How (Not) To Get a Job in an Administration: Five Lessons from Transition Experts 

With the election behind us, the focus now shifts to assembling the next administration. For those aspiring to serve in a presidentially appointed position, this is the time to prepare and stand out in a crowded field.  

The following blog shares valuable advice gleaned from seasoned transition professionals throughout our Transition Lab podcast series. These five tips highlight common mistakes to avoid and steps you can take to position yourself for success in the competitive appointment process. 

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During our Transition Lab podcasts, a number of transition veterans detailed some of the least productive approaches for prospective job candidates. The following is a list of five lessons derived from these conversations. If you stick to them, you can reduce the possibility that your resume ends up in the recycling bin! 

Avoid overwhelming the transition team 

Prospective appointees sometimes think the best way to get a job is to have all their friends call the transition team or the White House personnel office with words of support. Don’t do it! 

During a transition and in the early days of an administration, there can be anywhere from 150,000 to 300,000 applications for presidentially appointed positions. Unnecessarily adding to that workload will not make you any friends. 

Liza Wright, who directed the Office of Presidential Personnel  under President George W. Bush, said, “To have all of these people start berating the office with phone calls and things like that…is not a good approach.” Jonathan McBride, who ran PPO under President Barack Obama, added, “If somebody can speak to the substance of what you can do or your acumen…that’s great. Twenty people saying that they like you does not help. And it becomes a judgment question after a while. If you approach this [job search] this way, when you’re acting on behalf of the president of the United States, are you going to show similar poor judgment?” 

 If you have not already done so, you should secure letters of recommendation and start reviewing the necessary clearance and disclosure forms.  

Stay out of the press 

There is always a temptation for job seekers to audition in the media. This is a mistake.  

Speaking with reporters Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia about their transition coverage, former Transition Lab host David Marchick pointed out that “the lesson here for someone who wants to get a nomination is not to be in one of these stories because you might have a better chance of getting the job if you’re not in the story.” 

Don’t be presumptuous 

For every job in an administration, there are dozens if not hundreds of qualified applicants. Even if you have served before, there is no guarantee you will get the job you want. Ironically, accepting that reality might increase your chances of getting a job. 

According to Michael Froman, who led the Obama 2008-2009 transition personnel effort, “People who came in and said, ‘I am the greatest expert in this area…where do I fill out my employment forms,’ usually did not get hired.” Froman said. “The more successful approach was to make clear that that you were low maintenance,…that there were a variety of positions that you could envisage yourself doing, that you were not insistent on necessarily being the top person in any agency, but you were willing to play whatever role the president-elect felt was appropriate for you.” 

Don’t show up unprepared 

While you should not assume you will get a specific job, you should have a sense of what types of jobs you are interested in. 

“I always tell people to do your homework,” Wright said. “It’s so helpful if someone has gone to this kind of taking the steps to really research what positions in the government they’re interested in, what they believe they’re qualified for.” 

Doing this legwork will show you are committed and thoughtful, and that might just win you some friends. Coming unprepared, however, might cost your resume a second look. 

Don’t wait until your nomination hearing to be honest – disclose all information from the start 

Potential nominees should be straight-forward with the transition team. Clay Johnson, who led George W. Bush’s personnel operation during the transition and also served as  director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, told candidates, “I’m expecting total honesty from you…and if it turns out you have problems or conflicts, and you aren’t able to serve, you have to know that we’re going to drop you like a hundred-pound weight.” 

Part of this process involves familiarizing yourself with financial and ethics forms and preparing those materials so you are ready if the next administration would like you to serve.

For more resources and information about the presidential appointment process, please visit our Ready to Serve website here.  

Note: This blog was originally published on Oct. 15, 2020 and has been updated for clarity and relevance by Nicole Lopez, a communications manager on the Partnership’s Communications team.

The post was originally authored by Alex Tippett and Carter Hirschhorn.