{"id":497598,"date":"2013-09-18T17:39:04","date_gmt":"2013-09-18T17:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Projects\/Internsdc\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2013-09-18T17:39:04","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T17:39:04","slug":"insiders-guide-to-interning-on-the-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/insiders-guide-to-interning-on-the-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider’s Guide to Interning on the Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019ve landed an impressive new internship in congress, moved into a decent pad, and figured out the Metro. Now’s there’s only one (albeit monumentally important) thing left to do: keep from becoming an example of what not<\/span> to do.  Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois once said, \u201cRemember the feeling you had when you first saw the Capitol…hope 50 years from now you still feel the same way.” If achieving this is the ultimate goal, then following the below tips might be a good place to start.<\/p>\n

\"discretion<\/a>#SilenceIsGolden<\/h3>\n

The first thing you will probably hear anyone in Washington say is what happens in the office stays in the office. Period. Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) got his start on Capitol Hill as an intern. He emphasizes the importance of keeping all details private. “You\u2019re going to see things and hear things and recognize names back home of people that you may know, yet you didn\u2019t know they were going through a financial difficulty or they needed the help of a government agency or service,\u201d Bonner said. “Remember that when you\u2019re here in this office, you have to treat something that comes to us…with respect.\u201d Another unnamed staffer on Capitol Hill agreed, saying “the interns who stand out as the \u201cworst\u201d were those who said things they shouldn\u2019t have. Facebook and social media are great, but a lot of the over-sharing I\u2019ve seen interns do is done over social media,\u201d they went on. \u201cYou really have to err on the side of caution. It\u2019s not to be talked about outside the office.\u201d On the Hill, social listening has a whole new meaning.<\/p>\n

\"intern<\/a>Taking the Initiative<\/h3>\n

As an intern you’re probably already prepared to do what most interns do: answer endless phone calls, sort mountains of mail and guide repetitive constituent tours. And if you let it, that will be the extent of your experience. That is, unless you do what we’ve talked about before: take the initiative<\/strong>. Angelique Velez, a former intern for the governor of Puerto Rico, said new interns should \u201cOverdeliver.” When someone asks you something, don\u2019t just do it the way they ask you,\u201d she said, \u201ctry to improve it or do something to make your work more presentable for the office itself. It could be something as simple as making a binder \u2013 you just have to find a way to make it look nicer.\u201d Maybe don’t go as far as one presidential hopeful did with his “Binder Full of Women,” but do show you know the importance and impact of information well organized, presented and delivered. Make sure you always take that extra step to demonstrate your commitment to the goals of your team.<\/p>\n

\"mentoring<\/a>When the Student is Ready, The Master Will Come<\/h3>\n

So long as the student has been doing their ABNs (Always Be Networking). You networked to get your internship, right? It’s more important to continue doing it now. Especially on Capitol Hill. It just helps to have someone who can show you the ropes, give you advice and more importantly, recommend you to future employers. For example, Velez\u2019s mentor recommended her for her current position, and most staffers often try to help the best interns find careers. In Bonner\u2019s office, more than half of the staff members started out as interns. <\/strong>And i<\/strong>f that’s not good reason to find a mentor, then what is?  It can really launch you on your career path and expand both your social and professional network. An internship in DC is a privilege only a minute percentage of young people have a chance to ever experience. Come with a curiosity, enthusiasm and above all a positive attitude. Doing so not only gives you the best chance to succeed, but provides a great education for you regardless of where your career path takes you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019ve landed an impressive new internship in congress, moved into a decent pad, and figured out the Metro. Now’s there’s only one (albeit monumentally important) thing left to do: keep from becoming an example of what not to do.  Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois once said, \u201cRemember the feeling you had when you first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[29,25],"class_list":["post-497598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internship-advice","tag-internship-opportunities-dc","tag-student-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}