking 30 minutes out of your day, you’re not doing it effectively). No, you aren’t going to be talked about or perceived negatively for taking lunch (this is just silly, also it’s inhumane). Simply put, you’re only hurting yourself when you don’t take your lunch. SO TAKE YOUR LUNCH BREAK AND EAT.

Something I learned on The Hill in particular was to let people know that you’re looking for a job. I was thankful that my office held resume and cover letter workshops for the interns, so that they can learn some ways that they can enhance their resumes and cover letters for Hill jobs. I was shy about letting the staff members know that I was looking for positions, but the fact that I hadn’t let them know early on meant that I had lost some precious time in learning some valuable skills at the office that could be helpful in future jobs. So, for anyone else in my position, don’t make the same mistakes that I did! Wherever you are, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and advocate for your personal objectives and career goals.

Envision the outcome you want

Manifesting is the practice of intentionality. It means thinking about what you want, saying what you want out loud, putting together an action plan, and living your life with the vision of what you want in mind. Everything else will fall into place. Your mind will attract the things that you want.

There are many books written on this practice, and they take on many names, like the law of attraction, the power of positive thinking, etc., but they all essentially say the same thing in principle.

Manifesting is something that I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember. My mom has always influenced me to think positively, for a positive mindset is the key to achieving my goals. When I was a teacher, my coach from the very beginning emphasized the importance of having a vision for your classroom–from individual student outcomes to class outcomes and more. I’ve since started to put this into practice for myself, and I manifest these outcomes by thinking positively each day and make it a practice to say my goals and objectives so that everything that I do will lead me to what I envision myself and my life to be.

It’s also important that these manifestations are positive, because whatever we think, we become. A manifestation in the negation of something–I hope this doesn’t happen to me—might just turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. It may take a bit of practice to do this “mind aerobics” of turning something negative into a positive, but it makes a difference and becomes easier over time.

That’s it for the second entry! I hope that you found these tips helpful, or at the very least they sparked some thoughts in your mind. Stay tuned for my last entry coming next week!

This is the first entry of a three-part series on lessons from interning on Capitol Hill. The views expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the office for which I worked.

This semester, I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for a Member of Congress. I’ve learned so much from this experience—from the depth and breadth of the legislative branch to interview skills for jobs within the government—and I thought that it would be a disservice if I don’t share these lessons with others.

In this post, I want to share the ways in which I’ve learned how to maximize our voice and participation in our democratic government. We all know that democracy isn’t a spectator sport, but our participation doesn’t–and shouldn’t–stop at the voting booths or getting people there. There are so many resources out there that are free and available, but for some reason, aren’t public knowledge. And the fact that we don’t know or use these resources, and instead rely on headlines and/or posts on social media for information, makes us susceptible to politicized news that may or may not give us the full picture of what’s happening.

As an intern, one of my daily tasks was to conduct research for the legislative team on everything Congress-related. In supporting the Legislative Correspondent, I conducted extensive research on particular bills that constituents write to the Member of Congress about before drafting a response to them (constituent work is a major part of our work and office culture). In supporting the Legislative Assistant, I’ve done research to support an amendment introduced in the Rules Committee. Finally, I was usually the first person that individuals come in contact with over the phone in the office.

Below, I share some tips and resources on how to get in touch with your elected officials, find information on past, present, or future bills, and keep up with Hill happenings. I hope that these resources will help you become a more informed citizen.

Write to your elected officials

How many of you know who your elected officials are?

If you don’t, you aren’t alone. Only 37% of Americans can name their Representative; 77% can’t name a Senator from their home state; and only 26% of Americans can name all three branches of government.

Womp womp.

Okay, I recognize that these numbers may be old (the articles were published in 2015 and 2017), but still! These numbers are telling of how ill-informed we are as a nation about our own government. And that’s pretty sad.

Let’s start with the basics:

• The legislative branch of government is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, these Chambers make up Congress. This is where national bills are made!
• There are 435 Representatives that represent districts across the country, who are elected every 2 years.
• There are 100 Senators that represent states across the country, who are elected every 6 years.

Since there are so many Representatives, don’t feel bad if you don’t know your own. Chances are, you have a new one! And it’s easy to find out who they are.

Find your Representative on house.gov

Find your Senators on senate.gov

What can you do with this information, besides winning a trivia question on Civics and not being a part of an embarrassing statistic? A lot, actually!

