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America's most famous residence is the headquarters of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government. It has recently begun to split duties with the New Executive Building, also in Washington. Most of the White House's offices and agencies, ranging from the National Economic Council to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, serve research, regulatory, and advisory functions. Throughout White House offices and agencies, top Executive officials must sift through and disseminate the information necessary to make policy decisions. While many in the staff of thousands are political appointees who traditionally leave at the end of each administration, most are permanent employees whose positions are not politically affiliated. The White House is planning a 20-year $300 million renovation to update many antiquated systems and enlarge and renovate many of the working areas, including the press room. No word, yet, on whether Ms. Lewinsky is involved in the planning.
The White House's employment Web page, located at www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OMB, features job listings, an applicant background survey, and a number of resume submission options. The job hotline, however, provides a more extensive listing of White House listings. Insiders do admit that "it helps if you know someone on the inside." Applicants should send a resume by regular mail in response to an advertisement or listing. Since some positions require writing samples and college transcripts, applicants may wish to include those with the resume. The White House requires background checks, security clearances, and drug tests of all new employees. There are a number of different internships available at the White House, including the Office of Management and Budget summer internship for graduate students, the One America program for Native American students, and the Council on Environmental Quality program. Information is available at the White House Web site.
Exposure The "high-pressure," "fast-paced" atmosphere of the White House environment keeps most people "working pretty long hours." While the protocol is rather formal, "the civilian staff generally make pretty good money and get a lot of benefits." "The dress code is fairly strict," notes a contact, "suit and tie/conservative dresses are the norm." There are "few problems in terms of discrimination here," perhaps because "there are plenty of people around just waiting for a chance to expose something like that." One source at the White House Communications Agency describes its strategy: "our mission is to send out teams around the world in advance of Presidential visits in order to set up all of the communication needs that he and his staff require." These "needs" may include anything from "computers and audiovisual materials to motorcade assistance and support for the White House Press." Adds another WHCA workers: "It's an excellent place to work. And my time here has been a fascinating and challenging experience." One caveat: It has been widely reported that President Clinton approved the wiretapping of staff phones unbeknownst to the very staffers whose conversations were being monitored. Bunch of clowns? Notes one insider, "I have served in the White House under Reagan, Bush and Clinton. The first two had superb professionals working for them, but Clinton has a bunch of clowns." By contrast, another source describes the staff under Clinton as "very young, culturally diversified, and energetic." Overall, "you'll have to put up with the inevitable folks who take themselves too seriously, but for the most part, we all get along quite well." With it's high standards, it's not surprising that "everyone at the White House is good at what we do." "Don't let Monica Lewinsky mar your impression of internships here," one insider inevitably remarks. "We have quite a few great people working here."
Human Resources (202) 395-5892
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