How to get jobs in Washington DC
Occasionally referred to as merely ‘D.C.’, Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America. It is a media, political and, to some extent, economic centre. These are the three sectors, which provide many jobs Washington D.C. These will be detailed here, along with the ways to get them.
Media and politician jobs
Media jobs
Largely due its political influence, Washington is a national and international media centre. It plays host to the oldest and most popular paper in city, Washington Daily, founded in 1877.
Also, nearby McLean, it is home to the nation’s largest daily, USA today.
There are also many other print and television companies in the city as, according to Nielsen Media research, Washington D.C. is America’s ninth-largest media market.
As with many media jobs, Washington Post jobs are also difficult to get, but a can-do attitude (and much networking) can certainly help.
Politicians jobs
The stereotype of jobs in DC is that they are all for politicians. There is certainly some truth to this idea, with Washington playing host to many different local and national governmental authorities and general bureaucratic authorities.
These include the Government Accountability Office (GOA), the 37 influential Advisory Neighbourhood Commissions (ANCs), the District of Columbia Financial Control Board and, of course, the U.S. government.
Government jobs and how to get them
U.S government
Many jobs can be found in the upper echelons of the government, notably in the two Houses of the United State Congress, The United House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In these bodies, politicians discuss and implement policy.
The United House of Representatives comprises of elected senators, representing each state, in accordance with the population of the state, although each state is entitled to one senator.
California, the most populous state, has 53 at time of writing.
The United States Senate
The United States Senate includes two elected senators, from each American states. Washington D.C itself is a special district, serving as the national capital and not part of any state.
This loophole means that the 600,000-odd Washington residents are not allowed senators. In order for ratification, bills must be passed through each House and the US president.
There are several other jobs linked to such roles, such as public relations officers, press officers, and PAs/secretaries.
Getting these jobs
It is notoriously difficult to get these government jobs. An Ivy League undergraduate, if not postgraduate, education is now almost seen as necessary for these positions.
Furthermore, one almost always needs to put the ‘groundwork’ in the lower reaches of American politics.
For example, people can stand as local representatives in primaries, although the government has somewhat removed these stereotypes, through ‘networking’.