Staff role
Demo contentStaff Assistant
The front desk of a congressional office and the entry point to most Hill careers.
- Guides for this role
- 1
- Templates
- 1
- Salary reports
- Collecting reports
What the job actually is
Staff Assistants run the front office: phones, mail, tours, interns, and the daily rhythm of the office. The job is less about policy than about being the person who keeps a busy office functioning and who never lets a constituent feel ignored.
Core responsibilities
- Answer constituent phone calls and log positions
- Greet visitors and manage the front office
- Coordinate Capitol tours and flag requests
- Supervise interns and assign daily work
- Sort and route incoming mail
- Support scheduling and events as needed
A typical day
- Open the office and check voicemail and overnight mail
- Handle the morning call volume and log positions
- Assign intern tasks and review outgoing letters
- Run tours and greet scheduled visitors
- Close out the day with call logs and mail queue
A typical week
- Monday: reset the week, confirm tours, brief interns
- Midweek: heaviest call and visitor volume during votes
- Thursday: clear backlog before recess or fly-out
- Friday: mail queue, supplies, and prep for next week
Your first 30 days
- Learn the phone script and the office position on the top ten issues
- Meet every member of the team and learn who owns what
- Master the CRM: logging calls, tags, and casework handoffs
- Shadow a tour before running one alone
- Ask your Chief or Office Manager what "good" looks like at 30 days
Essential skills
- Unflappable phone manner
- Extreme organization
- Discretion
- Speed with accuracy
- Willingness to ask questions early
Essential tools
- CRM (IQ, Fireside, or Indigov)
- Outlook and shared calendars
- Capitol tour booking system
- Office style guide
Common mistakes
- Freelancing an answer on a policy position instead of logging the call
- Letting the mail queue slip during a busy week
- Not flagging an angry or urgent caller to the right staffer
- Treating interns as help rather than as a team you manage
Common challenges
- High call volume during contentious votes
- Being the first person to absorb constituent frustration
- Balancing tours and front desk coverage with limited staff
Career path
Staff Assistant is the standard entry point. Most staff move to Legislative Correspondent or Scheduler within 9-18 months, then to Legislative Assistant or Deputy Press Secretary.
Salary insights
HillFAQs Salary Insights
We're building a clearer picture of what congressional staff actually earn.
No verified reports for this role yet, so we aren't showing medians, ranges, or report counts.