Combating Burnout with Wellness Coach, Lacey Connelly

When my friend Lacey posted that she was starting a new business to help political operatives deal with burnout, I knew I had to bring this to you. Learn more about Lacey's business and an exclusive CampaignSick discount below!

1) Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got here.

My name is Lacey Connelly and I have been working on political campaigns for 18 years. 2022 will be my 9th campaign cycle! 

My first experience on campaigns was an internship in college working as the tracker for an Illinois Senate primary. After graduation, I got my first full time campaign job working for John Edwards in Iowa during the 2008 presidential primary (added bonus fact for your readers is that's where we met!). Since then, I have been on a nearly non-stop roller coaster of highs and lows: campaign victories and losses; meaningful employment and unemployment; good physical/mental/emotional health and not-so-good. I have been a field organizer, a direct mail production assistant, a compliance manager, a finance director, a campaign manager, a training director, and a caucus director, so I have a LOT of lived experience.

In 2018, I was the Caucus Director for the WV Democratic House Caucus and within the span of a month, I (1) helped the Caucus see its greatest gains in a decade, (2) graduated with my Yoga Teacher certification, and (3) married my best friend, Adam. I credit the time I gave myself for my yoga practice during that election cycle to being able to manage all of those tasks simultaneously; it was the first time I personally experienced balance during a campaign season and it set this whole business idea into motion. 

2) What inspired you to focus on self care?

I had a major health crisis brought about by the stress of campaigns after the 2010 election cycle. I was a compliance manager in California, working long hours to make sure my clients' financial reports had all the necessary amendments filed. I had moved to California in 2008, after Edwards withdrew from the presidential race, and it had taken me months to land steady work that paid for the cost of living increase. I was struggling and, in response to the stress, my autoimmune disease (which I had been diagnosed with back in 2000) flared up. I ignored the flare and kept pushing until my body literally shut me down. I got so sick that I had to go on disability, move back to WV to live with my parents, and get IVIG treatments to reset my immune system.  

The fact that I had allowed myself to become so stressed out that I lost an entire year was a wake up call. During my treatments, I started reading about stress management and autoimmune recovery. Once the treatments were over, I found a yoga teacher in my area that taught yoga for immune support. I prioritized sleep and started to go to trivia nights with friends so that I had something to look forward to each week. 

Then I moved to North Dakota, worked for Heidi Heitkamp's Senate campaign for two months and came back with a severe Vitamin D deficiency. I knew better, but without someone keeping me accountable, I struggled to do better. Eventually, my commitment to my yoga practice and getting my certification gave me the support and accountability that I needed to have a balanced life during a campaign cycle, which is what I'm offering to others through my coaching program. 

3) What are the services you’re offering?

Right now, I am offering 1:1 coaching services to political operatives, volunteers, and candidates who feel like they are either burned out or on the edge of burning out. There are three different options, all with varying levels of support: (1) a one time session that consists of an hour-long Zoom call; (2) a monthly option that includes 4 hour-long Zoom calls and unlimited text/voice message support via Voxer; or (3) a three month offer that gives you three months of the monthly support at a discounted rate. 

If someone is interested in working with me, the first step is to sign up for a free 20-minute "Vibe Check" Zoom call where we can chat about what they need, how I can help, and if we hit it off where we'll work well together. Your readers can sign up for one of those calls here: https://bit.ly/20MinVibeCheckCalendar. Make sure they answer the question "How did you learn about my coaching services?" by writing in CampaignSick!

I also have a newsletter that goes out every other week, and I will be using that to announce some exciting new offers soon (including a 4-week course on mindful media consumption). If your readers are interested, they can sign up for that here: https://bit.ly/SustainableMovementsNews.

4) Who would benefit from this work? Who’s your ideal client?

My ideal client is someone who feels passionate about the work that they do and, as a result, have a habit of putting their work before their physical, mental, and emotional well being. It doesn't matter if they're on their first campaign or if they're running an entire organization -- the people who do the kind of work that we do have a tendency to martyr themselves for the "greater good." I feel like my calling in this space is to work with these folx to show them that living in such a prolonged state of stress is actually counter-productive to the results they are trying to achieve and that there are ways that they can be both impactful and happy. 

5) What does a session entail? Give us a sense of what we’d be signing up for.

I start each 1:1 coaching session with a breathing practice and some stretching. It helps my client and me let go of whatever else we've been dealing with in the moments leading up to the call so we can be fully present with each other. I then ask them what's on their mind and the session builds itself from there. My goal is to lead them towards the root of what is making them stressed so that we can address it together. I'm not a therapist, but I would say 90% of the issues my clients have brought up have been issues that I've dealt with personally, which makes addressing the problem much easier. After our session is over, I send them an email with a practice that will help them deal with their unique stress and, for monthly clients, a "homework" assignment so that we can dig even deeper the next week.

6) What general advice do you have for people in the campaign and progressive community to avoid burnout?

It's important to understand that the modern campaign environment is not built for long term sustainability -- and it's less productive as a result! Research shows that taking breaks from work is important for maxing out your job performance. Energy is limited and, just like football players take a halftime break in the middle of the Super Bowl, we need to take breaks in order to do our best work. This could be as big as giving organizers a full day off each week or it could be smaller, like encouraging our colleagues to take a lunch break (and walking the walk with them). 

If we don't address the negative energy exchange between campaigns / organizations and their employees, we will continue to burn through organizers as if they were an easily replaceable resource -- which they aren't! Any time an organizer "retires" from politics due to burnout, we're losing valuable institutional knowledge for whatever fight they were fighting. 

 

7) Why do you think these industries are especially prone to burnout?

I think they were built that way. The cyclical nature of our work allowed managers and leaders early on to ignore the fact that investing in worker's well-being brings about better results. They simply had to push their workers to get to Election Day and then the recovery was out of their purview. Once this culture was set and then glamorized in movies and TV shows (I'm going to date myself with a West Wing shout out here), we didn't stand a chance.

On top of that, the people I have had the pleasure of working with on progressive issues have all been idealists who see injustice in the world and are willing to sacrifice their own wellbeing in order to make the world a better place for others. I've seen plenty of campaigns and political organizations take advantage of that - not always consciously, but not always unconsciously either. 

8) I heard there’s a special deal for CampaignSickles. Tell me about that.

Yes! I am offering your readers 25% off of their first coaching session, whether they choose a one time coaching session (normally $150), the monthly option (normally $500), or the three month program (normally $1200). They simply need to tell me that you sent them when they sign up for their free 20 minute "Vibe Check" call. 

They will also be among the first to know about new programs that I create in response to the work I do with my 1:1 coaching clients. I've found a lot of similarities among the stressors that our folx are struggling with right now in my two months of coaching, so whenever possible, I want to take the practices that I give those folx and make them available to a bigger population.

9) How do we sign up?

The link for the 20 minute "Vibe Check" is https://bit.ly/20MinVibeCheckCalendar.

The link to sign up for the newsletter is https://bit.ly/SustainableMovementsNews. 

You can also follow me on Instagram or Linked In for smaller nuggets and links to the articles and books about stress management that I'm finding to be relevant to campaign folx.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacey.a.connelly/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceyannconnelly/ 

10) Anything else you’d like us to know?

I appreciate everything that you do, Nancy, as well as the things that your readers are out there doing. Whether they are still working on campaigns or for progressive organizations or they've "retired" to a more stable career, the people who read CampaignSick have spent time doing something to make the world a better place. And that's the only way things will ever change. 

