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Most Recent
Articles for Political & Advocacy Jobs
Top 5 Mistakes that Campaign Job-Seekers Make
Published November 21, 2009 @ 04:32PM PT
This article that you are about to consume is what in the biz is know as a “listicle”. This term is a conflation of the words “list” and “article”. Basically it is a cheap way for a write to get you to click on an article or blog post because you think it will be an easy read and will contain information that you will readily be able to put to use.
Unfortunately, since it is I who am writing this listicle, you will find absolutely nothing of use and you might as well stop reading now if you haven’t already. If not, prepare for some listing!
Number 5
The job-seeker will fixate one campaign at a time, and then if he doesn’t get that campaign, moves on to the next prospect. This is problematic because it wastes time, time that could be spent applying for other campaigns simultaneously. My advice is to pick up to 3 campaigns at a time that you really want to work on and hit them all at once. This way you won’t fall behind others who are applying to other campaigns that you might also want to work on.
Number 4
The job-seeker will use geography as a primary reason to work or not work on a campaign. Remember: always choose the race over the place. Picking a good race, that is good for your career and has a good chance of winning is much more important that spending a summer on the coast in a safe district.
Number 3
The job-seeker doesn’t utilize his network and only passively uses job lists to apply. Job lists are important but you need to work your network for leads and connections as well as keep an eye on your job sites and list-serves. You need to cover all of your based to get a good race in a reasonable timeframe.
Number 2
Campaign worker wannabes look past the great races in their own area because they are hell-bent on moving elsewhere. Don’t! Though many races will require you to make a move, just because one happens to be local doesn’t make it a great opportunity for you.
Number 1
The job seeker won’t make sacrifices to work on a campaign. You must be prepared to make reasonable sacrifices to work on a race. Some of these include: buying a car, breaking your lease, moving away from home and missing your mom. (Hi mom!)
Join my FREE Webinar Tomorrow: Connecting and Networking
Published November 16, 2009 @ 07:57PM PT
We are all know how important meeting new people and staying connected to those we already know are critical to the job search process. But how many out there put the time and effort into their networks to make them bear fruit? The answer: not a whole lot. Which is good for you!
Join me tomorrow, November 16th, at 3pm ET with the New Organizing Institute to learn how to get the edge over your peers and competitors by more effectively engaging your network in your job search.
All the information you need to sign up for the FREE class is right here.
There will also be a question and answer period after the presentation. Hope to see you there!
Don’t Call Me Liz and Other Political Staff FAIL
Published November 13, 2009 @ 02:13PM PT
When you work in politics and on campaigns you have to realize that you are ALWAYS “on the clock” and always being watched. If you slip up, all it takes is one email forward to make you, your candidate, or your organization look really foolish.
Don’t let this happen to you!
To help prove my point, here are my favorite all-time political staffer FAILs.
Elizabeth “Don’t call me Liz” Becton
I know, I know: old news. But you have to admit this has got to be among the best. For those of you who don’t know the story, my Congressman, Jim McDermott, has a craaaazy office manager named Elizabeth Becton. How do I know she is crazy, you ask? In the first in a series of emails with a secretary at a lobby firm, Elizabeth was referred to once by the secretary as “Liz”. What ensued was a good five emails explaining how she is never to be called “Liz” and hinted that there is a conspiracy among some on the Hill to mono-syllabize her name. Politico has the story.
Hillary Clinton Cardboard Boob Grope
OK I will be the first to admit it: I like groping cardboard as much as the next red-blooded 26-year-old American male. But when that card board is shaped like a person and that person-shape is a lady-shape and that cardboard-lady-shape has a photo of Hillary Clinton printed on it – well, sir, I respectfully draw the line.
Unfortunately, this Obama staffer does not draw that same line.
Peer-to-Peer-to-job loss
The most recent of my favorites are brought to you by a junior staffer working for the Ethics Committee. While working from home, a document containing the records of 30 ethics investigations found its way on to a peer-to-peer network where anyone could download and view it. Oops. Needless to say this young staffer promptly lost his job.
3 Rules for Effective Advocates
Published November 06, 2009 @ 09:16PM PT
Advocacy is as much of a science as it is an art. If you are going in to a new job or even a job interview you would do well to keep these 3 rules in mind to help keep you on track and ensure that you are using your time and energy most efficiently.
