In-depth information and candid discussion about the Presidential Management Fellows program.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
2013 PMF: Awaiting Results, Continued
This is a post to help you continue the discussion. It seems 200+ comments begins to get burdensome on this theme. Once this is over, I might try something else or do some investigation on how to streamline the comments.
I expect the results to be tomorrow (Friday) late morning to late afternoon. The new system is up next week. So, they would want us to have the weekend to plan ahead. The validation on-going is on in-person tasks. I do not think I will make it. Perhaps, next year. All-the-best-to-every-one. May be there will be over 50% selected (from 1,600+).
I was told by a fed today that the agencies have been given a packet, and that she thinks that packet contains the list. Concurrent to that, I was invited to coffee by another fed, who asked me 'if' I made it(she did know that I was a semi-finalist, pretty much the whole agency does it seems), whether I'd be interested in joining her department if she gets approval to have a pmf on staff. This gives me a good feeling that the list is ready, and that I am on it.
Also, as a follow up to someone else's post- I was told by a current/past PMF that it was his understanding that every veteran who made it to semi-finalist in his year- a few years ago- made it. This is good news for some regular posters on here (not for me, I never followed up on that opportunity to serve, and greatly respect those of you who did).
I'm glad you've gotten that reassurance but I think this whole insider information business is crap. It definitely sounds like you were essentially told you made it. Great for you but it sucks for the rest of us who don't have contacts already with the feds. And that's one less job open to the general pool of applicants. Do you already work for the government or do you just know people? I think it's lame that people seem to know who the finalists are but yet the other 1,600 of us have to wait until the official results are in.
Agreed with anonymous, this is ridiculous to imply somehow the agencies get the list of finalists before anyone else. As stated in the previous blog, some large agencies still do NOT know if they will even be appointing PMFs.
I did a bit more digging, they do have a 'packet', its a pdf that was sent to the agencies by OMB yesterday, someone printed it out- because they were reviewing the rules/cost to agency of the positions. No, they apparently don't have a list of who made it- the two incidents were just coincidence.
Yes, I've been working for the government as a non-fed, being treated like a second class citizen for years. Yes, this is an advantage in that people already know I will work like a son of a gun without being given any of the federal perks. And I feel lucky to have it.
However, they have to list the jobs publicly, the applications go through HR scrutiny, and contrary to public belief, knowing someone doesn't go that far in government to getting you a job.(If it did, I'd have one already) Also, I have been calling agencies I am interested in (not my agency) for weeks. I already arranged interviews and have pre-offers. There is a difference between counting your eggs before they've hatched and working your tail off to be the first in the door.
I must say that I admire your drive! Yes, you have an advantage, and it would be foolish of you to not use it. I would definitely use ever advantage possible to get to where I want to be. It's called "networking," and some people are better at it than others.
Based on the connections that you have made as a semi-finalist, even if you do not get selected, you may be able to still secure your dream job!
That's a good point - if I make it to finalist, I'm going to have to really hustle to reach out to anyone and everyone I know with the feds.
I didn't do it earlier because, frankly, I didn't want to have to tell all my federal contacts I didn't make it to finalist...I do want to work in the government at some point, even if I don't make it now, and I wasn't sure if that would make a bad impression.
I have become useless since the postponement of the announcement! I am a 60% disabled veteran, so I am encouraged by the previous post. I wish everyone luck and I hope this agonizing wait comes to an end soon!
I asked this question previously with no direct responses so here it is again. Does anyone know if the all the PMF positions are in DC? I saw some people talking about oversees positions so it makes me wonder. Does anyone know if there are agencies in multiple states that have PMF coordinators and positions available? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
whiskers- I don't know what agencies have really even figured out 100% what they want to list. The OMB guy at my interview said they usually have some, but the great majority are in DC. I am trying to make my own job- with there being what amounts to a hiring freeze for the budget, if you can evaluate the needs of the agency- looking at their online strategic plans, and really drilling down office by office- looking a missions, plans, current and past job postings, you can find places you match and reach out. I've made at least 100 phone calls/emails already. Only a few have been returned. Some of them already had plans to use a PMF, some never heard of it, some think they can convert an existing need that was to be listed publicly to a pmf. What I'm saying is- get them to want you- and they will list it. So figure out what fed offices are where you want to be, and find out what they are supposed to be accomplishing and where they aren't. I feel right now like any agency I am interested could call me cold, and I could explain their mission, my expertise- and why I fit into it- why they need me.
