To the Interns:  

Just as a Capitol Hill office would not be complete without interns, Hill Navigator would not have a column without interns seeking advice about how to succeed in Washington.  

Each internship is a job interview unto itself — a chance to work hard and prove yourself indispensable. It’s one of the best ways to land a paid, full-time job, and some consider interning a rite of passage in the journey of becoming a true staffer.  

But too many people have misconceptions about interns, and reduce them to punchlines of jokes. Hill Navigator has personally worked with some outstanding Capitol Hill interns. Yes, there was the occasional knucklehead, but more often than not, these are young people getting their first professional experience in the high-energy setting of a congressional office.  

So rather than dedicating a column to lambasting the interns for standing on the wrong side of the metro escalators and wearing their ID badges to the Hawk ‘n’ Dove, we want to help. That’s why we put together Roll Call’s first ever e-book. We’ve collected information about the best ways to succeed while interning, and how to turn that internship into a full-time paid position on Capitol Hill or in Washington.  

“Best Intern Ever, Roll Call’s Guide to Acing Your Internship,” includes the best of Hill Navigator with input from our friends at the Congressional Management Foundation. This free e-book is available for download and can be viewed as a PDF .  

If you read it and like it, let us know . And if you don’t, we want to know that too .  

Roll Call has been a mainstay of Capitol Hill offices since founder Sid Yudain was an ambitious press secretary in the 1950s. There may be other newspapers, but no one else covers Congress and the people who work inside the Capitol the way we do.  

Hill Navigator was created to respond to the unique concerns of Capitol Hill staff. That’s everything from interning and landing an entry-level job to navigating your boss’ political scandal. For all the interns out there, this guide is for you, and here’s hoping this is the start of a long, eventful career. We hope to see you on the Roll Call Fabulous 50 list a few years down the road.  

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