Hello, my name is [Blog article]: David. I will be your host for today’s tutorial about writing samples. I’m sure that you’re wondering what kind of sample you should take to get a job in Congress. There’s a lot of different opinions on this matter, but I think that you should take a look at the specialties that are needed to be successful in Congress.
Legislative Drafting
Starting with legislative drafting, this is the most important area that you’ll have to demonstrate your writing skills. You’ll have to be able to take a complex subject and break it down into manageable parts. This is extremely important because members of Congress have to work with large teams of people to get their bills passed. Their schedules are very busy and they have to fit in as much work as possible, so they can’t afford to be burdened with a long, complicated piece of legislation. They need people who can handle multiple tasks and deliver high-quality work quickly. Many members of Congress have different specialties that they need help with. Some of the subjects that you’ll have to deal with include taxes, spending, healthcare, and the environment. Your writing sample may include one or more of these subjects. The more that you know about the subject matter, the better. This will make it easier for you to approach the assignment with fresh ideas and creative solutions. If you’re worried about how much knowledge you have about a certain subject, then you should probably find out more about it before you start writing your sample. Remember: this is just an example. You’ll have to tailor your writing sample to the needs of the employer.
Political Analysis
The amount of time that you spend on political analysis will depend on the employer. Some employers will want you to be up to date on all the major news stories that have occurred over the past year. For others, they may just want to know what your opinion is on current events. Regardless, you’ll still have to demonstrate that you can analyze a piece of news or current affairs and put things into context. You should strive to be as objective as possible. This is a very important skill because if you can’t present both sides of a complex issue clearly and accurately, then you won’t be able to effectively advocate for your cause. Your sample may also include arguments for and against a particular cause or idea. It depends on the employer, but you can be sure that you’ll have to do some research to back up your opinions and arguments. Again, this is just an example. You’ll have to tailor your writing sample to the needs of the employer.
Proposal Writing
This is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll have to write a proposal for something. Be sure to include the following in your proposal:
- A clear objective
- The methods you will use to achieve the objective
- The proposed timeline
- A justification for the project (Why are you writing this proposal? Why does the employer need this proposal?)
- An outline of the materials needed (what are you going to need to get the job done? Be as specific as possible)
- A budget (How much are you planning to spend on this project? This is very important because it shows your potential employer that you can be responsible and manage your finances wisely)
- An implementation plan (How are you going to do all of this? What are each individual’s roles and responsibilities? Include details on how you will make sure that the project is completed on time and within the budget)
- The name and contact information of at least three important people who can give you support (besides yourself)
- A short bio about yourself (You might want to include a link to your website or LinkedIn profile)
Research
The amount of time that you spend on research will depend on the employer. Some might want you to do quite a bit of research, while others might just want to know the general gist of the information that you find. Regardless, you’ll still have to show that you can find interesting facts and statistics that shape the subject matter of your paper. You should approach this skill with a lot of enthusiasm and interest in the subject matter. If you’re not passionate about the material then it will be very difficult for you to present it in a clear, concise manner. This is just an example. You’ll have to tailor your writing sample to the needs of the employer.
As you can see, there are many different specialties that you can write samples for. The key is to tailor your writing sample to the needs of the employer. Do your best to make your sample unique and stand out from the rest. In a nutshell, the perfect writing sample should be a combination of all of the following:
- High-quality work (clarity of structure, grammar, and spelling)
- Creativity (the ability to come up with new ideas and to present them in an interesting way)
- Balance (not too much detail but enough to give the reader an idea of what is being discussed)
- Contextual analysis (being able to analyze news articles and put things in context)
- Research (being able to find relevant information and facts about the subject matter)
- Dedication (being able to put in the needed amount of effort to get the job done)
- Timeliness (being able to complete the project on time)
- Authority (being able to come up with new ideas and to present them in an authoritative manner)
- Solutions (being able to propose practical and workable solutions to problems)
If you can master all of these skills, then it’s certainly a possibility that you’ll be able to land a job in Congress. Just make sure that you can tailor your writing sample to the needs of the employer.