5 Biggest Career Mistakes I Made

Hello, Campaignsickles! I miss you and I miss writing. Watching the Iowa Caucus take place from my perch in the north is giving me some serious FOMO but also some serious gladness that I am typing this from my couch rather canvassing in Cedar Rapids. (Don't worry, I'll be back to working weekends soon enough.) Anyway, as the primary looms that means the number of campaigns is dwindling and campaigners are considering what to do next. For that reason, I'm sharing some career mistakes I've made with the hope of providing you the advice I wish I had gotten. Without further ado here are my five biggest career mistakes.

1) Not hopping on another campaign after the 2008 Iowa Caucus This is the reason I thought to write this post. I was physically and emotionally destroyed by the time John Edwards dropped out of the 2008 primary, shortly before super Tuesday.(Seriously, I had a TERRIBLE flu. Get your flu shot!) I drank the Kool-Aid hard on that campaign, (and subsequently vomited it up when it was revealed that he had indeed father a child with one of his staffers and lied about it). I thought I couldn't or wouldn't care for another candidate, but by being too proud I missed the opportunity to join either the Clinton or Obama campaign. Both were actively hiring and either would have introduced me to a whole new network of people that would have expanded my options moving into that general election and subsequent elections to come. Every election ends one way or another. Take time to decompress and grieve but not so much that you cut yourself off from possibilities in your career just so you can wallow.

2) Not managing a Congressional sooner The best career advice I ever received, which I will now pass on to you, is that it only gets harder to go out on the road. Every campaign you work on makes you more qualified for your next job and, especially if you are searching for a place at a consulting firm or PAC or committee job in DC, managing a marquee race is more or less a pre-requisite. I really resisted going out to manage after/before graduate school because I felt like it wasn't the lifestyle I wanted for myself in my late twenties. I wanted to date, and be in one place, and have a sense of security. Fast forward to my early to mid-thirties and I found (and find) myself out on the road with my then fiance, now husband, trying to navigate two campaign careers instead of one, because I wasn't qualified for the jobs I wanted in DC. Let's face it, working on a campaign can be exhilarating and rewarding but it's also physically, emotionally, and financially draining. While I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had over these past few cycles, I can tell you it doesn't get easier. I wish I had bitten the bullet and managed a big race earlier to put myself in a position to have more options now.

3) Waiting on my life because of campaigns Here's the corollary to what I just told you: you gotta live your life. When we got married we decided to put off our honeymoon because my husband and I had both recently started on Congressional campaigns. After the election, I was unemployed and not in the position to finance a trip to Europe. Then we got great jobs for the 2020 cycle and long story short, by the time we go on our long-awaited trip we will have been married for three years. This isn't just for fun stuff like vacations. I've put off things like going to the doctor, losing weight, and learning new skills. There will always be another election around the corner and it's easy to confuse a necessary sense of urgency with a sense that we are indispensable. If there is something you really want to do, make the plan and work around it. What's great is that we are moving into a new era of campaign culture that places more value on self-care. I guarantee work will still be there if you take a moment for yourself and you will be even more productive because of it.

4) Not applying to jobs as they came up Applying to jobs is draining and the last thing you want to do when you finally get one is to keep looking. Granted it doesn't always make sense to be searching for other opportunities, (don't worry Minnesota, you're stuck with me through November) but there have definitely been times when I was miserable on a campaign or just stuck at at a job without a definite end date. In 2016 I was in both those positions but felt like I couldn't look a) because I was exhausted and b) because I had made a commitment. Turns out the organization I was at ran out of funding for the program I was running and I found myself unemployed with very little warning anyway. If you see an opportunity you want, go for it and then you can make a decision about the next right move for you. It never hurts to apply to to stuff even if the end result is just making more connections or being in a better position to negotiate with your current employer.

5) Not diversifying my experience My first job out of college was as a field organizer and I fell in love with it so hard that it quickly became part of my identity. It never occurred to me that I should try finance or comms or God-forbid become one of the Hill people. Once you get to a certain point in your career it's more difficult to find ways to diversify your skill set without taking a pay cut. There are jobs I'm interested in now that I'd be qualified for if I had done just one year as a Congressional legislative assistant or a deputy press secretary. Who knows? I might have discovered something else I also love doing. Even if it didn't change anything about my career trajectory, now that I manage other departments having those experiences would undoubtably make me a better manager.

Don't get me wrong, I have had such amazing experiences and a #blessed career, but if this blog's purpose is anything it is to be the resource I wish I'd had and so there it is! Coming next...more mistakes from yours truly!

Campaign Love and Mine,

Nancy

Cringe-Inducing Mistakes That First Time Job Applicants Make

A while back, I asked a recent college grad who had reached out to me for helping finding a job if he would be interested in speaking with a colleague who was hiring for a short term position. He asked if he could get back to me and then sent a very earnest email, which included the cringe-inducing sentence, "My interest does not guarantee that I am accepting a position, only that I am open to hearing more." "Oh excuse me, your Highness," said my asshole brain before my empathy kicked in.

Because this person had asked for my feedback on his job applications before, I felt comfortable reaching out and explaining why you should never, ever put that in a networking or job application email. For one thing, no one is offering you a job until they offer you a job. For another, the job application process is about fit. Until you have an offer and have accepted, it is understood that you and your prospective employer are mutually trying to determine whether you are right for the job and the job is right for you. And finally, when it comes to entry and even mid-level jobs you need them more than they need you. That doesn't mean that your skills aren't valuable, but it does mean that no one is sitting around waiting for you to return their call or begging you to apply to their jobs.

I am reminded of this story because it's January and I am starting to get resumes and cover letters sent to me, many of which elicit a good ol' fashioned "oh honey, no." One of the most upsetting aspects of reading cover letters is recognizing application-tanking mistakes that I made when I was first starting out. In retrospect I should have known better, but I didn't because no one told me. Since in most cases it is not socially acceptable to call job applicants and patronizingly explain why they are not being considered for the position, I am putting some advice out there in the hopes of saving future little Nancys and other applicants from making similar mistakes. Here are some first time applicant faux pas to avoid at all costs.

2) Taking forever to get back to someone. (Number 1 was above.) This goes back to what I said about you needing a job more than they need you. I once took 3 weeks (three!) to send back a writing sample to a local Planned Parenthood affiliate. Needless to say I did not get that job. I have similarly been guilty of putting off responding to an email offering me an interview because I was waiting to hear back from another opportunity. I was simply not sure it was the right job for me but didn't want to turn down a bird in the hand. My experience has been that if you are that ambivalent about an opportunity it probably is not the right fit for you. Remember we work in a very small community so it is best to respect people's timelines, say "thank you but no thank you" and move along.

3) "You have the opportunity to hire a real pro." I don't care if you graduated summa cum laude from Harvard or held twelve internships. You are an entry level applicant and we know what we're getting. This is not about the "opportunity" being afforded your potential employer or to you for that matter, it is about your. fit. for. the. job. Give specific examples of what you have done and why you would be good at this position rather than extol your own virtues in general or hyperbolic terms. Show don't tell.

4) Grammar or spelling errors. This makes u look like a iddiot. Proofread and then proofread again.

5) "I feel I am the best fit for the job." Really? Have you met all the other applicants? Because one of them can fly. Avoid superlatives all together. While you're at it do your best to avoid "I feel" and "I believe" qualifiers that are just taking up space.

6) Attaching a letter of introduction from someone completely unrelated to the company or position. I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten unsolicited letters of introduction from deputy ambassadors and random state senators and congresspeople. In general it is never a good idea to submit materials or information beyond what is requested in the job description. Again, no one is impressed by you. We work in politics. We all know a state senator or interned on a congressional campaign. If you know someone who has a genuine connection to the organization or person with whom you are interviewing, by all means ask your mutual acquaintance to call or email on your behalf (in fact I highly suggest that you do so) but you should not be the one facilitating that communication.

