I've been lucky enough to spend the past six weeks working in an amazing office for a U.S. Senator here in Washington D.C. The job comes with many perks, number one being that I live so close to work, I can leave my building at 8:53 and still get to the office on time! I get to met important people, see some employee only areas in the capitol, and have become great friends with the eleven other interns in my office.
Interns in the United States Senate have quite a few jobs. It's very important to my senator that we respond to everyone who contacts our office if we can, and the first step is to accomplishing that is interns. I answer phones and voice mails, sort mail and faxes, and put all of the information we get from these into our system. We also do projects for staffers on legislation, some office administration, sit at the front desk, go to briefings and hearings, and running errands to the Capitol building.
I have had quite a few "intern" moments over the weeks.
When learning how to use the phone system I got a call in from a congressman. Not a staffer for the congressman, an actual congressman. As a VIP his call goes directly to our scheduler. I let him know I'm transferring his call, press a few buttons on the phone and promptly, accidentally, hang up on him! I was mortified.
When running documents to the Senator on the floor, interns go to the cloak room. We're not allowed on the Senate floor ourselves, so we hand off our papers to other staff who deliver them for us. Everything we bring must have the name and contact information of the staffer who is sending the document. I guess I missed the memo.
My first cloak run was a rushed job. I was told to hurry, and hurry I did. I guess my office hurried too, because they forgot to put the contact information on what they gave me. I had no idea to look for it, and didn't realize anything was wrong. I got to the cloak room but the staff would not accept what I was trying to give them. I rushed back towards the office, hoping in the first elevator I see going down to the basement so I can take the tunnel back (yes there is a subway from the Senate offices to the Capitol building). I jump in, the doors close, and I hear a voice,
I turn around, and realize that I had gotten in an elevator with a senator. That's a big no-no. His staffer is glaring at me, but the senator himself pats my on the shoulder and says, "Don't worry, she's with us."
I got back to the office, got the papers fixed, ran back to the capitol, and this time looked very carefully at the occupants of every elevator.
-Alice Hirsh
Interns in the United States Senate have quite a few jobs. It's very important to my senator that we respond to everyone who contacts our office if we can, and the first step is to accomplishing that is interns. I answer phones and voice mails, sort mail and faxes, and put all of the information we get from these into our system. We also do projects for staffers on legislation, some office administration, sit at the front desk, go to briefings and hearings, and running errands to the Capitol building.
I have had quite a few "intern" moments over the weeks.
When learning how to use the phone system I got a call in from a congressman. Not a staffer for the congressman, an actual congressman. As a VIP his call goes directly to our scheduler. I let him know I'm transferring his call, press a few buttons on the phone and promptly, accidentally, hang up on him! I was mortified.
When running documents to the Senator on the floor, interns go to the cloak room. We're not allowed on the Senate floor ourselves, so we hand off our papers to other staff who deliver them for us. Everything we bring must have the name and contact information of the staffer who is sending the document. I guess I missed the memo.
My first cloak run was a rushed job. I was told to hurry, and hurry I did. I guess my office hurried too, because they forgot to put the contact information on what they gave me. I had no idea to look for it, and didn't realize anything was wrong. I got to the cloak room but the staff would not accept what I was trying to give them. I rushed back towards the office, hoping in the first elevator I see going down to the basement so I can take the tunnel back (yes there is a subway from the Senate offices to the Capitol building). I jump in, the doors close, and I hear a voice,
"Excuse me, are you with the senator?"
I turn around, and realize that I had gotten in an elevator with a senator. That's a big no-no. His staffer is glaring at me, but the senator himself pats my on the shoulder and says, "Don't worry, she's with us."
I got back to the office, got the papers fixed, ran back to the capitol, and this time looked very carefully at the occupants of every elevator.
-Alice Hirsh
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