I don't know about the positions this year, but in the past *most* of the positions were in DC. I'm guessing that it depends on the Department/Agency and how/where it's centralized. I work for DOI, and we've had some PMF's in Colorado... Sorry that's not very much info, but I figured I'd share.
I didn't think of that @sassy- @whiskers- look for agencies with 'field offices' once the list of opportunities come out see if the position could be worked from there- I think DOE and DOT also have large staffs in Denver metro- look for USAjobs listings that are similar to the described PMF in your local area?
There are PMF jobs in other cities. Look for State Dept passport agencies and HR, DHS, Border Patrole, Veterans Association, DOD, etc. Those agencies all have either HQ or branch offices in other cities besides DC.
Not sure if it's worth stirring the pot, but I thought I'd post to see if it's the same for everyone. Just noticed my PMF application changed from "Congratulations, you have been accepted as a semi-finalist" to "no comments". Anybody else notice a change?
Does anybody have any idea what the background check is like? How easy is it to get disqualified, anything we can do to prepare, etc. I've never had one before, so I'm curious.
here is the form http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116382
its cake for the public trust- unless you've been to prison or are a druggie, you are fine. The secret is a little bit more intimidating- but if you smoked pot in college, just tell them you smoked pot in college. Arguably, if you smoked pot last week, you should tell them that too, rumor has it that doesn't disqualify you, but I don't know anyone looking for a fed job that smoked pot last week.
When I was a 2L I worked for DOJ and needed a Secret, they sent a shiny shoed FBI guy to my house, interviewed me and my sig other at the time, and went to my hometown and interviewed my childhood neighbors, and even an ex. I wasn't squeaky clean, but no drugs or arrests, and I passed just fine. I'm older now, and have a few exes who I'm not proud of, but I still think it will be fine, if a little harder for them to follow my trail.
I have done a background check for the Army, Navy and Dept of VA. Download SF 85 and fill it out. It will give you a heads up on what information is required in a background check!
Same here for the Navy,I still have an active "SECRET" until September of 2014 so I will bypass this whole process I think if I am fortunate enough to make.
You might not be able to bipass the clearance process if you go to another agency. DOS and DOD do different clearance processes and it might need to be re-verified if you go through a different one. Also I know most State PMFs get TS clearance...
Kyle: You will get it as you are already at State. Does State have the most PMFs? Will the new SecofState want to have new PMFs given the budget? If I make it (wishful thinking as I blew the in-person essay due to stress), I would like to get to DoS in a national security office.
Already being at an agency doesn't mean much, I am just an intern anyways. I have tons of friends who didn't make it to the semi-finalists stage that work at state. State has a big program but I don't think its the biggest, DOD also has a big program too. One thing I've heard from other PMFs is that state has a very established program and the PMF coordinator there is good and that has its advantages. but its also popular and more competitive so... as far as the sequester/budget goes, all i kno is there is new hiring policy that is for every two people who leave, DOS can hire one person, thats how they are responding to the sequester, buut I honestly don't know how that is going to work for PMFs. I don't have a good gauge for that, on a positive note, a friend of mine told me that offices need to apply/put in paperwork for pmfs well ahead of time so maybe the sequester hasn't hurt it much.
I guess I will be doing another one if selected. I'm still on active duty so that is crazy. It seems to me if obviously I haven't been kicked out of the Navy my clearance is still good. I figured with all the budget cuts that is one area they could save in. I know other civilian agencies take advantage of hiring vets as they transfer out with their clearance to save money. I was wrong again...Thanks for the info...
