This semester I have spent many hours working towards securing a congressional internship for my time during the Washington Semester Program. I wanted to spend some time sharing some helpful tips I learned during the process because it can seem scary and intimidating but there are ways to navigate it successfully. When trying to find internships to apply for it is helpful to research who your state representatives are. If you live in Georgia, a Georgia representative is more likely to hire you as they appreciate having people from the state they are representing working for them. You should begin the search as early as you can. Most internship applications are posted directly on the representatives’ websites so they are relatively easy to find. Once you have found places to apply for, the biggest way to make sure you get an interview
with them is by networking with the office. UGA has many grads working in Washington, D.C. and they are always happy to talk to fellow UGA students about their time in office and how they got their job. You want to make your name known by as many people within the office as possible, having just a 15 minute networking call with them goes incredibly far. For the actual application work with the UGA career center to polish your resume and cover letter. If you connect well with any staff members in the office they may even take the time to review these materials for you and this is incredibly resourceful because they know what the office is looking for in a candidate. UGA and the WSP office have a variety of contacts in D.C. so work with them as much as you can to gain relationships with UGA alumni working in D.C. Congressional internships can be incredibly daunting but it is manageable if you work to make the right connections and work to show how dedicated you will be to the office. Never be afraid to email, follow up, and ask as many questions as you can.
Author:
Athena Leskovics