7) "Let's face it, you're probably only going to skim this." On the spectrum of things that are the worst, writing cover letters falls right after actual tragedies and is more or less on par with moving and online dating. When crafting my own cover letters I am often tempted to write "I'M CAMPAIGNSICK DAMNIT!" and then drop the mic, but sadly for everyone that's just not the way things work. Cover letters are painful to write and painful to read, but they're the system we go by. Comments like the one above come off as snarky and anti-social even if they are intended to convey that which we are all thinking. No one wants to hire someone who doesn't play by the rules of doing business even when those rules are intensely stupid, so stop trying to reinvent the cover letter wheel.

8) Writing a non-cover letter cover letter. "Dear Nancy, Please see my application attached for the position you posted on your website. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Person who obviously did not read this blog post." There's a reason it's called a cover letter and not a cover sentence. Your cover letter is your opportunity to connect the experience on your resume to the position for which you are applying, so don't let it go to waste.

9) "References are available upon request." Yeah, I would freaking hope that if you are applying for a job with me you will provide application materials when I request them. This sentence is entirely unnecessary and should be obvious.

10) Criticizing the organization to which you are applying Believe me, it happens. Sometimes people try to proactively offer advice as to what they would do differently to show how they could add value at an organization but, as the kids say, it's not cute. Unless an interviewer asks you a specific question about how you would change an aspect of the organization, leave the overhaul until after you get the job.


So there you go. I hope I saved you some embarrassment! And sorry for the long hiatus, look forward to a slew of more articles this week! Happy New Year!!!




Campaign Love and Mine,



Nancy

Ask An Election Nerd: To Campaign or Not To Campaign?

First of all, I love your blog! I graduated from college a year ago, studying PoliSci, and have had a really comfortable job at a nonprofit for a year. We are going through a merger, which seems like a natural time to leave if I want to, and I have the opportunity to quit and work on a campaign. I really want to explore a career in politics, but I can't decide if I should leave my stable calm lifestyle for the uncertainty of campaigning! How do I choose what to do?!
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Not knowing you or the circumstances surrounding your life I say, "Go for it!" There is no better way to know whether you want to do something with your career than to try it and no better time to try working on campaigns than when you are fresh (or practically fresh) out of college. In general, the older you get, the less practical it becomes to drop everything and go work in the field. Especially when you are just starting out, you can get a gig on a campaign for only three or four months, so in that sense the investment is minimal.

There are some things to consider before I recklessly encourage you to take the plunge. Campaigns are physically and mentally taxing. You don't need to be a paragon of fitness or mental healthy by any means, but you do need to be in a place where you can work long hours in a fast-paced, stressful environment. Also, what will you do immediately after? Most campaign families will help you find your next job after the race is over, but that is by no means immediate or guaranteed. If you have nowhere to go (ie friends' couches, parents' house) or will be in crippling debt if you find yourself unemployed for a couple of months, then this might not be the time to make a move.

The tradeoff between stability and excitement is one I've often debated myself, and one that campaign people continue to debate throughout their careers. As you will note every person who written a "What I Wish I Had Known at 30" post thus far notes that their favorite thing about being in their 20's was the adventure and energy of being on campaigns. I will tell you that even my friends who only worked one or two cycles and ultimately decided it wasn't for them don't regret the experience. It is grueling, rewarding, intense, passionate, fulfilling work and I wouldn't trade a second of it. I hope you find the same to be true!

See you in the field?

-Nancy

Ask An Election Nerd: How Do I Translate Campaign Skills To a Non-Campaign Resume?

Dear Nancy,

I wondered if you might be able to give me some field-related advice. I've been transitioning out of campaigns and into other things, and I've found it difficult to explain in concise, jargon-free language exactly what it is a field director does. It's a massive job, as you know, and I want to do it justice, but I keep thinking of more things that need to be added to it. There are so many skills involved: statistics, project management, people management, data management, crisis management, logistics, outreach, community building, diplomacy, etc.

I keep on remembering more things involved: besides the basic things like writing the field and GOTV plans, and training and supervising FOs and ensuring that they make voter contact goals (which are themselves complicated operations to explain), there are so many little but important things: crafting simple but effective phone scripts, coordinating GOTV logistics, overseeing out-of-state vol housing, setting up good systems for data management that hundreds of vols can make sense of....

I know you're still in this business, but I remember from your blog that you went to grad school; did you ever have to explain what field is during your application process? If you have any suggestions for bullet-pointing this stuff, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks again for Campaignsick. It always makes me smile.

________________________________________________________________________________________________
Great question! Editing down one's resume is never easy, but it is especially daunting when switching careers. It's hard to know exactly what advice to give you without knowing what kinds of jobs you're applying for, but I'll do my best.

1)Tailor your resume to the job. Don't worry so much about how to express what you did, concentrate on showing that you have the skills and experience to do what they need you to do. Whenever you embark on a new job hunt, you should save a "master" version of your resume that includes all your job related skills and experiences in bullet points, even if this version is longer than a page. Then when you apply for jobs, you can pick and choose the bullets to include on your resume based on the specific job you're applying for. You're right. You can't possibly include everything you did as a Field Director, so the trick is narrowing things down to what's relevant. For example, if you are applying to work in Veterans Affairs and you were the point of contact for that constituency on a campaign, you should include the bullet point about organizing Veterans for Obama phone banks or an event focusing around military policy, even if these activities only took up 5% of your time.

2)Have a non-campaign friend proofread your resume. Preferably this should be someone with whom you have not discussed your campaign work at length. Ask your friend to reflect back what they think your skills and strengths are based on what they're reading, and to point out any places where you use terms or phrases with which they are unfamiliar.

3)Conduct an informational interview. I know this is my answer for just about everything, but advice is free and people love to give it. If you're moving into governement, law, non-profits, grad school or business, chances are there is someone in your network who has made the switch you're about to make. Find that person and ask them what campaign skills were particularly applicable in their new career.

4)Use your cover letter. If you can't find a succinct way to articulate how a certain experience qualifies you for a potential job, you can use your cover letter to bridge the gap. For example, if the job posting mentions the ability to meet goals under deadlines you can use your cover letter to expound upon a time that you organized a rally with a major surrogate on 48 hours notice.

5)Mirror the language in the job posting. Rather than reinvent the wheel, use the language in the job post to guide your resume bullet points. For example, a non-profit job may require you to "manage a diverse team of stakeholders," which in a excellent way to explain what you did by building and coordinating a campaign steering committee.


Good luck in your new adventures and thanks so much for reading!

Campaign Love and Mine,

Nancy

PS. If you like this advice, please support CampaignSick!

What I Wish I Had Known At 30 With Jessica Post

Jessica Post, 34, Political Advisor at EMILY's List

I don't want to say this is the best turning 30 advice post yet, because I feel that way every time I get one, but it is seriously really good. In addition to helping me get my current job and introducing me to my boyfriend, Jessica Post is a field/political badass of universal acclaim. My favorite thing about Post (besides validating my desire to go to bed at 11pm on weekends) is that she believes, like I do, in the importance of mentorship on campaigns, especially among women. That's probably why this advice is so good! Thank you, Jessica, for this and everything.

1)Tell us a little about your career path.
I started volunteering on campaigns in college, as a College Democrat at Truman State, in Kirksville, Missouri. From there, I managed a state legislative race in rural Missouri, then went on to work for the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee, where I desked the state house candidates in Eastern Missouri. I moved all around the country then moving to Iowa to be a field organizer for Congressman Dick Gephardt’s presidential campaign, doing dozens of campaign jobs, starting with a Regional Field Director for the 2004 Colorado Coordinated Campaign in Boulder, working for the Minnesota Senate DFL Caucus in 2006, managing a hospital bond initiative in 2007, after running part of GOTV for a Utah anti-school voucher initiative, Field Director for the Minnesota DFL Coordinated, directing the Southern Minnesota recount staff, that helped elect Al Franken in 2008, then to DLCC as the National Field Director and Political Director in 2010-2012, then on to EMILY’s List as a Political Advisor for federal and gubernatorial candidates in 2014.