Let’s say you are an educator who is enraged at the large amounts of budget cuts proposed for education (hi, Betsy DeVos). You know who’s in charge of approving the national budget? Your elected officials! Call their office(s) and voice your opinion. Be sure to include the following information when calling (if you forget, they will ask anyway so don’t worry):

• First & last name
• Full address (particularly your zip code)
• Email address, if you prefer emails to snail mail

Your voice will be heard–take it from someone who takes calls and mail from constituents and logs them daily for a Member of Congress.

If you’re ever visiting Washington, DC, you can call your elected official’s office to request tours in the nation’s capital–for free! You can tour the Capitol, White House (must be 90 days in advance), Library of Congress, the Pentagon, State Department, and the list goes on. You also get to visit their DC office, which personally is always a treat for staff.

Pro-tip: Staff-led Capitol tours are more personal to ones led by the Capitol Visitor Center guides. Staff members can only take up to 15 people in one tour, so your tour group is smaller. Plus, staff could take you to the speaker’s balcony for the best view in town (depending on the Speaker or Congress’s schedule).

Keep them accountable

Now that you know who your elected officials are, what if you want to find out how they voted on certain legislation, or persuade them to support a specific bill?

You can type in the name (e.g. Equality Act), bill number (e.g. H.R.5), or even the subject of any legislation that you have any questions about on Congress.gov, and you will see the text of the bill, the list of sponsors or cosponsors of the bill, and any actions that either Chamber has taken. You can narrow your search further to see what bills your elected official has signed on to in the past.

A couple of things to note:

We are in the 116^th Congress, so pay attention to that when looking at bills! Any bills introduced in either Chamber but not passed by both in past Congresses have “died,” which means they won’t be considered again unless they’re reintroduced this session.

Bill numbers that start with H originated in the House, and bills with S originated in the Senate. All bills must pass both Chambers and signed by the President to become a law. Many of us learned that bills originate in the House, but this process of course has become more complicated in the present day. Having worked on a bill and delivered one myself, feel free to send me a message if you’d like to learn more about this process!

Legislation at the top of the list on the House floor this session:

• H.R.1, For the People Act of 2019 (voting reform)
• H.R.4, Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 (H.R.1 companion)
• H.R.5, Equality Act (LGBTQ+ rights)
• H.R.6, American Dream and Promise Act (immigration reform)
• H.R.7, Paycheck Fairness Act (equal pay)
• H.R.8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019
• H.R.9, Climate Action Now Act

And now that you know how to call your elected officials, call them to voice your support or opposition to certain legislation. Simply say, “Hi, I’d like for the Congresswoman/man to vote YES on H.R.5!” or even, “Hi, I’d like to thank the Congresswoman/man for voting YES on universal background checks!”

That being said, what you don’t want to do is call every single Democratic or Republican elected official who doesn’t represent you. Many people do this as a way to advocate for their position, but it’s highly ineffective. Offices can only log the mail or calls coming from their district. So, if you’re calling to express your frustration on the border wall, budget cuts, etc., to an office of a Member who doesn’t represent you, what you’re actually doing is harassing the staff member on the other end of the line.

What would be most effective is rallying everyone who lives in your district to call the same Member of Congress. (Since I didn’t work in a Senate office, I am not able to speak on behalf of Senate offices.)

And, of course, use Congress.gov to inform yourself on who to vote for every 2 years. There’s no automatic reelection unless candidates run unopposed. So, it’s your job to make sure your elected officials either keep or lose their job!

Reliable Hill-related news sources

Curious about what happens daily on The Hill? You can always follow your regular news sources, often they have a specific section dedicated to Congress or The Hill. But, in general, check out The Hill or Roll Call for Hill-specific news that usually comes out before other major news sources.

Remember your State Legislature and local governments

Capitol Hill gets a lot of coverage, but to be honest, your State and local governments are the ones that will most greatly impact your lives on a daily basis.

It can take months, even years, for a law to be passed on the national level. Right now, the Democrats control the House and the Republicans control the Senate, which means that many of these important bills that have already passed the House are under the control of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who decides whether they will be debated on the Senate floor. (And with 2020 just around the corner… you can gather how this goes.)

To truly make a change, we must be involved in all levels of government. Know who your City Councilwomen and men are. Know who is in your State Legislature; make sure that you take the time to do your research and choose carefully who will best represent you. Use these resources to be better informed about your elected officials who represent you in the nation’s capital. And finally, exercise your right to vote in every election. Hopefully, these resources have served to make you a better-informed voter. 2020 is just around the corner, y’all!