Kelley Minars, Flickr

6 Things You Should Know

About Working on an Election

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

Running a political campaign isfar from an easy task--winningone is even harder. Here are six

things you should know if youwant to get a job on a political

campaign.

Kelley Minars, Flickr

You Should Volunteer

Before Taking a Full-Time Job

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

Running a political campaign is unlike anything I haveexperienced before compared to my retail and servicepositions I’ve held in the past.

Having been a part of various levels of political campaignsduring my college career, I have experienced first-hand the insand outs of running a campaign.

The only way to really get a good understanding of how tobuild, establish and run a political campaign is to experience it,and the best way to experience it is to volunteer.

A job seeker who has a background volunteering in politicalcampaigns bodes well for a future in public service at almostany level.

Kelley Minars, Flickr

You CAN (and WILL)

Have a Real Impact

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

During my political campaign experience, I saw the potential inwhat I was doing to make a real difference in the communities Ilived in.

I was tasked with managing small teams of interns and volunteersand guiding them in doing the bulk of the groundwork for localcampaigns.

I had a hands-on job within the political field, directly aidingpoliticians at canvassing events, rallies and speakingengagements and helping to raise funds for the campaign.

All of these facets of the positions I held benefited both mypersonal and professional development in tremendous ways aswell as the campaigns of the politicians with whom I wasinvolved.

Kelley Minars, Flickr

There Will be Long Hours

And It Isn't Uncommon

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

More often than not, working long hours is a necessity of workingin politics.

This goes for everyone--from the campaign managers and otherhigher-ups all the way down.

For many, this is an unfortunate fact, but for those of us who lovebeing around politics, spending a lot of time at work can beenergizing and an enjoyable experience.

At one point during the final days leading up to our campaign’selections day, I was working between 60 to 80 hours a week!

Expect long hours and abbreviated sleep schedules if you chooseto work full-time on a political campaign.

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Teamwork is Pivitol

And You'll Need to Learn It

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

This should be obvious, but teamwork is key in politicalcampaigning.

The entire campaign team is united under a common cause: toseek and gain election for your politician.

Managers and staffers and volunteers need to coordinate, putaside differences and strive for success.

When the volunteers, staff, and candidate work andcommunicate on the same level to achieve the same goal of anelection victory, unparalleled progress and benchmarks areobtained because of the team’s unity and cooperation.

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Don't Be a Sore Loser

At Some Point, You'll Lose

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

Working in political campaigning means you’re not just workingfor one specific politician year after year or election afterelection.

More often than not you’ll find yourself working for variouspoliticians.

As we’ve seen in virtually every election since the dawn of time,there are winners and there are losers.

The key in experiencing a losing campaign is to make sure youlearn from your shortcomings and areas of weakness, and learnhow to operate in a more efficient and cohesive manner on thenext campaign you work with.

Kelley Minars, Flickr

You'll Get an Incredible Experience

It'll be Unique and Unexplainable

Lionel Barzon III

Kelley Minars, Flickr

Lionel Barzon III

Working for a politician seeking election gave me a deeperunderstanding of what goes into the administration side ofrunning a campaign.

The experience was almost indescribable; as I’ve mentionedbefore, there is a methodology and means of running a campaignthat you never truly understand until you experience it yourself.And I highly encourage everyone to do so.

The skill set you’ll build and develop for yourself in the process istruly worth the time and effort you will pour into the campaign.