Rule Number 1
Recruit outside validators of your issues. You can talk about how important food safety is until you are blue in the face but until you have some farmers, elementary school cafeteria workers and super market managers (for example) on your side you do not have enough legitimacy to make your claim. Because of course a food safety nonprofit is going to have that position – it’s there job! You need unconventional people to deliver your message.
Rule Number 2
Develop relationships. Your goal is to get the word out about the great services you provide and convince people to support your efforts. Whether you are providing a service or advocating for a policy you need people to help you on your way. Make sure that you know every key reporter in your area, have friends in elected positions and keep good relations with your constituency of supporters. You will need all of these people to succeed.
Rule Number 3
Raise lots of money. Forget what you heard. The best things in life aren’t free. In fact, most free stuff sucks. You need to pay for the things you really want. That includes an office, materials, staff, advertisements, lobbyists, etc. You will need an innovative and dynamic development program and a sharp person in charge of it to raise the funds needed to sustain a successful advocacy organization.
Inglorious Campaignors
Published November 02, 2009 @ 09:06PM PT
Dated reference I know but still a good lead-in. Campaigners (notice I am switching back to my normal spelling because the Word spell check thing drives me crazy) toil in obscurity. It is your job to make your candidate look their best and ultimately win their election.
A good campaigner is never known to anyone but their volunteers and other behind the scenes types who they work with,
A bad campaigner (who you will learn more about in a near future post) go for the glory and want to be quoted in the press, want to speak at events and want to get on TV.
That is your candidate’s job!
Your job is to set all of those things up, prepare your candidate, and get supporters to do their part to make him or her look their best.
One of the things you have to get used to, being a staffer, is working really hard with out some of the daily glory that comes with being on TV and at the center of attention. Your reward, and the glory, comes at the end of the campaign when you have done everything you can possibly do and win the day.
Music To Motivate
Published October 30, 2009 @ 01:57PM PT
Tired of looking for a job? Here's some pump up music to keep you going :) Happy Friday!
In no particular order...
- Unstoppable, Santigold
- Pump The Jam, Technotronic
- Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
- Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z Featuring Alicia Keys
- So What, P!nk
- Don't Stop, Fleetwood Mac
- I've Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas
- Vertigo, U2
- You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, Bachman Turner Overdrive
- Paper Planes, M.I.A.
- Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand
- Pump It, Black Eyed Peas
- Suddenly I See, KT Turnstall
- Stronger, Kanye West
- The Rockafeller Skank, Fatboy Slim
- Chariots of Fire, Vangelis
- Dragostea Din Tei, O-Zone
- Survivor, Eye of the Tiger
- And, of course, the Rocky Theme Song
Winning is Everything
Published October 25, 2009 @ 12:45PM PT
Nothing matters more in campaigning than winning.
I could end this blog post there I guess but I wouldn’t meet my word quota mandated by my blog-slave drivers (I kid, boss. Please don’t hit me- again). So I will elaborate.
A lot of people go into politics because they want to make a difference. That is great. However, the people who succeed in politics are the ones who want to win.
Think about it this way. If you are hiring a person for a campaign do you want to hire the super excited person who gushes with liberal love, guilt and aspires to live in a commune…
OR
…do you want to hire the person who essentially believes in the Democratic Party and doesn’t squabble on the issues but instead wants to get in the trenches and cut down some war-mongering-dinosaur-denying-Earth-created-1,000-years-ago-believing-richie-yuppie-middle-class-hating-white-bread-WASPy-crustless-cucumber-sandwich-eating-chamber-of-commerce-serving-mouth-breathing-Republican?
I would take option number two any day.
You see that both basically believe in the same thing but number two has the type of personality and attitude that channels their beliefs into something useful: an utter disgust for the opponent that leads to their inability to tolerate anything less than victory.
Do not romanticize politics or campaigns. At the end of the day the only thing that anyone cares about is winning.
If that upsets you or you think it is too simplistic then think of it this way: none of the hippie gushy liberal ideals that we all care about will get anywhere unless there are true campaigners – like you are striving to become – that can get out there and get the people elected to make that shit happen.
Anyway, that’s my pep-talk for the day.