In between cycles, I helped fight state beer tax increases as a consultant for Anheuser-Busch from 2003-2010, which was a great and rewarding contract. I also did a ton of off cycle work for FieldWorks, including working for Save Darfur Coalition on a divestment campaign in San Francisco, fighting a new casino in a state, and directing statewide signature gathering drives to put paid sick days on the ballot in Ohio for SEIU and a renewable portfolio standard for Renew Missouri. The off cycle work gained me great contacts, and experience across multiple states.

2)What are you most proud of?
I think I’m much more proud of moments in my career than key accomplishments, since you are always only a component of a win on a campaign. The Franken recount and ensuing win was a huge highlight of my life, but I was a small part of a giant team. One of the best moments for me during that race was driving down to a recount site in a Republican county, and seeing a high-powered Republican lobbyist try to intimidate one of our staffers, who we hired as an organizer at 19. Our training program and trust with this staffer was so strong, he was our site lead, and he refused to back down.

I’m also really proud of the field program we put together at DLCC. Last cycle, Dave Griggs, Graham Wilson, and I were able to launch the Grassroots Victory Program, which sent trained field organizers into legislative races, using field best practices, and emphasizing the findings of Analyst Institute for GOTV. Some of my proudest moments last cycle were walking into field offices, and watching volunteers explain the Analyst Institute GOTV best practices, such as the plan to vote script to other volunteers, and knowing they had that knowledge because of the program we ran at DLCC.

Finally, the achievements of fellow staffers I mentors, from interns on the ’04 campaign in Colorado, to the accomplishments of my regionals. I think we have an obligation to develop fellow staff and help them with their careers.

3)What is the best advice you've received?
There are so many great pieces of advice I’ve received across my career—one was to start my career managing a state house race, so I could decide what aspects of the job I liked.

Probably the best though, was to think more about what I would learn in a job, and if I would like doing it, then worrying about the title or salary early in my career. For that reason, I had a small role on a St. Louis Alderman’s race in 2007, essentially an FO, after working as a Statewide Field Director, and I learned a ton about working directly with candidates and city politics. I’m drawing on some of those lessons in my job today.

Campaigns are also a small world, so treat people well. Ultimately, we are all on the same team here.

4)What is the worst advice you've received?
I’d been told so many times to stop working at the state legislative level, to do more federal work instead—from 2006 when I went to Minnesota with the Senate DFL Caucus to 2010, when I joined the team at DLCC. State legislative work is fascinating, and some of the most innovative work I’ve seen on campaigns is by very good legislative caucus campaign directors and staff, who are absolutely not doing this work because their aunt knows the name of their candidate, or for their planned MSNBC commentator deal. State legislative campaigns are also professional, and disciplined in many caucus operations, which I think is underappreciated here in Washington. Working with the Minnesota House and Senate DFL Caucuses last cycle to regain the majority, and then seeing them pass marriage equality in Minnesota was one of the best moments of my career, and I would have missed out on that had I followed that advice.

In the same vein, I’ve often been told to take a job just for the money, which is also terrible advice. Take jobs and work that you find interesting and rewarding, where the work makes you light up like a pinball machine when you think about it. That’s how you know you are on the right track.

Career advice you receive is rarely objective, so know that most people giving you advice think you want their career or life, and advise accordingly. That’s where a lot of bad advice comes from, from folks trying to fill roles on campaigns or thinking you want to follow the same path as them.

5)What lesson are you still trying to learn?
To trust my instincts and speak up. So many decisions made on campaigns are based in the moment, without a ton of data points, still unfortunately, despite the great work being done by Analyst Institute and the growing list of tremendous analytics firms. I am continuing to work on trusting my gut.

6)What was the best thing about being in your 20s?
I loved being able to move around the country, work in different states, quickly make deep friendships on campaigns and do campaign work. I also felt like I could easily work 14 hour days, and still go to the bar some nights with my colleagues. I loved the freedom to learn, take on short projects, and have my engine running always. I loved how campaigns made learn new skills and made me take on new projects and responsibility quickly. I loved staying at the DFL office until 1 a.m. talking to then voter file manager Jaime Tincher about data, and then applying our conversations immediately, running VAN searches late into the evening to update our field and mail universes. While I didn’t love the moving, I became good at it, and I was fortunate to live in some amazing places, like St. Paul, Truckee (a California town near North Lake Tahoe),
and Boulder. To me, this felt like really living.

7)What one thing should I absolutely do before I turn 30?
I think you should try to accomplish some sort of personal, nonprofessional challenge—be it running a 10K, raising an amount for charity, or improving your yoga headstand. I think achieving some sort of milestone outside of work strengthens and renews you. I didn’t race my first triathlon until I was 31, but that is what it did for me.

Find a method of self-care, be it meditation, exercise, or binge watching Netflix that refills your tank for work, and makes you fired up to make a tracking spreadsheet after a few tough days.

I’d also take a trip where you stay out late drinking and cavorting in a major European city. And go out on U Street or Adams Morgan until 2 a.m., and eat Jumbo Slice. This gets much harder after 30. Those two things might not go together, however.

8)What's the best thing about being 34?
I think a lot of the anxiety about career choices that I felt in my mid-twenties has dissipated—where I would worry about taking one job over another—or if I was on the right path.

There’s no more fear of missing out. I am often happier at home on a Friday night than out, or walking my dog on Sunday morning, then working at home, than doing a multi-hour brunch. While I’m not perfect at it, I’m getting better at balancing being healthy with the obligations of this work.

9)What are you looking forward to?
I cannot imagine a better place to work than EMILY’s List. I am looking forward to our August primary season, and working with our candidates through the 2014 election cycle. We are so proud of their work responding to the Hobby Lobby case, and shining a light on sexual assault in the military and on campuses. Without our women in Congress, these issues would not have been brought to light. I can’t wait to see what the women we elect in 2014 will do in Congress.

10)What else?
We need more women campaign managers. If you are a young woman out there, no one is going to tell you are ready to manage. You will have to blaze that trail, and tell people you are ready. Don’t doubt yourself. I’d also say to the Campaignsickles, who are reading and have not taken the plunge yet, go out there to go take that campaign job.
There’s only so much you will learn if you don’t go out on the path.

If you are looking, check out jobbank.emilyslist.org, and create a profile and upload your resume. (Nancy's note: this is how I got my first job!)

Great advice! Thank you SO MUCH, Jessica. Campaign love and mine!

For more posts in this series click here, here and here and as always if you enjoy reading please considering supporting the blog by clicking here.

Ask An Election Nerd: Why Do Campaigns Post Jobs Anonymously?

I often see postings for campaign jobs that describe the campaign in vague-ish terms. So instead of "John Doe for Congress," I'll see "Top-tier midwestern congressional campaign." Why is that?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

There are several reasons a campaign might advertise jobs incognito, but most boil down to the fact that they don’t want you to know they are looking for staff.

It could be that the candidate hasn’t announced yet, in which case advertising for a Campaign Manger would certainly let the cat out of the bag. It could also be that the campaign is undergoing a staffing change and they would rather that not be publicized. A campaign could be beefing up an existing operation (for example hiring a large paid canvass) and not want to give the opposition time to catch up. In some cases a campaigns may be wary of alerting their constituents to the fact that they are employing “hired guns” aka campaign professionals, but I suspect/hope this attitude is dying out.

I suppose it’s possible that if I announced I was hiring a Finance Director, an opposing campaign could send a spy to apply to try and gather intel about our operation, but I doubt this happens or would be an effective use of their time.

