Another topic that Ray LeBov and I have put thought into is advice for organizations hiring a lobbyist. There are numerous things to think about when you’re hiring an employee lobbyist or a contract lobbyist, and we offer some of our best practice suggestions for navigating that process.
Regardless of the type of individual an organization has to hire, either one internally as an employee or one externally as a contractor, the fundamental questions to ask yourself are still, what do I and my organization need and what does our lobbying effort need? Keep in mind that the individual(s) that you hire, whether they are an employee or a contractor, will be a public face for your company, your association, your industry, or your trade group. Choose wisely.
The first question to consider is whether to hire an employee lobbyist or a contract lobbyist. While a contract lobbyist can address some short-term needs, hiring for an in house lobbyist should have a long term view in mind. For employee, or in house, lobbyists, some other questions you should answer are do you want a newly minted individual or someone with more experience? Do you need to diversify your workforce? If so, remember to consider things like party affiliation, ethnicity, technical expertise, and relationships with elected or appointed officials.
For contract lobbyists, there are different questions you should look answer. Those include What expertise does the lobbyist bring to the table? Does their skill set match with your organization’s needs? What is their track record? Do they have any conflicts of interest that cannot be easily resolved?
You can find the transcript of the audio in today’s post here.