OUT ON THE HILL is the official blog of the Victory Congressional Interns. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Learn more about the internship at victoryinstitute.org/vci.
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Navigating the Hill as an introverted intern seeking opportunity is no easy feat. Amidst the chaos of the political world, it’s easy to get lost in your head while surrounded by charismatic extroverts. But, you might be surprised to see who is simply donning their workplace facade or purposely fading into the crowd.
First, it is vital to keep in mind that every office has widely varying work cultures. Beyond standard constituent office work, not all offices will be very clear about providing you with special projects or tasks. Honestly, sometimes your office will want to take it slow, waiting for you to reach out—hoping to not overwhelm you. Yet, whether you are introverted, extroverted, or even ambiverted; we interns are only here for a short while, so the goal is to seize what you can.
In my case, my office was more on the side of not trying to overwhelm me. So it was up to me to make the first move. Asking around your office, especially to those you see constantly pacing around. In fact, seeking those opportune one-on-one chats will not only be more manageable as an anxious introvert, but feel much more rewarding as you can more comfortably ask questions and likely get to know your staffer personally, unlike on a team Zoom. As nerve-racking as it is, ignore the looming voice in your head that you are annoying or a burden, your helping hand is probably seen as a blessing for your stressed office staffers, especially because while you may not realize it, the House is relatively small when it comes to the size of each office’s teams.
Within my second week, I had already found myself drafting tweets and recording a press conference alongside news videographers for our communications team. I found myself only a few feet away from Representatives and Senators I idolized for so long. Since then, I made sure to regularly check in with the communications team, and I found my mind blown each time I witnessed a social media post I took part in or the moment when I saw the floor card I made live on the House floor.
Another way to seize the opportunity is by asking around about listservs on topics of interest to staffers or fellow interns. You would be surprised by how many secret lists and chats are on the Hill that welcome everybody but are not advertised by any means. Beyond speaking to individuals, signing up for Staff Associations had also exposed me to a plethora of new resources as well, from briefings, meet-ups with those sharing a similar identity, or even sharing job openings that rarely popped up on the standard job boards—plus this way you even had the opportunity to ask people about the role and setting a good first impression possibly in person. Soon enough, a quick chat and a couple of emails had set me with potential opportunities for once I leave the Hill.
However, after settling in you may consider exploring new avenues. In my case, I had found myself fully immersed in communications work, but sought more legislative experience, especially as someone aspiring to enter the field of public policy. My fellow interns from other offices seemed to already be miles ahead of me in this case, filling me up with anxiety as I knew I already had so many amazing experiences so far, but felt like I had less to show to future employers portfolio-wise. But, closed mouths don’t get fed as they say, so I asked around, reaching out to one of our legislative staffers, and it turned out that our office had been so streamlined that they forgot to find ways to include interns. In fact, he was excited to help me out, and now we have a plan set to build my legislative portfolio before I graduate from the Victory program.
I also want to note how making it a routine to ask around can make you the person they think of for some of the coolest special tasks. For instance, I was tasked with making an informational binder for our State of the Union guest. I also became the person who would make deliveries to the Congresswoman while she was on the floor, where consistently I saw and met such amazing Representatives in person, which still blows my mind.
Asking around is intimidating, but it is important to tune out the negative voices in your head and look at things more logically. Your office enthusiastically took you as an intern for a reason, and seeing you succeed is just as much of an accomplishment for you as it is for them. So eagerly ask around whether you are seeking something big or small, whether it is helping out with a tweet, sitting in on a constituent meeting, or even asking to have an intern lunch with your member of Congress. I mean, as much as I hate repeating it, the worst they can really say is “no.” These moments will underscore your ability to advocate for yourself and even if you aren’t a public speaker or if you have a slight stutter when you speak, your effort still shines above all. Closed mouths don’t get fed, so don’t let being an introverted intern or your anxieties be a barrier to success.