Finally sometimes outside groups, like consulting firms, might post to help their client hire staff. If this is the case, they will want to be the ones to screen and pass on your resume and anonymity is a way of ensuring that the application goes through them.


Campaign Love and Mine,

Nancy

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Job Applications 101

Guys, we need to talk. Nothing hurts me like reading a terrible job application from a qualified organizer. While I realize that being a stickler for proper application etiquette is in some ways perpetuating a system of privilege, there are still ways for EVERYONE to figure out how to send a professional application. When I am trying to put together the best team for one of my candidates, I am not in business of mentoring or giving anyone the benefit of the doubt. So I am spelling it out for you here. Basic rules and etiquette for applying to jobs:

1) Your resume should only be a page. Yes, even yours.
The rule that the Federal government uses, and the rule that most people go by, is one page per 10 years of professional experience. Professional experience includes full-time work, paid work and meaningful internships. It does not include work in a completely unrelated field and it certainly doesn't include varsity debate club. If you have only a job or two under your belt or you are a career changer and you include that you were a server at a restaurant or that you were the president of your fraternity to show a record of responsibility and leadership, then that's great. But, there is no reason you should be running onto a second page because of publication in Space and Time magazine or the time you worked at an after-school daycare. If you have enough experience that you don't need these things as filler, then you should cut them.

If you are applying to jobs in more than one field you should have more than one resume. A long resume that is all over the place tells me that you don't have an idea of what kind of experience is relevant to this job (not good) or that you didn't care enough to tailor your resume for this position (also not good).

*"But," you say, "It's different when you work on campaigns! I have so many different races to list!" To which I would reply, if I am in a position to hire you, then I most likely have more experience than you and if I can fit my resume on a page so can you.

2) Send all of what is requested and ONLY what is requested.
You may think you are being helpful by providing references, or letters of recommendation, or a CV when I just asked for a resume, but what I hear is, "I can't follow directions." Next!

3) Use a professional email address.
Come on guys, really? Would you hire fireflyangel22@yahoo.com? Your email should be some form of your name at a school, business or gmail address. Email addresses are free, so there is no reason you should still be using one from 7th grade. While we're at it, it's not like I'm going to throw away a resume from earthlink or aol, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't admit that this gives me pause. It's 2014, get with the program.

4) If my name is in the job posting, use it.
As a job applicant, it is one of my pet peeves when the poster makes it impossible for me to figure out to whom I should address my cover letters. So when you are emailing me at nancy.leeds@organization.org and you write "to whom it may concern" I am having none of it. Who do you think it concerns? Not doing basic research or applying critical thinking shows me that you are either lazy or don't really care about this job, neither of which are qualities that make me inclined to respond to your inquiry.

5) Grammar, format, and spell check your resume and cover letter.
Again if you can't be bothered to edit it, I can't be bothered to respond to it. If you don't edit your own emails when applying for the job, why would I have any confidence that you would put care into communications on behalf of a campaign?

Bonus Tip: Always send your resume as PDF since documents may look different on different computers and PDFs are in a standard format that every computer should be able to open.

6) Avoid flowery or qualifying language.
Good writing is very important in a cover letter and on campaigns, but "good" doesn't necessarily mean "wordy." Hiring managers have a lot of cover letters to get through and they want them to be concise and effective. Tell me in plain English who you are and why you are a good fit for this job. Adjectives, adverbs and idioms should be used very sparingly.

By qualifying language I mean phrases like, "I believe," "In my opinion," "I feel," before making a statement about why you are an appropriate candidate for the position. I know you think it, you're the one writing it. Just say so! Qualifiers like these only undercut your argument by taking up space and making you sound insecure.

7) Make a specific link between your experience and the job in question.
Two things a cover letter should NOT be: a reiteration of your resume or a manifesto about how I can help you. Your resume should already tell me what you've done. If you have chosen to applying for the job I assume that the position somehow fits with your personal goals and that is all the information I need about those at this time. You do not need to include an objective. Your cover letter should illustrate how your skills and experience match an organization's needs, not your own. Identify what the campaign is looking for and show how you're a match. For example, if I say I need a self starter who can hit the ground running, use your cover letter to let me know about a time when you single-handedly turned a campaign around.

I'm with you, writing cover letters is the worst! I just want to attach my resume and then write in all caps "BUT I'M NANCY!!!" However, the world doesn't work like that. My hope is that these tips will allow you to get your foot in the door so that your passion and experience and show through. Go forth my little CampaignSicles! Shine your light into the world!

CL&M,

Nancy


PS. Please consider supporting CampaignSick

This Blog Post Will Self-Destruct

You've probably heard me tell it. The story goes like this. When I was in college I wanted to be a spy. I applied to what the CIA calls its "Professional Trainee Program" (since you can't be an Operations Officer until you're 25) and got to the point where I was invited to go down to Virginia for my psych evaluation. Realizing that the next step was my security clearance and that that could take 6-9 months, I started looking for another job after graduation.

After combing the Tufts Alumni Network for jobs that sounded interesting, I came across a listing for Jordan Karp, Campaign Manager. I emailed him (along with several other less exciting candidates) asking for an informational interview. What I received in return was a 4 paragraph long email detailing the good, the bad and the ugly of working on Democratic campaigns. "You'll work 14 hours days but your coworkers will be your best friends. You'll eat sleep and breathe your job, but you will also wear pajamas to work and drink vodka in the office. You'll get screamed at by strangers, but you'll wake up every day knowing that what you do makes a difference. It will be the hardest most rewarding thing you ever do." I'm paraphrasing, but I wish I had saved that email because it changed my life. Shortly after that exchange I took a job as a Field Organizer with the 2006 Minnesota Democratic Coordinated Campaign, fell in love with it, withdrew my application to the CIA and never looked back.

It's hard to imagine myself as a member of the Clandestine Services now, since my life is so thoroughly steeped in campaigns, but for a year in my early 20's I pursued my application to the CIA with the single-minded devotion I now reserve for GOTV recruitment and Arrested Development trivia. However, a recent Salon.com article, my birthday and my current job search have me doing some reflecting. No doubt my life would have been very different without that email, no matter where I wound up. Here are five ways that working on a campaign is like being a spy:

1) It's About Relationship Building. What we would think of as "spies" don't do a whole lot of spying. Most of what they do is recruit and collect information from key foreign nationals by persuading them that helping the US government would be in their favor. The job requires the ability to build trust, the insight to find out what motivates different people and in addition to staunch loyalty to the cause, a devotion and fiercely protective attitude toward those you recruit since they are likely putting themselves in harm's way to help you. Sound similar to anything you know? In fact "spies" are called Operations Officers or sometimes even, you guessed it, "Field Operatives."

2) People Have Strong, Ill-Informed Opinions About Your Job. When I told people I wanted to join the CIA (before I had to stop telling people I wanted to join the CIA because it looked like I might actually do it) I got a variation of one of two reactions, either "ARE YOU CRAZY?" or "That's SO COOL!" which are pretty much the same reactions I get when I tell people what I do now. People have no idea what your job actually entails, but that doesn't stop them on offering their "expert" advice on whether and how you should be doing it. Moreover, people are happy to reap the benefits of you having done your job while spouting off their NPR or Fox News gained opinions about the morality of you doing it.

3)You Drink the Patriotic Kool-Aid I know what people think; Democratic campaign operatives are all about raging against the machine. But my friends will tell you I'm very patriotic, sickeningly so. You have to be to do what we do, because what we do is sell a belief in American democracy, and you can't sell a product you don't believe in. If anything, working on campaigns has made me more patriotic as I've seen faith in the system (sometimes) rewarded. To me, the kind of patriotism you have to have to ask people to risk their lives to bring you information is similar to the kind of patriotism you have to have to call people day in and day out and ask them to give up their time. It's the kind of patriotism you choose to have, the kind you have to have because without it, your entire world view kind of falls apart.

