I had heard from a friend that the Carry Oregon campaign (which was run through the DPO) was looking for field organizers. So I went in and asked for an interview. My friend was already working in the office, and had worked with me before, so that person went to the campaign director (who ran the office and made hiring decisions) and asked if she had time to talk with a candidate. She said yes. They brought me back and asked me some questions, after which she checked with two other people — the field manager (who reported to her) and the State Director (whom I'd mentioned knowing) to verify that they had no objections to hiring me. And then she handed me to the FM and said something like "good luck, get to work!" (Somewhere in there, they asked me to drop by the compliance office to get my paperwork in order.) They gave me an office and began throwing tasks and projects my way.

Informal and refreshingly real and open. This is a pretty cut and dried career. You have to have the passion, and be a people person. Either the person interviewing you will seem like someone you can go into the trenches with, or they won't. In my case, my future boss was an inspiring and dedicated organizer with an infectious go get em attitude. I still have great fondness for him two years after our nonstop campaign.