Resume Bank FAQs
last updated 8/30/22
Sections:
Sections:
- For members of the public who want to work for a House Democrat
- For current House Democratic staffers who want to enter the Resume Bank for the possibility of a lateral move
- For current House Democratic staffers who want to use the Resume Bank to leave recommendations
- For current House Democratic staffers who want to use the bank to help fill a position within their office
For members of the public who want to work for a House Democrat:
- How do I enter the Resume Bank?
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Fill out required fields on the public form, including uploading a DOC or PDF of your cover letter, full resume, and references, and click submit.
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Fill out required fields on the public form, including uploading a DOC or PDF of your cover letter, full resume, and references, and click submit.
- I entered my email to begin to enter the bank, and it said it emailed me a login link, but I don't see it?
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In Gmail, check the other tabs like "Promotions." In Outlook, check the "Other" tab. If you still cannot find it, check any spam filters. And as a final resort, email demcom@mail.house.gov and ask for help.
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In Gmail, check the other tabs like "Promotions." In Outlook, check the "Other" tab. If you still cannot find it, check any spam filters. And as a final resort, email demcom@mail.house.gov and ask for help.
- How can the Resume Bank help me?
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The Resume Bank provides you an opportunity to have your resume viewable by all current House and Senate Democratic staff. It also provides you with the opportunity to receive personalized recommendations from any current Democratic staff, which are then visible to all current Democratic staff.
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The Resume Bank provides you an opportunity to have your resume viewable by all current House and Senate Democratic staff. It also provides you with the opportunity to receive personalized recommendations from any current Democratic staff, which are then visible to all current Democratic staff.
- How does this Resume Bank compare to various other Resume Banks in use on Capitol Hill?
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While we recommend people utilize all the appropriate resume banks in addition to any other opportunities to spread a resume, here are a few advantages of the Majority Leader Resume Bank to consider:
- Our system allows applicants to self-identify demographic information, allowing offices to search by ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
- Our system is open, meaning all Democratic staff can view/search/filter all resumes currently in the system, which usually climbs to over 3,000 resumes during transitions like the upcoming 118th Congress.
- We have more data—more Democratic resumes, recommendations, required questions of applicants which can be used to filter/search.
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Our system has built-in list building, collaboration, and workflow tools for offices that make the whole hiring process more efficient over doing manually through email and spreadsheets.
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While we recommend people utilize all the appropriate resume banks in addition to any other opportunities to spread a resume, here are a few advantages of the Majority Leader Resume Bank to consider:
- How can I optimize the chance of getting a job through the Resume Bank?
- The best way to have your resume viewed by more offices is through personalized recommendations, since the default sort for all views and search results for offices browsing the bank is the number of recommendations a resume has.
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Also, when offices browse the Resume Bank, they primarily do so through searches, and they have a search option for every question that is asked on the public form. So, the more qualifications you have, the more likely you are to satisfy different searches. For example, Spanish-speaking, connections to California, and previous Hill experience are often-selected queries.
- What is the difference between an office recommendation and a staffer recommendation?
- Office recommendations are for applicants who have personal connections to the Member of Congress or the office as a whole. They are most often written for individuals who have previously worked or interned for that office. Individual recommendations are for any personal connections current staffers may have to applicants. They are most often written for former co-workers, but also for more personal relationships like family or friends.
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Office recommendations are weighted slightly more heavily than personally recommendations in determining the default sort on all views when browsing the bank.
- Will my resume, references, and answers to all the questions asked on the public form be visible to all 6,000+ House and Senate Democratic staffers?
- Yes, they will. That is the only way to enable personalized recommendations, and to maximize the odds of an office seeing your resume.
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The one exception to this is if you check the box indicating you are a current staffer and would like to hide your submission from your office. Then your resume will be visible to all current Democratic staffers EXCEPT those within your current office. NOTE: This security check is only as good as the DemCom Staff Directory that it relies upon, so look in the Demcom Directory to see the sprecific users it will be hidden from.
- How long should my resume be?
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Most Hill offices strongly prefer resumes to not exceed one or two pages.
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Most Hill offices strongly prefer resumes to not exceed one or two pages.
- How long will my resume stay in the bank?