4) You Have to Constantly Be Aware of Your Surroundings. Let me tell you a story about a charming and dynamic GOTV Director I know named Fancy. Fancy was blowing off some steam at a victory party when she non-nonchalantly remarked to a friend, "This was the strangest field campaign I've ever worked on." No sooner had these words left our beautiful heroine's lips than a reporter spun around on her bar stool like Dr. Claw stroking MAD cat and said, "I'm with the New York Times. Can you tell me what made you say that?" "Nope!," Fancy exclaimed and she ran away. Fancy was lucky that she narrowly escaped danger, but it served as a good reminder that as a representative of her candidate, she was never off the clock. True, campaign work is not as clandestine in nature as working for the Central Intelligence Agency, but in both cases your life is not fully your own. Which brings me to point 5...

5)It Makes "Having a Life" Nigh Impossible. This is probably the biggest similarity between clandestine services and political campaigns. Both require major sacrifices for your job. I hate to admit it, because is sounds so twisted, but a lot of what appealed to me about both career paths was the absurdity of them, the total immersion, the intensity. I have always been an intense person. After 4 years of my life being about sickness (I was diagnosed with a chronic illness shortly before my Freshman year of college) I was ready for it to be about something else and the further removed the better. One of the biggest blessings of working on campaigns is that they can be an escape from your troubles. At the same time self-care, friendships and relationships tend to fall by the wayside. One of my college friends jokes that she's never sure I didn't join the CIA since I disappear for large swaths of time and am effectively out of communication.

Say what you will about the ethics of our international intelligence operations, when it comes to the popular imagination spies are considered heroic, sexy, and highly intelligent whereas campaigners are considered...annoying? But I can tell you that my choice to follow that fateful email was one of the best and most important in my life and I can't imagine contributing more to my country in any other way. Just as much as operations officers, we are the unsung heroes who protect American values and that, my fellow field operatives, is badass.


Secret AGENT Nance! Secret AGENT Nance! She's calling for your numbers and taking away your name...

To Washington On My 29th Birthday

Over the course of my seven years in politics, I've given a number of very legitimate reasons for not to wanting to move to DC.

When it comes to living on the East Coast, New York has DC beat in nearly every facet: food, theater, diversity, pop culture and everything in between. Even growing up as a New York City suburbanite and then a campaign nomad, I always imagined myself packing it in and moving to Manhattan. As John Updike famously said, "The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding."

In addition, I've never shared the desire that many of my friends have to work where the sausage gets made. I got into politics as a fluke and stayed in because of the satisfaction I get out of empowering people. "Those on Capitol Hill," I would say to the approval of my Midwestern and Southern campaign constituents, "are empowered enough." Campaigns are my wheelhouse. I'm out of my element when it comes to any discussion of what happens on the hill.

There are other personal reasons I've never wanted to live in our nation's capitol. For one, the place is a veritable exboyfriend convention. I went down for the inauguration last January and ran into four people I've dated over the course of three events. DC is also less than ideal for someone who is as directionally challenged as I am. In what Earthly realm does New Jersey intersect with Louisiana? Then there are the complaints that everyone has about DC: People in DC work all the time, which is true; all anyone talks about is politics; everyone who's ever gotten a Congressman his coffee think he's Fareed Zakaria.

The thing is, the further away I get from campaigns, the more I miss talking about work all the time and being surrounded by people who get where I'm coming from. I even made a blog out of it. Besides the older my friends and I get, the more humility my social set seems to have about our livelihoods as we realize that for all of us, politicos, lawyers, and doctors alike, the brass ring will forever be a moving target. And so in my old age (I turn 29 next week) I find myself for the first time with my sights set on Washington, sending flurries of networking emails, braving the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike and posting Facebook inquiries about DC Yoga Studios and where to find the best Bloody Mary, in an effort to convince myself that DC is livable.

And old age it is. When I left for grad school I wrote a Dear John letter explaining that while campaigns had meant the world to me, it was time to grow up and be an adult. I was intimidated, terrified really. A lease? An apartment? Living in the same place for two years? Leaving campaigns meant relinquishing my best excuses as to why my life wasn't going the way I wanted it to. Campaigns left little time for diet and exercise, or relationships, or most importantly introspection. Even scarier than the prospect of leaving campaigns for adulthood was the prospect that it wouldn't take. I knew that it was possible I would come out of those two years saying to campaigns, "it's not you, it's me." What if I couldn't be happy without the excitement of campaign life? What if I learned I had to choose between the work that has defined my life and having a life at all? In 2011 I wrote:

I looked around, thought about what I want in my life and realized that,for me, the campaign lifestyle wasn't sustainable. I'm proud that I had the courage and the wisdom to make that decision but that doesn't mean there's nothing to mourn.

I could say maybe in a couple years, who knows what will happen, but I don't want to lead myself on. In three years we both will have changed so much we'll barely recognize each other. When I do become involved again, it will be in a totally different capacity. I'm hoping we'll still be friends, but that's gonna be hard without falling back in.

In many tangible ways, I am not the adult I had hoped I would be by the time I finished grad school. I don't have a job, I'm single, if anything I weigh more than I did when I matriculated. Yet I have to tell you I have never felt like more of a grown-up.

And that leads me to the real reason I never wanted to move to DC. It wasn't the nightlife, or the (lower case p) politics or the exboyfriends. Deep down, part of me always suspected that my former coworkers who moved to Washington were leading lives of quiet desperation, spending their days at happy hours and hiking in Virginia and fantasy football to fill the void left by campaigns. You see, the true campaign person secretly believes that people doing anything else have to be, in some sense, kidding. Grad school felt like beginning adulthood, but DC felt like buying a house in the suburbs. One of my favorite comedians, Mike Birbiglia, has this line about how he didn't want to get married until he was sure nothing else good could happen in his life, and that's how I felt about DC. Just this great resignation.

Mike Birbiglia is married now and as far as I can tell good things continue to happen to him. He had a feature film produced last year. Maybe the same forces that drive men who are commitment-phobes in their 20's to get married in their 30's are what lead me to lustfully skim DC apartments on Craigslist at 29. What I know now that I didn't know two years ago is that no one really feels like an adult all of the time. (To wit, I recently walked in on my mother dressing a barbie doll as Miley Cyrus whining, "IT DOESN'T LOOK REEAAAAL.") That said, I've noticed that valuing flexibility and fervor over stability and self-care no longer feels authentic to me. Moreover, admitting that no longer feels like a betrayal. I still don't feel ready to write the eulogy on my sense of adventure, but I don't need to wear it on my sleeve to know that it's there. I can change what I want without changing who I am. After all, I could live alone on a mountain top, but I would always be a campaign person.

And that is the most valuable thing I could have gotten from these past two years: not a boyfriend, or a job, or a leaner midsection, but the confidence and sense of self to have none of those things, to be completely out of my element, and to know that I will be okay. I've had jobs and boyfriends and a waist before and I have the tools to get them again. So maybe stability is my next big adventure. Maybe it's something else. But if all goes according to plan, it may just be in DC.*



































*Unless I get the one job I am applying to in New York.

Ask an Election Nerd: Will Volunteering on a Campaign Help Me Get a Job?

Now that the NYC primaries are over I have gotten questions from no fewer than three non-campaign colleagues asking if volunteering on general election campaigns might help them get a job in the administration. The short answer is no, probably not, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Here's why volunteering for a candidate is a bad strategy for trying to get a job once that candidate is elected into office.

