CLASS OF 2012

Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program

Overview

Two-year paid Federal Government fellowshipsProgram is open to graduate students from all

academic disciplines completing an advanced degree in Sept. 1, 2011-August 31, 2012 (must be a U.S. Citizen with a few exceptions on website)

Premier program for leadership development in the Federal civil service.

The PMF program places applicants in public policy and management positions with a variety of federal agencies and departments.

Career Fields

Program is open to all disciplines. For 2011/2012 agencies requested:

Accounting/Finance/MBA

Information Technology/Cybersecurity

EngineeringLaw

International Affairs/Policy

Health/Medical Sciences

Business AdministrationPublic PolicyHuman ResourcesPublic AdministrationEnvironmental SciencesStatisticsFederal Acquisitions

Sample Positions Available

These are not traditional attorney positions and the program is not meant to provide training to compete for an attorney position.

Typical law-student placements include: Policy analyst Budget analyst Tax Law specialist Paralegal Hearing and appeals

specialist Contract specialist Labor relations

specialist Estate Tax Examiner

Program Highlights

Fellows rotate through a number of federal agencies and divisions

Receive challenging career opportunities and development

Attend seminars, briefings, conferences and on-the-job training (80 hours of formal classroom training per year).

Eligible for non-competitive appointment to a full-time, permanent position upon successful completion of the program

Federal Salary

Appointed at the GS 9, 11, or 12 based on qualifications and agency needSalary $51,630- $97,333 (2011 Salary Table for D.C. area)

Agency flexibility for accelerated promotions with potential to the GS-13 during fellowship

Typical career path with limited prior experience:Appointment-GS-9, step 11 year anniversary-eligible for GS-11, step 1Program completion-eligible for GS-12, step 1

Hiring Data

In 2010, 750 finalists were selected from over 9,000 applicants.

In 2011, more than 9,100 graduate students applied to the PMF Program and approximately 850 achieved Finalist status.

Application Process

Submit online application via USAJOBSSubmit Resume and Nomination Form to Career

Services, Marianne Deagle selects nominees based on PMF criteria of: Breadth and quality of accomplishments Capacity for leadership Commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of

public policies and programs OPM invites nominees to an online, un-proctored,

timed assessment. Based on score, selected nominees become “Semi-Finalists.”

Semi-Finalists are invited to an in-person assessment center --based on score, selected Semi-Finalists become “Finalists

Finalists secure positions with a Federal Agency-upon appointment, status changes to “Fellow”

Application Dates

PMF Application open period: September 15-25, 2011

Applicants complete an online application at USAJOBS: Provide resume Complete Qualifications Questionnaire Submit supporting documentation for any claims to

Veterans’ Preference (if applicable) Submit a nomination form to their Nomination Official

(Marianne Deagle)

Applicants can only submit 1 application

Application & Nomination Process

Students are asked the following in the Qualification Questionnaire:

• Personal Contact Information• Reasonable Accommodations for the Assessment Process• Assessment Center Location Preference• Veterans’ Preference Eligibility• Geographic Employment Preference• Citizenship• Languages (up to 3)• Graduate School Information• Graduate/Undergraduate Degrees (up to 2 each)• Date of Meeting Graduate Degree Requirements• Key Skills/Competencies• How Did Student Hear About the PMF Program

Assessment Process

Nominees/Semi-finalists are evaluated on the following critical competencies: Adaptability Integrity Interpersonal Skills Motivation to Serve Oral/Written Communication Problem SolvingAn “Assessment Preparation Guide” will be posted on the

PMF website when the application cycle launches.OPM selects Finalists based on an OPM evaluation of each

candidate’s experience and accomplishments and his/her results on a rigorous structured assessment.

Assessment Process: Online, Un-Proctored

• Applicants notified to take an online, un-proctored, timed assessment shortly after submitting their application.

• Online assessment includes: Situational Judgment Test: Requires applicants to indicate

how they would respond in a given situation Life Experience: Requires applicants to respond to questions

regarding their training, experience, education, and life history

Writing Sample: Requires applicants to write an essay in response to a prompt or target topic

OPM selects Semi-Finalists based on un-proctored assessment results

Assessment Process:In-Person Assessment

• Semi-Finalists will participate in an in-person assessment (a structured interview) consisting of competency based questions

• Semi-Finalist’s participation at his/her expense• Assessment centers:

• Atlanta, GA• Boston, MA• Chicago, IL• Denver, CO• San Francisco, CA• Washington, DC

• Finalists selected based on in-person assessment scores

Placement Process

• Agencies notified shortly after finalists are selected• Finalists invited to attend PMF Job Fair in the spring• Finalists can search for agency positions online via

the PMF Projected Positions System (PPS); found under “Job Search”

• Available positions change throughout the year• Finalists have 12 months from the date they are

selected as finalists to be appointed to agency positions as Fellows

• Employment policies and incentives determined by individual agencies

Key Dates*

• September 15-25, 2011 – Application available online•September 25, 2011– Deadline for application submission,

must provide CSO with resume and nomination form •September 30, 2011– Deadline for nomination submission•October 1-10, 2011– Applicants complete an on-line

assessment process •November 1, 2011*– Semi-Finalists chosen and invited to

in-person assessment process• November 14-December 16, 2011*—Semi-finalists

complete in-person assessment process• January 24, 2012* –Finalists selected and notified•Feb/Mar 2012– Job Fair

*Dates are subject to change

PMF website: www.pmf.gov

Federal Benefits:www.opm.gov/insure/new_employ/index.asp

Resources