PREP FOR AFP INTERVIEW

Tell Me About Yourself

• B.S. Political Science, Oklahoma State University

• Graduated summa cum laude

• Academic focus: campaigns, elections, public opinion, and policy impact on communities

• Campaign experience in Oklahoma and Georgia

  • Voter outreach through canvassing

  • Phone banking

• Completed a research internship at OSU

• Built experience in both field organizing and research

• Developed strong interest in public engagement and grassroots organizing

• Motivated to pursue roles aligned with organizations like AFP

Tell Me About Your Campaign Experience

• Involved in voter outreach on the Inhofe campaign

• Conducted phone banking and canvassing

• Supported campaign logistics and day-to-day operations

• Gained early exposure to how political campaigns function

• Learned the importance of building relationships with voters and local communities
  
  Worked on the Georgia runoff election

• High-intensity environment with very long hours

• Focused primarily on voter contact

  • Canvassing

  • Phone banking

• Learned importance of organization, communication, and persistence in grassroots work

• Reinforced value of direct voter interaction

• Strengthened interest in engaging people on issues that matter to them

Why Do You Want A Field Organizing Role?

• Interested in the people side of politics

• Enjoys talking with people and building relationships

• Focused on connecting individuals to opportunities for impact

• Campaign experience showed grassroots engagement creates real results

• Drawn to field roles that involve direct community interaction

• Prefers working with people in the field over desk-based work

What should an employer provide for you/What do you expect from an employer?

• Values clear communication and clear expectations from employers

• Wants defined standards for what success looks like

• Strong preference for regular feedback

  • What is going well

  • Where to improve

• Motivated by continuous learning and self-improvement

• Long-term goal: work for an organization that invests in its people

• Seeks opportunities for professional growth and development

• Values a positive, collaborative team environment

• Prefers workplaces aligned around shared goals

Why AFP?

• AFP’s focus on empowering everyday people in politics

• Believes meaningful change comes from both elected officials and community participation

• Campaign experience reinforced importance of grassroots civic engagement

• Values helping people get involved and make their voices heard

• AFP’s model of educating, organizing, and mobilizing citizens aligns with personal views

• Drawn to AFP’s emphasis on turning people into active participants, not passive observers

What about our vision and approach to social change resonates with you?

• Believes people closest to problems often have the best insight into solutions

• Has observed communities, families, teachers, and local leaders driving meaningful change

• Values giving people the freedom and opportunity to act

• Supports a bottom-up approach rather than top-down decision-making

• Appreciates empowering individuals to recognize and use their potential

• Focused on enabling people to contribute directly to their communities

How do you see yourself deriving fulfillment from contributing to our vision?

• Finds fulfillment in helping people realize they can make a difference

• Seen through canvassing and voter outreach how one conversation can increase engagement

• Values connecting people to opportunities for civic involvement

• Motivated by helping others advocate for issues they care about

• Views this work as a way to strengthen communities and civic participation

We’d love to hear your thoughts on our core principles. Are there any examples where you have personally applied these principles?

• Strongly resonates with bottom-up solutions

• Believes people closest to problems often have the best insight

• 2018 teacher walkout experience with father (teacher) shaped this view

• Heard directly from educators experiencing education system challenges

• Learned importance of listening to those most affected by issues

• Values taking frontline perspectives seriously in decision-making

• Applies this principle through campaign work, research, and community involvement

• Values openness as a core principle

• Political science studies challenged and expanded personal assumptions

• Exposure to diverse viewpoints and experiences shaped perspective

• Views disagreement as a learning opportunity rather than something negative

• Practices active listening to differing perspectives

• Willing to reconsider views when presented with new information or evidence

Are there 1-2 of our key issues that particularly motivate you?

• Education is the issue that resonates most personally

• Homeschooled until 4th grade

• Attended small rural school in southeastern Oklahoma where father taught

• Participated in 2018 teacher walkout with father

• Seen firsthand challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers

• Observed impact of non-competitive teacher compensation

• Father retiring from education and transitioning into counseling

• Many educators known have left or considered leaving the profession

• Views education as a major issue facing Oklahoma

• Values discussions around educational flexibility due to diverse schooling experiences

• Free speech is an important personal issue

• Believes societies function best with open exchange of ideas, including unpopular ones

• Supports accountability and criticism, but not suppression of speech

• Concerned about disproportionate personal or professional consequences for expressing opinions

• Exposure to differing viewpoints has been personally educational

• Views open discussion as essential for learning, growth, and understanding

What do you think is going well in this country toward improving people’s lives on that issue and where do you see opportunities to change the current approaches to yield better outcomes?

• Recognizes growing awareness of different student needs and learning styles

• Views this as a positive development in education

• Notes ongoing challenges in Oklahoma education system

  • Teacher retention

  • Educational outcomes

  • Attracting talent to the profession

• Believes there is room to improve overall educational quality

• Supports balancing flexibility for families with strong educational standards

• Emphasizes need to better support teachers while improving outcomes

• Encouraged by people’s interest in important social issues

• Values active participation in public discourse and conversation

• Observes increasing discomfort with disagreement in society

• Supports strengthening civil discourse

• Emphasizes discussing difficult issues without assuming bad intentions

• Advocates for maintaining respect and openness during disagreements

When have you changed your mind on an issue or had your own beliefs challenged?

• Political science education has most strongly challenged personal thinking

• Initially viewed political issues in black-and-white terms

• Coursework included: public opinion, minorities in politics, international relations, courts, and research methods

• Exposure to diverse perspectives and evidence strengthened critical thinking

• Maintains core values while becoming more open to opposing viewpoints

• Recognizes that many policy issues are more complex than they first appear

QUESTIONS TO ASK

• What qualities have made people particularly successful in this role?

• What does a typical week look like for a Regional Field Manager?

• What do you enjoy most about working for AFP?

• What does advancement within AFP typically look like for high performers? 

• When can I expect to hear back?