1) Campaign staff can't even get the jobs they want in government. After every campaign there are always a plucky bunch of campaign staffers who attempt to follow their candidate to the hill, the state house, or respective government and district offices. While some are successful, time and time again I have seen my friends passed over for government jobs because there simply aren't enough positions for people who don't have previous legislative/government experience. It's true, lots of newly elected New York City officials will be looking to hire staff in November, but many will be bringing their staff with them. The remaining positions are likely to go to staffers with experience elsewhere in the city or state government who have just lost their jobs to the new election. Then there are political favors to account for, interns, campaign staffers etc. If it's so competitive for campaign staffers to get these jobs, what are the chances of you as a volunteer making the cut through the same avenue?

2) The ratio of volunteers to staff jobs is insane. Even on the crummiest, most bare-bones campaign I have ever worked on, I had 100 volunteer shifts on election day. Sure, not all of these volunteers are patronage seekers, but supply and demand is just not in your favor here (see above). To the extent that campaign volunteers do wind up hired on in the administration as a result of volunteer efforts, these are almost always people who have been working non-stop since the beginning of the campaign. If getting a job is the only reason you are thinking of volunteering, given the amount of work you would have to put in to make that plausible you would probably be better off putting that time and energy into applying for jobs or networking in other ways.

3) The work you will be doing bears no resemblance to the work done in a government office. Perhaps you think you will be able to usurp these supervols with your public policy skill set and political acumen. If you come in to my office to volunteer, I am going to ask you to knock doors and make phone calls. If you tell me you really think you would be more valuable to the campaign working on policy or communications, I am going to laugh at you and be even less inclined to help you. Then I am going to tell you to knock doors and make phone calls again. The type of volunteer work we need on a campaign is not very cerebral and won't give you the chance to show off your knowledge or talent, impressive as they may be. It is also very hard work to sustain doing happily if you are in it for the wrong reasons.

Bottom Line: No matter how dedicated or talented you are, you are not going to waltz in with a little over a month to go and waltz out with a community affairs position.

That said, there are a lot of very good reasons to volunteer on a campaign while you're on the job-prowl and I would absolutely encourage you to do so. Volunteering on a campaign WILL help you meet a lot of new people and make some good local political connections. In my experience if you do good solid work for campaign people, we are more than willing to go out of our way to help you when you need it. It might not be a job for the candidate, but maybe we know of an opening in another office, or maybe we will be able to recommend you when you find yourself applying for another position. Getting involved with a campaign also helps add structure and a sense of empowerment during the often very depressing job hunt. It gives you something to get up and do and be proud of, which I think helps you be more motivated and marketable in other parts of your life.

Also, in my personal and biased opinion, campaign people are one hell of a good time. We may not be able to pay you a salary but we are more than happy to pay you in pizza, appreciation and a fun environment that is more irreverent and fast-paced than you will find in most volunteer positions. Come see for yourself! Here's wishing us both luck on our job hunt!

Campaign Love and Mine,

Nance

Sh*t Non-Campaign People Say

The day after this past general election I got a gchat from one of my best friends from high school. This was our conversation:

Him: Last night was so much fun! My friend had an election watch party at her house and we had the cupcakes with donkeys on them. We stayed up all night partying and when he won it was insane people were crying and dancing and hugging each other, even if they didn't know each other.

Me: That's awesome...you know my candidate didn't win.

Him: Oh, I didn't realize that.

Me: I'm glad you had fun. Why did you have a party? Did you wind up volunteering with the Obama campaign?

Him: No, I was too busy. We were going to have a fundraiser at the law school but I decided it was too much work.

Me: Okay, I gotta go meet my coworkers. I'm glad you had fun.

If you're like me and you work on campaigns, the above conversation made you cringe. It feels like a Highlights Magazine, "Can you spot the mistakes?" I've often teased (and fought with) this friend over his sometimes oblivious behavior, but I also know he is the last person in the world who would intentionally say something hurtful to me. I've been meaning to tackle this issue for a while and last night's loss in conjunction with some recent scandals in New York politics reminded me that it is long overdue. If you have friends or family who do my job or something like it check out these common campaign scenarios for what we do and definitely don't want to hear:

IF YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW IT WENT...
Don't Say...
Did you win? In today's age of google and google alerts, there is virtually no excuse for you not to know the answer to that question. If you are close enough with me to be getting in touch during such an emotional moment, then you are close enough to have learned my candidate's name and find out this information yourself. If the answer to your question is "no," the last thing I want to do is have that disappointing conversation with over and over again while I am still trying to comfort my candidate and my staff and tie up the inevitable loose ends. Even when the answer is yes, it's hurtful that at one of the most important moments of my professional life, you couldn't put in the minimal effort to check the local paper or set up a google alert.

Congratulations! It seems obvious not to congratulate someone until you know whether or not they've won an election, but it happens. I can't tell you how many congratulatory texts I got when we lost last November. I was extremely relieved and proud of our Senate and Presidential victories, and excited for and and proud of my friends who worked on them. I also did feel that I had a personal stake in these races, thanks to the organizers I'd mentored and campaigns for whom I'd volunteered and who read my blog. When I got congratulatory texts that acknowledged my work on these races as well a "better luck next time" in Texas, I was touched. When I got blanket congratulatory texts, I was annoyed mostly because I knew my compatriots who had been working much longer and harder than I had were getting them too. These texts, however well meaning, felt like they were saying, "well but in the grand scheme of things that little Congressional race isn't important." All elections are important especially the ones I work on or I wouldn't work on them. My efforts in Texas were valid, and more importantly my friends' were.

What you can say: (Since you will have looked up the election result...) I just saw that you won! Congratulations! (see below for what to say for a loss.)

IN GENERAL...
On or off a campaign, I can't stand when someone says one of the following sentences:
Someone called/came to my house the other day and I was polite to them because of you. Really? You weren't polite to them because you are a good and decent person? You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how cruel and smug people can be when you're just calling them to ask for their vote. Field organizing can be incredibly draining and degrading, but we do it because we believe passionately in these candidates and causes--candidates and causes that will improve your lives as well as ours. It's pretty disheartening to imply that the only people who are obligated to treat us with respect are people who happen to know someone in the campaign world.

I find those phone calls really annoying. Great. No one asked you. That's what I've chosen to do with my life and you might not like it, but it's a necessary evil of my job. I find flossing really annoying, also homework, legal bills, nutrition advice and any form of artistic angst, but that's not the first thing I say to people I care about when it comes to their jobs, because that would be rude.

Those calls can't possibly do anything. You're right. I've devoted my life to something completely stupid and useless because I love getting chewed out by ignorant strangers on a daily basis. Phone calls work. There are studies to prove it. They probably work on you and you just don't realize it. It is a fact, not a matter of opinion or your individual experience. I don't tell doctors what treatments are effective, or sommeliers what wines go with fish. I'm the expert here, not you and I'm telling you they work. End of discussion.

What you can say: I got a political phone call at the house and it made me think of you. You're amazing to put up with all those rude people.

WHILE HE OR SHE IS ON A CAMPAIGN...
I don't have time to volunteer because... If we ask you to volunteer, that's one thing, but if you're in Ohio and I'm Florida in and you're just trying to assuage your guilt, take it somewhere else. Fundamentally we get that not everyone is going to volunteer on a campaign, I promise we do. On a day-to-day basis, however, the average field organizer spends about four hours straight making phone calls asking people to volunteer and another two hours doing so in the office or at events. It is enervating, humiliating work where people lie to your face and smirk about it. In order to do what it takes to win, we have to temporarily convince ourselves that volunteering on a campaign is the most important thing in the world and that people who don't do it are either ignorant or selfish. We don't want to think of you as "one of those people." When it comes to the issue of friends and family receiving volunteer recruitment calls, it's best to operate on a don't ask don't tell basis.

