Working for Congress is a very rewarding experience. But with 100 Senators, 435 Members of Congress and scores of committees and subcommittees, it can be difficult to know where to begin. There are a couple of places where you can go to find assistance in your job search. The Senate and the House of Representatives both maintain placement offices to help job seekers and Senate and Congressional offices looking to fill positions.

SENATE PLACEMENT OFFICE

The nonpartisan Senate Placement Office provides Senators and Senate committees with assistance in filling professional and support position vacancies on their staffs by providing, upon request, applications of qualified candidates. The office maintains files for full-time, part-time and temporary applicants and conducts informational interviews.

When a Senate office requests assistance in filling a position, an order describing skill and experience requirements is listed with the Placement Office. The Placement Office then selects applications and resumes of candidates from its talent bank with suitable education, experience and skills for that position. The applications and resumes are sent to the requesting Senate office for its review.

The Senate Placement Office also posts a weekly Senate Employment Bulletin every Friday evening with job listings from Senate offices and committees. Printed copies are available on Tuesday morning. The Senate Placement Office also records the positions in that week's employment bulletin on its Job Line -- (202) 228-JOBS.

Job seekers can drop off a resume for each position in which they are interested. The Senate Placement Office will forward the resume to the office that placed the listing. The Senate office will then get in touch with the applicant directly to schedule an interview.

Each Senate office is an independent employer with independent job requirements, salaries and conditions of employment. The Placement Office has no hiring authority nor does it control salaries or job requirements.

Staff positions in the Senate are usually classified as administrative, legislative, press related or support. Some common position titles are: administrative assistant or chief of staff; legislative director; legislative assistant; legislative correspondent; press secretary; office manager; executive assistant; systems administrator; receptionist and staff assistant. In addition, committees employ specialists in specific subject areas.

All applicants are invited to visit the Senate Placement Office to complete an application, submit a resume and interview with a counselor. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and operates on a walk-in basis. Interviewing hours Monday through Friday begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. The Placement Office does not conduct interviews each day from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

More information can be found at the Senate Placement Office web site.

HOUSE PLACEMENT OFFICE

The House Placement Office maintains a binder with job listings from House members and committees. Job hunters may only look at the binder in the House Placement Office. Applicants may leave a resume for each position in which they are interested and the House Placement Office will forward the resume to the office that placed the listing.

The House Placement Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The House of Representatives Job Line is 202-226-4504.

More information can be found at the U.S. House of Representatives Employment Opportunities web site.