In contrast, think tank scholars, lobbyists, and state and local government officials all saw future gains in salary. Potential appointees understood that a presidential appointment would be more disruptive to their personal lives than positions outside government. Even corporate CEOs and university presidents, who occupy some of the most stressful jobs around, saw presidential service as more burdensome than other senior posts. Potential appointees, particularly corporate CEOs, worry about returning to their careers after a presidential appointment. Corporate CEOs were the most likely to report concerns about losing promotions and other opportunities for career advancement.
Potential appointees see living in Washington as a major disadvantage of service.
More than half of the 402 respondents who were living outside the Washington area at the time of the survey rated the nation's capital as a less favorable place to live than their current residence. Nearly half of these respondents said that relocating one's spouse or partner would be difficult. Views of the Appointments Process Corporate and civic leaders have sharply negative views of the appointments process. When asked what words describe the process, they were uniformly harsh. Potential appointees had more negative views of the process than appointees who served in prior administrations.