Office Hierarchy- Free Post

Since this is only a couple of weeks into my internship I have been learning about the many types of jobs that one can have while working in congress. The hierarchy of the office depends on every office and its unique dynamic but my office has a pretty standard hierarchy of jobs. The bottom of the office hierarchy is the interns (three or four college age students), which do any job in the office that is necessary. Interns take most of the typical office work like phone calls, paperwork, constituent mail, and daily office tasks like office organization.

Going up the hierarchy, most offices have an “office assistant” or “staff assistant” or “correspondence staffer” which help with the internship program and deal with more in depth constituent issues. They also send out most of the mail that goes to constituents. Most office assistant jobs also take some responsibilities regarding policy issues whether they have prior experience with some types of political issues. Next, the office usually has a communications director or some type of person that deals with media correspondence. This person sends out press releases and all official communications that come out of the office. From my experience, I learned that this person seems to be busiest and most over-worked in the office because of the amount of facets that the job entails. I really like this job though because it combines everything that I think I am interested in. Up the leadership ladder is the office manager and the legislative director. The office manager makes sure the office runs smoothly and is the executive assistant to the politician. This job is incredibly important because our office would not run without their efforts. The legislative director acts as the chief person in charge of the policies that come out of the office. They usually help craft and develop the politician’s opinion on many issues.

Lastly, the politician, in my case a member of the House of Representatives, acts as the chief or boss in all offices because they have final say over everything that comes out of the office. Everything our office does is to help the politician and help him relate with his constituents.