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Your resume will remain in the bank for 3 months. Once 3 months old, your resume will be automatically archived. You will receive an email telling you that it has been archived, and inviting you to update it to remain active.
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Your resume will remain in the bank for 3 months. Once 3 months old, your resume will be automatically archived. You will receive an email telling you that it has been archived, and inviting you to update it to remain active.
- How can I update my resume? Or how can I update the answers to the questions that I previously submitted? This could result from either having new information, or because my resume was just archived.
- Begining in November 2022, submissions can now be updated without having to fully resubmit. Simply use the same primary email address to begin the process, and you will be able to update a prior submission (either an archived one or an active one).
- How can I delete my resume from the bank?
- You cannot, but it will auto-archive itself 3 months after posting and will then be invisible/inaccessible to all.
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If you have an urgent need to remove you resume from the bank, you can request a manual removal by emailing demcom@mail.house.gov.
- Why haven’t I received a call or email since entering the Resume Bank?
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A large number of resume submissions will never receive a contact back from a Democratic office. Employment opportunities on the Hill are incredibly competitive and often filled through direct connections like internships or lateral moves.
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A large number of resume submissions will never receive a contact back from a Democratic office. Employment opportunities on the Hill are incredibly competitive and often filled through direct connections like internships or lateral moves.
- How many people actually got jobs through the Resume Bank between November 2012 and August 2022?
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We honestly do not know. We do know that over 15,000 resumes were submitted, there were tens of thousands visits by House Democratic staff browsing resumes, and over 1,000 personalized recommendations left on resumes from current offices and staff. Individual job searches and hiring decisions on the Hill are managed entirely within individual offices. Anecdotally, we know that we held numerous well-attended staff briefings on how to use the Resume Bank in job searches, we have fielded many questions directly from Chiefs of Staff on using the Resume Bank, and we have received numerous thank you calls and emails from individuals who say they were hired through the Resume Bank.
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We honestly do not know. We do know that over 15,000 resumes were submitted, there were tens of thousands visits by House Democratic staff browsing resumes, and over 1,000 personalized recommendations left on resumes from current offices and staff. Individual job searches and hiring decisions on the Hill are managed entirely within individual offices. Anecdotally, we know that we held numerous well-attended staff briefings on how to use the Resume Bank in job searches, we have fielded many questions directly from Chiefs of Staff on using the Resume Bank, and we have received numerous thank you calls and emails from individuals who say they were hired through the Resume Bank.
- How can I submit a recommendation I have on how the Resume Bank could work better?
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All are welcome to send suggestions to demcom@mail.house.gov.
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All are welcome to send suggestions to demcom@mail.house.gov.
For current House Democratic staffers who want to enter the Resume Bank for the possibility of a lateral move:
- How can I enter the Resume Bank without upsetting my current boss?
- You can check the box that the bottom of public form to hide your submission from all users in your current office. You will then be prompted to enter your House email so that the system can find you in the DemCom Directory in order to set the permissions (this is required since most current staffers use non-House emails as their primary when entering the bank).
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If the system has any trouble finding your DemCom account, your resume will not be visible in the bank and a DemCom administrator will be tasked with contacting you and resolving the situation.
- If I enter the Resume Bank, can you promise that my current boss will never find out?
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No, we cannot. For example, someone from another office could tell your boss that they saw you in the bank. We believe that is unlikely, however, as it would be unfair and a violation of trust. And we would be willing to have a DemCom administrator investigate DemCom user histories if such a violation occurred.
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No, we cannot. For example, someone from another office could tell your boss that they saw you in the bank. We believe that is unlikely, however, as it would be unfair and a violation of trust. And we would be willing to have a DemCom administrator investigate DemCom user histories if such a violation occurred.
For current House Democratic staffers who want to use the Resume Bank to leave recommendations:
- How do I leave a recommendation on a resume?
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Go to the main Resume Bank page on DemCom which can be found under Resources. When viewing any individual resume, click on the recommendations tab to leave a recommendation authored either by yourself or your office.
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Go to the main Resume Bank page on DemCom which can be found under Resources. When viewing any individual resume, click on the recommendations tab to leave a recommendation authored either by yourself or your office.
- Why should I leave recommendations?
