Join the club.

Not only is Obama making History, with a capital "H" -- and who wouldn't want to be a part of that? -- he's also the most popular president-elect this country's seen in a long, long time -- if not ever. And by all accounts he's a pretty great boss, too. Let us count the ways:

1. He listens to his employees.

2. He treats his employees with respect.

3. He's ruled by pragmatism, not emotion. (Lest you think this quality is unimportant in a boss, try working for a boss who is emotional. I promise you, it isn't fun. Waiting tables at a family-run Greek restaurant after college taught me that.)

4. He seems to succeed at everything he sets out to do, ergo, his staff gets to ride the wave along with him.

The list could go on, but you get the idea. Now let's consider what it would take to actually get a gig working for the next President of the United States. Andie Coller of Politico.com offers some pointers:

1. Pretend to be from Montana. That's where Jim Messina, the man in charge of hiring Obama's personnel, earned his BA, and according to Senator Byron Dorgan, of North Dakota, he really fell for Big Sky Country.

2. Either be or pretend to be really into long-distance running. Apparently Messina was a competitive runner in high school, and runs every morning to this day.

3. Be really into dogs, especially Golden Retrievers. Messina has one named Cheyenne.

4. Bring Messina some pizza from Matchbox on H Street restaurant, whose brick-oven pies are apparently awesome. I don't doubt it, but is pizza really a ticket into the White House? I thought we'd just elected Barack Obama, not Bill Clinton again.

5. If you went to a fancy school that cost a lot of money, don't go bragging about it. Pedigree won't get you anywhere with Messina, except maybe a good-luck pat on the back and a swift escort out the door.

OK, so to review: To score a job with Barack Obama, you should be a modest but brilliant Montanan who runs at least 45 miles per week with your Golden Retriever, whom you named after some dusty Western town, and eat a lot of pizza.

I think I can handle that.

[Image: Ragesoss from Wikimedia Commons]