Summer Internship With Local Senator

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FutureCadet12

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Oct 8, 2015
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I've been looking into things to do this summer, and recently a field representative from my local senator's office has contacted me to see if I would still be interested in interning over the summer (I think I had submitted my email to their list of prospective interns). Has anyone had experience with this that would like to share what they did, what they learned from the process, etc.? Also, what is the format of the "resume" I have to send? Is it basically just a list of EC's I participate in and my grades? Thank you for your time.
 
Grab it quick before they offer it to someone else. It will be a great experience in the workings of our government, the Senator's staff will know you by face (guess where you will see them again) and it will give you great opportunities in leadership, responsibility, time organization and great subjects for essays and interviews. One of my candidates was an intern and his stories and experiences were incredibly valuable in his application.
 
If you are doing this to improve your chances of a NOM, then there are probably better ways to spend your summer.
 
Spud said:
Grab it quick before they offer it to someone else. It will be a great experience in the workings of our government, the Senator's staff will know you by face (guess where you will see them again) and it will give you great opportunities in leadership, responsibility, time organization and great subjects for essays and interviews. One of my candidates was an intern and his stories and experiences were incredibly valuable in his application.
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Thanks for your input. What exactly do I put on my resume to apply? Sorry if this is a dumb question...
 
time2 said:
If you are doing this to improve your chances of a NOM, then there are probably better ways to spend your summer.
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Doing this because I genuinely want to experience what it's like to work in our government. Also, I want to improve my leadership and communication skills. Don't see anything wrong with that...
 
I don't either, but you asked the question on a SA forum where this if an often asked question by those who think they will improve their chance for a NOM by rubbing elbows with their MOC. Do you know what your actual responsibilities or duties will be as part of this job and/or have you talked with others who have done this type of job in the past? I am sure some can be a valuable learning experience but depends on the particular office where you intern.
 
time2 said:
I don't either, but you asked the question on a SA forum where this if an often asked question by those who think they will improve their chance for a NOM by rubbing elbows with their MOC. Do you know what your actual responsibilities or duties will be as part of this job and/or have you talked with others who have done this type of job in the past? I am sure some can be a valuable learning experience but depends on the particular office where you intern.
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No, I am not familiar with what I would actually be doing in the internship, hence why I asked this question on here. I will be interning with Senator McCain (R-AZ) if I am accepted.
 
My son interned at our Congressman's office last summer. It was a great experience. He did it because he had been elected to Student Council and was interested in government leadership. On his resume, he listed his AP classes under "Education", then his sports w/ positions & awards under "Athletics", then clubs and service projects under "Activities & Service". He was in the front of the office, greeting and talking to citizens, taking messages, running errands.
 
Update: So I just got a message from my senator's office. They asked if I would be available for an interview sometime this week. This might seem silly, but now I'm worrying about whether or not I should do it, since I do not share some of the same political views as the senator. I think I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, since I might completely mess up the interview and not even get accepted...Thoughts?
 
Do it. You're going for leadership, communication skills. It doesn't matter if you share his views. It's good to always be open to possibilities even if they are not like minded ~ that's how you learn, grow. In government one has to appreciate another's view, that doesn't mean you have to agree.
 
ChiTown said:
Do it. You're going for leadership, communication skills. It doesn't matter if you share his views. It's good to always be open to possibilities even if they are not like minded ~ that's how you learn, grow. In government one has to appreciate another's view, that doesn't mean you have to agree.
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Thank you for your insight. I was just wondering if they would ask you questions during the interview about the senator's viewpoints, if you agree with these, etc. I remember I have heard this somewhere. I don't want to blatantly lie - can someone confirm if this is true or not? What types of questions do they ask during the interview?
 
As an 8th grader, this would be a good learning experience, but I'm not sure it can go on your "resume" for a SA since you aren't in high school yet. SAs look at your high school accomplishments---845something would be a good person to ask about the particulars.

Summer is a great time to work on your sport(s) skills since West Point places so much importance on playing a sport and hopefully having a varsity letter.
 
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I would like to believe that politics would be kept out of the interview. If not, however, research the senator. Find the things s/he is active in doing that you appreciate. Most likely they worked on some legislature or initiative for a good cause, you can mention that if they ask about your knowledge of the senator.

You don't need to agree with what they are standing for, you just need to know about it.
 
So I have completed my interview as of today. One thing that is currently worrying me is how short the interview was (about 15 minutes). Also, I was stumbling over my words quite a bit and leaving some awkward silences. However, the person who interviewed me said she would send me a list of future events, orientations, etc for interns. I guess it is out of my control at this point, but the mixed messages are leaving me completely confused about what they thought of me....
 
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