Now that the application period for the 2013 PMF program has closed, it's time to talk details. I wanted to keep discussions of assessment details to a minimum during the application period to preserve the integrity of the assessment itself. There's no guarantee that any of the materials used this year will be used again, but the principles should be roughly the same. So here's your opportunity to talk about your experiences with the assessment. How do you think you did? What kinds of questions were asked, and how effective do you think they are in determining sutiability for federal employment? What was your experience with the online assessment? How many people do you think applied? New for this year: given that most applicants are on the East Coast, how did the hurricane impact your ability to complete the assessment? And, are you sweating the impending fiscal cliff at all?
From my perspective, I have to say I am very pleased with the communication coming out of the PMF Program Office for this application cycle. They have taken to Facebook pretty well and seem to be communicating better than at any time I remember. For those who don't know, that's one of the reasons I started this blog, because there wasn't any real communication. Even so, though, I hope people who find their way here still find use for this blog as a means of expression outside the official channels.
I agree about the communication - the PMF Facebook page was on top of things, and Andrew K. at pathtopmf.com was incredibly helpful.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the assessment - I heard the video questions were a new thing this year. To be honest, I found them to be really awkward. Curious to know what others think.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how I did on this assessment, but I really hope I make it all the way. Some of those questions are pretty hard to answer. I think a lot of the questions were very common place in a real world workplace. I guess we will see... Aghhhh, can't wait!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I believe I did fairly well on the online assessment - I agree the new format introduced this application cycle would lend to a bit of nervousness as far as which answer choice is best but it produces a more realistic portrayal. I believe this format is important for federal employment suitability since it determines one’s ability to work well in a team oriented workplace and potential for leadership and management posts. In terms of how many applicants applied this year, I would assume the number increased slightly from last year’s record for an estimate between 9,000-10,000 applicants. The slight increase in applicants would most likely be attributed to the new eligibility requirements and greater visibility of the program on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc. Lastly, the PMF offered applicants a chance to ask questions regarding the PMF process on November 9, 2012 with feasibility that the virtual chat session would be considered in the future. Best wishes to every applicant this year!
ReplyDeleteI think the blog has been helpful, as well as the Facebook page. As for the assessment, it seemed as if most of the answers were very straightforward. I liked that is was easy to complete, but fear that it will make the narrowing-down of applicants even more cumbersome, Facebook says 10,000+ applicants?! Wow. Thanks for keeping the PMF info up-to-date.
ReplyDeleteWhat is unclear to me: is the CV used at all in the first round of cuts, or is it just the personality test? The preparation guid is clear that the essays are only used if one makes it to the interview round. The preparation PDF says this about the essays: "The essays are collected during the application process, but factored into the in-person assessment. " It says nothing about the resume/cv.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThe video clips in the online assessment brought so many aspects of the business world into play. Even though we could eliminate one or two answers from the beginning, you were left trying to analyze the remaining choices and playing out each answer in your mind. I think it was challenging and also gives a great illustration of what we experience in most offices. These situations are typical, and for those who have worked in an office setting, understanding how to respond to these "issues" is of utmost importance in keeping the office environment at a professional level.
The personality questions, I believe there were about 200 of those, I feel that many were repetitive and the 200 could have been broken down by at least 50%. Then again, perhaps the system is seeking out very specific types of individuals for these positions and that would make sense to include 200.
I think the entire process was challenging but a wonderful learning experience. I was selected as a semi-finalist, and for me personally, it is an amazing accomplishment. When I see the list of schools selected, it gives me an extreme sense of accomplishment.
In terms of the program in general, I wish that more of my friends who have either obtained or will obtain their masters had known about this opportunity. I worry that not enough students are aware of the program and while few applicants might give us a good chance to get selected :) it would still be a great idea for more to have knowledge of this exciting opportunity.
At the bottom of the list of semi-finalists, I believe they listed the number of applicants at about 12,800 and 1,620 were selected.
Good luck to you all and happy holidays.
I wish this thread had as much activity as the threads from prior years. I am so eager, as I am sure most of you are, to find out whether we were selected as finalists. I have no idea when the list will be published, and wish they would at least give us a date so that those like myself would not check their email every 5 minutes hoping to find out. I think I have put all of my eggs in one basket, and it's killing me to find out already. :( Anyone else out there???
ReplyDeleteHi Amy,
DeleteYou're not alone in your anticipation and anxiety. I've been checking the PMF website several times a day... According to the site's application process timeline, it appears the program office plans to release finalist results in "late-March" as opposed to "mid-March" as originally planned, so we're looking at anywhere from one to three more weeks of hang-time. Best of luck, and hopefully our conversation will spur others to join!
Hi Chris and Amy,
DeleteI'm in the same boat, and also as far as planning to make it to the job fair if we are selected. I wish they would give specific dates!!
Hi Chris,
DeleteThank you for your response, I felt like I was alone in all of this :) I have never wanted anything more in my life, I feel like I put all of my eggs in one basket, but I guess waiting another 2-3 weeks is not as bad as waiting for 2-3 months. I had my interview in January, wish I had waited until the end of February :)
Good luck to you as well.
If you'd like to obsess a little bit more, have the url for where they'll be posting the list of Finalists.
Deletehttps://www.pmf.opm.gov/FFinalist.aspx
Great, thank you. Each time I get an email notification, I get nervous lol. Good luck Stephen!
DeleteHi Melinda,
DeleteYes it would be great to have the dates, I think that's what makes the whole process a bit overwhelming. If we were given a specific date, say March 27th, or so, at least we would not be losing our minds over when they will publish the finalists. There are deadlines and dates for everything, this should not be an exception. Anyhow, I am so glad to see some responses on this blog finally, thanks to those who responded, it really helps. Good luck Melinda :)
Well, it's much better to be nervous as a community than all by ourselves.
DeleteThe only way I can get through these last few days is to just assume that late-March means at LEAST next week sometime. There are still quite a few days left between now and then, and watching the pot will only make it boil more slowly. :)
I understand the feeling of wanting to know one way or the other, though. I did my assessment at the very beginning of January also, and it has been a horribly painful wait since then. Really, I've only started speaking about it out loud with others since maybe last week, just out of fear of jinxing it.
We all have our ways to cope. :)
Good luck to you also!
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete