Resources

A Survivor's Guide for Presidential Nominees and its interactive companion, the Presidential Appointee Roadmap, is a guide for anyone seeking a nominated position in the administration during the 08/09 Presidential transition. The Guide answers questions a nominee might have upon being asked to serve. It draws upon the experiences of senior officials who served in six administrations over the past three decades, as well as on numerous reports by academics and blue-ribbon commissions.

The Plum Book, published by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform alternately after each Presidential election, lists over 7,000 Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment, nationwide.
Data covers positions such as agency heads and their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisors, and aides who report to these officials.

The Prune Book, published by the Council for Excellence in Government, serves as a resource for presidential appointees. It describes the positions appointees hold and the challenges they face. The books are distinguished by job profiles that give firsthand insight into such complex realities as managing the federal government for results and the appointments process itself.