Page 244 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

BECOMING A FELLOW

foundation for a thorough FBI background investigation and security clear-
ance if one is accepted for a Fellowship. Completing the application pack-
age is an undertaking that requires great attention to detail, and so it’s wise
to start the application well before the February 1 deadline.
Although a sample application is included in the Appendix, the actual
application, which becomes available each September, must be completed
online at www.whitehouse.gov/fellows. It can also be downloaded at
www.whitehouse.gov/fellows/about/pdf/ApplicationGuide.pdf. Detailed
instructions are included for each of the three parts: the Administrative
Data section, the Qualification Narratives, and the Letters of Recommen-
dation. The instructions must be followed to the letter or the application
will wind up on the reject pile of those who can’t follow directions.
Although it’s listed as the application’s final section, the Letters of Rec-
ommendation are the smartest place to start, since success there hinges on
the schedules and whims of other busy people. A minimum of three let-
ters is required, but candidates may submit up to five. Among other things,
references are asked to provide “candid and specific responses” regarding
the applicant’s strengths, weaknesses, creativity, integrity, writing and pub-
lic speaking abilities, and leadership skills. References also are asked to
imagine what they expect the applicant will be doing two decades from
now. Obviously, the most compelling recommendation letters are those
written by people familiar enough with the aspiring Fellow to answer the
questions with authority, and so references should be solicited only from
those who can provide well-rounded, in-depth commentary on a candi-
date’s achievements across the spectrum. Recommendations from promi-
nent individuals who seem to have only a shallow knowledge of the
applicant won’t do.
The second part of the application—the ten Qualification Narratives—
starts off simply enough by asking for details about education, professional
experience, and volunteer activities; this is tedious but not a mind bender.
However, questions 6 through 10—the essay questions—can create some
anxiety, especially for those for whom writing is a chore. Take question 8,
for example. What other program requires its applicants to write a 500-
word “Memorandum for the President” outlining and advocating a specific
policy proposal? Indeed, many successful applicants do that frequently
when they’re Fellows. Take Betsy Roe (WHF 91–92), who during her year
at the White House Office of Domestic Policy wrote fifteen one-page

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