But you have to have ONE night off to hang out... No, I don't! I wish I did! I don't even have time to shower! I know you miss us, believe me, we miss you too, but it's bad enough to think about what we're missing back home without being made to feel guilty about it. Some things like engagements, break-ups, medical emergencies, deserve our attention and it's on us to be there for you at least via phone call no matter what, but for the most part we are under an enormous amount of pressure and it hurts when the people who we most count on for support don't get that.

What you can say: I miss you, but I am so proud of how hard you're working. I can't wait to do (activity you enjoy together) when you're done!

AFTER HIS OR HER BOSS RESIGNS OR DROPS OUT IN SCANDAL...
Unfortunately, a topic with which I have first hand experience.
What's going on? If I'm in a position to know, I can't tell you.

Did you know? Yep! I packed up my entire life and moved to the middle of nowhere at great peril to my relationships and health to work at less than minimum wage for John Edwards knowing he was a lying bag of garbage and that if he were to get the nomination it would be an irreparable disaster for the Democratic party. No, of course, not! How could you know me and think I would knowingly work for someone who would cheat on his wife while she had cancer, not to mention risk another four years of Republican presidency? I think of all the DON'Ts on this list, this one hurts the most. Really? Really?

I never trusted him. Well aren't we Holly Hindsight? I was wrong. I get it. It's embarrassing enough on its own without other people pointing out how "obvious" it was.

Politicians are all scum. Okay, to some extent, yeah. But I still do this job and so I have to believe that there are good guys out there somewhere. Look, in a democracy we get the leaders we deserve. A lack of faith in politicians and the political system is exactly what I'm fighting against big picture, and exactly why sleazy people get ahead. So while I know this is meant to make me feel better, it doesn't.

What you can say: I have no idea how you must be feeling. I love you and I'm sorry you're going through this.

AFTER A LOSS...
The system is broken. Please see above.

Well what do you expect? It's Texas, South Carolina, etc. I have been guilty of saying this myself. "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown." The thing is a) as a campaign nomad I've already heard enough regional stereotypes to last me a lifetime and b) if we only worked safe races nothing would ever change. Campaign people should be commended for giving it their all in enemy territory, not treated like they've just returned from a fool's errand.

What you can say: I just saw. That's such a bummer. I hope you are proud of all your hard work and celebrating that tonight even though the result blows.

I get it. Campaign people can be narcissistic, one-track-minded pains in the butt. I should know; I am one and I live among them. Please understand though, we live our lives as public commodities all day every day. We take a lot of abuse and we CAN'T fight back because we are representing our cause or candidate. That's why we can be extra-sensitive in the brief interactions where those things are not at stake. The upside is if you can put up with us, we tend to reward you by extending the same passion and dedication we have for campaigns into our personal relationships.

Campaign Love and Mine,
Nancy

Watch This!

Hi all! I'm finishing up grad school and I am trying (emphasis on trying) to put all my energy into that so I can graduate and get back to what I love best! That would be working with you guys.

In the meantime, I wanted to share the video above. I am thrilled and surprised that I'm getting more and more questions not just about how to organizer, but how to be. I'm looking forward to summarizing for you both my research in grad school about women in the public sphere as well as sharing what I've learned about myself in the 2 years I've been "out of the game" (and arguably more in it than I've ever been.) I think the talk above is a really required viewing for well, anyone.

Enjoy!

Ask An Election Nerd: Help, I Still Don't Have a Job!

I've gotten so many questions on this, I thought I'd share my thoughts and reactions to the whole crop. Please, as always, take what's relevant and disregard the rest. I warn you in advance, if you thought my last post was tough lovely, in the words of Bachman Turner Overdrive, "Baby, you ain't seen nothing yet." I feel you and I want to help each and every one of you get a job, which is why I would never want to give you unrealistic expectations or advice.

Let me start off by saying, this is not a problem unique to the campaign world. That's why there are so many sitcom episodes about how much unemployment sucks. The job search, like dating, and apartment hunting in New York, is frustrating, humiliating, demoralizing and part of being an adult. Welcome. That doesn't make it any less frustrating, but I do think there is value in separating out what are "campaign problems" from what are "life problems." Of course the thing that makes our job different is that campaigns have expiration dates so unemployment is more common and an inevitable occurrence.

As many, many of you have pointed out, the job search is especially difficult in an off year. However, there are still plenty of campaigns happening in 2013 (New York City, New Jersey, Virgina plus a variety of individual local and special elections.) Although there are fewer organizing jobs, there are fewer people vying for those spots. Think of how many of your coworkers took time off from their regular careers to work for the President because he was, well the President. People were coming out of the woodwork for the Presidential and Senatorial campaigns. That's not going to be the case this year. In addition many, many organizers are one and done when it comes to campaigns. I'm sure you have as many if not more broworkers that want to go work in the administration or go to law school. There are proportionally enough campaign jobs to go around. Just maybe not on your terms

A lot of first time organizers get their first campaign job right out of college, the end of which coincides with the time of year when field campaigns staff up for lower level positions. The good news is the longer you work on campaigns, the shorter your wait time will become, as senior positions hire much earlier in the cycle. However, that doesn't help you right now. If you are financially strapped, you might need to get a temp job. I tutored the SAT and worked part time as a receptionist between my first two organizing jobs. It was not ideal, but it was one of the only instances in my life when I've had both disposable income and free time. It was also a good reminder of why I need to be doing a job I care about.

In addition, you may need to widen your scope. If you want to be successful as a career organizer, you need to be willing to move where the jobs are and to work on campaigns at multiple legislative levels. I never expected to wind up running a City Council race in 2009, after having worked on only statewides and the Presidential, but (outside of the Edwards campaign) it turned out to be the biggest learning experience of my professional life- as well the source of many important NYC friendships. Though I've advised you in the past not to settle for a job that doesn't move your career forward and I stand by that, that doesn't mean you won't have to make compromises. If you are unwilling/able to travel or to work on a smaller campaign (which, if you've only done a big one, is a wonderful experience and I can't advocate enough) then you may want to look outside the box into the union or non-profit world, at least temporarily. Either way, think of this cycle as a way to diversify your portfolio.

Speaking of which, be realistic about the type of job you are ready for. If you were a first time organizer with 5 months experience, you are not qualified to be a Regional Field Director. That's not to say that people never "skip a grade", but it is very, very unlikely to happen especially in a year like this when campaign jobs are in a sellers' market. I empathize. After having a great relationship with my Regional on my first campaign, I was very eager for organizing babies of my own. However, after my second stint as an organizer, I realized how important having multiple campaign experiences was to my management style. Believe it or not, you will miss being an organizer when you move on.

Finally, I have to say I was disappointed by the number of messages in my inbox saying, "How come my broworkers have jobs and I don't?" You are not your broworkers! Although we are all broadly competing for the same jobs, your career path is your own. Take it from a white girl who has just started taking Zumba, no good can come from comparing yourself to other people. Campaign jobs have their ups and downs. What might look like a great job from the outside can quickly become a disappointment. You never know what great opportunity you have kept yourself open for by not getting the job that your broworker did...or what choices s/he made to get there. The same way you might miss out on dating a guy you liked only to have a better one come along, if you didn't get it it wasn't your job. I have been on both the giving and receiving end of this sentiment and either way it is karmically sucks. You stop that right now!

Being unemployed is exceedingly crappy. I am about to be there myself. Just don't let it get you stuck in a trap of negative thinking. Keep on plugging! It takes time and persistence. If you have not seen it yet, please check out this massive compilation of DC/Campaign job listserves submitted by one of my ultra-fabulous followers. It is a gold mine! There were things on there I hadn't even heard of, so there's bound to be at least one stone you have left unturned. In the meantime, I am here for you. Keep sending your questions, keep supporting each other and keep doing your thing.

Campaign Love and Mine,
Nancy