HOW TO GET A JOB AT THE WHITE HOUSE

One of the President's top priorities is to select men and women with outstanding abilities to service their country in key administrative positions in his administration. President Bush said, "The success of the Bush-Cheney administration will depend on the quality appointees we choose to join us to lead this nation in the years ahead and we'll be looking for people who are willing to work hard to do what is best for America, who examine the facts and do what is right whether or not it is popular. We'll be looking for people from across the country and from every walk of life. I welcome all who are ready for this great challenge to apply for a position with our administration.

Presidential appointments is an ongoing effort. Some of President Bush's appointments will require Senate confirmation. These appointments are for positions throughout the federal government, for the Cabinet and subcabinet, for members of regulatory commissions, for ambassadorships, for judgeships and for members of numerous advisory boards. The President will also make other political  appointments that do not require Senate confirmation.

                

However, government service is not for everyone. Anyone thinking about applying should be aware that the hours are long and the pace intense, this is much public/press scrutiny, as you would expect in an open, democratic form of government such as ours and most applicants under serious consideration for an appointment will go through a full FBI background check in

which their employment, professional, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and educational histories will be reviewed and scrutinized. The financial holdings and sources of income for most applicants under serious consideration must be disclosed for review for possible conflicts of interest, and any conflicts must be remedied by divestiture, the creation of special

trusts, etc. Most appointees dealings with the Federal government during and for a period of time after their service will be significantly restricted to prevent possible conflicts of interest.

If any of these requirements and investigations might reveal information that is embarrassing and illegal, it's best you withdraw your application and seek employment elsewhere. This include problems with credit, child support, criminal records, etc.

                

Anyone wanting to apply for a non-career position in the Executive Office of the President or a Federal Department, Agency or Commission should first fill out the necessary application forms. Your information will be kept on file for as long as the President is in office, and you will be considered for the position(s) or subject area(s) in which you have expressed an interest whenever openings occur.

If and when you are considered for a specific position, you will be asked to fill out a Personal Data Statement for White House review. At this point you will be asked about possible conflicts of interest deriving from your sources of income; all aspects of your personal and professional life, including organizations to which you belong or once belonged; speeches you may have given and books, articles, and editorials you may have written; legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings to which you may have been a party; in short, anything that might embarrass the President or you if he should choose you for a position in his administration. If the White House decides you're a possibility, you'll be asked to fill out FBI and financial disclosure forms for subsequent review and approval. To have a better understanding of the information you will be asked to provide, you can review the security clearance form for National Security Positions. You should know that most appointees are required to file financial disclosure statements annually during their service.

                 

If the position for which you are being considered requires Senate confirmation, the Senate committee that reviews nominations for that position may ask you to provide  additional information. You should assume that all the information you provide during any part of this process is ultimately subject to public disclosure, if requested, per the Freedom of Information This process is very demanding of the applicant, as the jobs and appointments are demanding of those selected for them.

You can obtain additional information on applying for a position from the

Presidential Personnel Office

The White House

Washington, DC 20502

Fax: 202-456-1121

Phone: 202-456-9713

There are some White House and government job vacancies posted at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/oa/jobs/