Post a Salary or Review

Advanced

US Senate Interview Questions & Reviews

Post an Interview

Web: www.senate.gov | HQ: Washington, DC

Connections

Updated Feb 1, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.

Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 12 ratings

2.3

“Easy” Interview

Interview Experience [?] Based on 12 ratings

Positive	92%
Neutral	8%
Negative	0%

US Senate has 5,796 connections on Glassdoor

See Who You Know

Show Filters

1–10 of 12 US Senate Interviews

Sort by

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Apr 2010 in Washington, DC (took 3 weeks)

Cold called as recommended by my public policy professor. I left a message since the phone line was busy. I recieved a call back, sent in my resume, and received another call 48 hours later for writing sample & references. Did a hour long phone interview with staff director, then my references were checked - they offered me job before second reference even came through.

Interview Questions

What is X Senator's position on X and what did they say about it today in the New York Times?

View Answers (1)

What tourist attraction do you most want to visit while in DC?

View Answers (1)

Negotiation Details

Realistically, you're taking a government job. There's not a big band for salary - and if you try to negotiate, you will regret the additional stress and work hours you will be expected to put in. I recommend no negotiation its a gov't job. You want it or you don't. They can't pay you much, but you'll learn a ton. Personally, its the best year of my life. Hope to find another job that makes me that excited someday. (with better pay ;D)

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a Background Check.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Apr 2010 in Burlington, VT (took a day)

Interviewed over the phone with two staffers from the office. Interview was almost exclusively behavioral, very laid back. The interviewers wanted to know about why I wanted the position, previous leadership experiences, etc. Specific questions pertaining to my resume were asked, especially relating to prior jobs experiences. Interviewers were especially interested in lessons learned from previous job experiences relating to working with people.

Interview Questions

Why are you interested in this position?

View Answers (1)

How would you deal with an angry constituent?

View Answers (1)

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

More US Senate Intern Interviews

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Feb 2009 in Washington, DC (took a day)

They were very encouraging and enthusiastic. Pretty normal. Asked a lot about what I would like to do in the office, which was in order to see whether or not I had done my research and knew the topics the Senator focused on.

Interview Questions

Out of the Senator's main issues of focus, which would you like to work on and why?

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

More US Senate Intern Interviews

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Dec 2009 in Washington, DC (took 1+ week)

I got a phone call about 2 weeks after submitting my resume and cover letter. There were a bunch of perfunctory questions, then a few about my commitment and skills/qualities. Finally, they asked whether I knew that the internship was unpaid, and I said yes.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to complete a task unsupervised.

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

More US Senate Intern Interviews

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed May 2011 (took a day)

I contacted a former colleague of mine who suggested I send them my resume. The first hiring authority, who would have been my supervisor, contacted me and we set up an interview time. It was very relaxed, and consisted largely of his desire to get to know me better -- why I wanted to work in the office, how much did I know about how a Senate office operated, etc. Then we spent awhile discussing policy issues that were of mutual interest to us, and he allowed me to pick his brain as far as what might happen in the future. Overall a fun conversation, although it felt a bit rushed (I was notified hours before the interview was to take place) and never materialized into anything.

Interview Questions

The first set of questions were personal: "Tell me about yourself," "Why do you want to work in this office?"

Answer Question

The second set was essentially a policy discussion. The interviewer expressed that he did not need a world expert, but he didn't want a complete novice. "What is your background in this field of policy?," "What do you think about the Senator's stand on this aspect of the relevant policy?," "How do you think we should communicate this policy to constituents?"

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Sep 2010 in San Francisco, CA (took a day)

I was an intern previously so it was a smooth transition.

Interview Questions

What are your weaknesses

Answer Question

Other Details

I applied In-Person and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Jun 2010 in Newark, NJ (took a day)

After a brief email exchange (I was out of the USA) I arranged a phone interview in place of the standard in-person interview. The Phone interview was brief. They asked three questions 1) Why did I want to work for Senator Menendez 2) Why did I want to work in a constituent service office as opposed to working in D.C. 3)Describe a difficult situation at a previous job and how you handled it. After the questions they provided me with a verbal description of the job. The next day I received an email explaining I'd have an in-person interview when I returned to the USA, but in reality it was just a formality and they merely showed me around the office.

Interview Questions

Describe a difficult situation you have encountered at a previous job and how you handled it.

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

More US Senate Intern Interviews

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed May 2010 in Washington, DC (took 2 days)

Very informal general interview

Interview Questions

What interests you about working for the Senator?

Answer Question

Negotiation Details

Not too much negotiation

Other Details

I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Feb 2008 in Washington, DC (took 3 weeks)

There was a series of phone interviews over the course of a few weeks. Then they had to do the necessary checks to work in the senate office building. Finally, they offered me the internship and sent me an information packet.

Interview Questions

You are note a political science major....why do you want to work for the government?

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a Background Check.

More US Senate Intern Interviews

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Nov 2009 in Washington, DC (took 1+ week)

Phone Interview asking about why I wanted to work for the Senate, and then more in-depth questions about my political views, what I expect to gain from the internship, my previous work experience, examples of leadership, teamwork, what two of my weaknesses are, what two of my strengths are, how good I am with time management and juggling multiple tasks, and how I deal with management. I was also asked a few questions about what issues I wanted to work on in the office and why, and where I thought these issues were going in terms of legislation. Overall pretty straightforward, just have good answers to the questions I stated above and I am sure you will do great, as it definitely worked out for me.