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The number of recommendations a resume submission has is the primary sort on all views and sorts within the Resume Bank. Therefore, recommendations greatly increase the odds of a resume being viewed by a prospective office.
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The number of recommendations a resume submission has is the primary sort on all views and sorts within the Resume Bank. Therefore, recommendations greatly increase the odds of a resume being viewed by a prospective office.
- Does every staffer have the option to leave a recommendation from their office?
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Yes. But that office recommendation will immediately be visible to all in both the Resume Bank and also on the office’s page in the main DemCom directory. We believe that transparency will ensure that no staffers post unapproved office recommendations.
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Yes. But that office recommendation will immediately be visible to all in both the Resume Bank and also on the office’s page in the main DemCom directory. We believe that transparency will ensure that no staffers post unapproved office recommendations.
- What is the difference between an office recommendation and a staffer recommendation?
- Office recommendations are for applicants who have personal connections to the Member of Congress or the office as a whole. They are most often written for individuals who have previously worked or interned for that office. Individual recommendations are for any personal connections current staffers may have to applicants. They are most often written for former co-workers, but also for more personal relationships like family or friends.
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Office recommendations are weighted slightly more heavily than personally recommendations in determining the default sort on all views when browsing the bank.
- Can House Democratic Caucuses and Staff Associations make official recommendations in the resume bank?
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Yes, they can. The major House Democratic Caucuses and Staff Associations can make office-level recommendations in the name of their Caucus or Association in the Resume Bank. If they need help doing so, they should email demcom@mail.house.gov.
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Yes, they can. The major House Democratic Caucuses and Staff Associations can make office-level recommendations in the name of their Caucus or Association in the Resume Bank. If they need help doing so, they should email demcom@mail.house.gov.
For current House Democratic staffers who want to use the bank to help fill a position within their office:
- How do I browse the Resume Bank?
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Go to the main Resume Bank page on DemCom which can be found under Resources. From there you can do custom searches from a variety of criteria that were selected in consultation with COSs, including previous Hill experience, languages proficient in, states with connections, ethnicity, military service, … etc. By default, any resumes with personalized recommendations from House offices or current staff will be displayed on top.
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Go to the main Resume Bank page on DemCom which can be found under Resources. From there you can do custom searches from a variety of criteria that were selected in consultation with COSs, including previous Hill experience, languages proficient in, states with connections, ethnicity, military service, … etc. By default, any resumes with personalized recommendations from House offices or current staff will be displayed on top.
- Can I follow up on any of the individuals or offices who have left a recommendation?
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Sure. Simply click on the recommendation’s author to see contact information.
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Sure. Simply click on the recommendation’s author to see contact information.
- As I am browsing through resumes, is there any way to keep track of different ones I am interested in?
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Yes, every user has the ability to create and manage personalized "candidate lists" that are visible only to them and people they add as collaborators. To create one, simply click on the heart icon next to any resume, and you can then add that person to any lists you've created, or create a new list. When viewing a candidate list, you will also see options to easily email out the entire list of resumes en masse, add collaborators to help you manage your candidate list, and options to rate, leave notes on, and set statuses for individual resumes in your candidate list.
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Yes, every user has the ability to create and manage personalized "candidate lists" that are visible only to them and people they add as collaborators. To create one, simply click on the heart icon next to any resume, and you can then add that person to any lists you've created, or create a new list. When viewing a candidate list, you will also see options to easily email out the entire list of resumes en masse, add collaborators to help you manage your candidate list, and options to rate, leave notes on, and set statuses for individual resumes in your candidate list.
- How do I post a job announcement in the bank?
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From anywhere in the Resume Bank on DemCom, as of fall 2020, you will have an "Add Job" button in the top-right. These posts will be shared with the public through the Majority Leader's popular DomeWatch app, in addition to MajorityLeader.gov/jobs where they are formatted optimally for being picked up by outside job websites. Previously, only Majority Leader staff could post job announcements.
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From anywhere in the Resume Bank on DemCom, as of fall 2020, you will have an "Add Job" button in the top-right. These posts will be shared with the public through the Majority Leader's popular DomeWatch app, in addition to MajorityLeader.gov/jobs where they are formatted optimally for being picked up by outside job websites. Previously, only Majority Leader staff could post job announcements.