I know....the Navy wouldn't accept the Secret clearance I had from the Army. Its someone's job and they don't want to subtract work from someone's desk!
I work at the Philadelphia Regional Office as a veteran's Service Representative. I process pension, death indemnity, and accrued benefits.....along with a slew of other claims...
Hope they give Veterans a priority and all you make it. Thank-you-for-your-service.
What's your thoughts on this news about health record and VA and DOD complication? I see Hagel wants to cut budget. VA is safe from cuts but for how long. Is Shenseki up-to-the task? It would be great to be a PMF in the SecofVA/DOD office.
I contacted the PMF office when those people were trying to trick us all on April fools asking for some clarification and this is what I got yesterday evening:
All Semi-Finalists will be sent an email to go to the application system to check their status. In addition, a full list of Finalists will be posted to the PMF website.
There have been NO emails sent to any Semi-Finalists regarding the selection of Finalists. We anticipate notifying everyone in a few days.
Kyle, you will get it. You will be the example of an intern at DOD who is now a PMF. If I do not make it, I will apply for an internship this summer. I expect PMF to notify us today. If not today, I expect it will be Sun night or first thing on Monday. They cannot delay much further, as it will affect the next PMF class (we have one year to find a placement, so delaying us affects the next group). They should release the results sooner then later.
I also wonder how many FINALISTS will be there. For over 1,600 semis, I expect about 250-300 to get placed. With that frame of reference, I expect they will have around 400 Finalists. This way there will many who will withdraw their finalist status (as they have better ones outside of PMF positions), do not graduate, or just do not like their offers.
To add to your previous post about how many will take other offers is a very interesting concept.....I know me personally if I get offered a full time position with the feds outside the PMF I am taking it and here's why. This is a two year fellowship, no guarantee of employment. If the government keeps downsizing or furloughing employees, PMF's will be the first to go in my eyes. I don't see an agency downsizing a permanent employee before letting go the Fellow. There are a lot of things to think about before you uproot your whole life and put trust in the Federal Government. There is obviously a lot of unknowns in Washington right now with the budget crises.
I would like to know this too. Maybe the finalists can find out from their coordinators. It could be a number of things: technical difficulties, extreme quadruple checking because of last year's finalist acceptance fiasco, OPM cutbacks due to the sequester. My guess is a combination of all three. Add on a new TAS and the online job fair, and they've got their hands full. I imagine things are just too hectic to name a precise date.
My randon thought is that this will be listed on Monday with the return of their updated systems. That is what seems logical to me now........but what does logic have to do with all this now???? LOL, good luck everyone. I'm going to take the weekend off from waiting and watching and obsessing and whatever else has me up nervously snacking late at night!!!
Security clearance used to be different among agencies and departments, but my understanding is it was taken over by OPM several years ago in order to have a standardized investigation procedures. The adjudication though is specific to every agency. However, some agencies like the FBI at least do their own investigations. Well, it's almost midnight so we will rest out anxiety until Monday lol... have a good weekend folks.
I had a TS-SCI clearance from the Navy that was still active and that didn't do me a damn bit of good when I started working for the feds. Like Anis said, OPM took over doing clearances so even though you have a fancy clearance, you'll have to redo it once you come on board with your new agency. The only exception to that may be if you start working for DOD.
I hope everyone is having a blessed Sunday. Perhaps this is the eve of results? I profess no knowledge of any planned announcement's, I only have hope that it will be tomorrow. Tomorrow's is my little brother's birthday, so perhaps a little good Karma will be in the air. Best of Luck to All.
All-the-best-to-Every-One. I hope we get the results tomorrow. I suspect we will know late morning (around 11 AM eastern onwards, to as late as 6 PM eastern).
The delay has already given me a feeling that if I do not make it, I will not worry about it longer. The anxieties have taken the toll. So, bad news will not mentally hurt for a long time.
Here is hoping at least 1/3 of the semis (1,600+) make it. Perhaps, somewhere between 400 to 450. So, I have one in four shot.
Just be fatalistic, Que sera sera lol... whenever they post the results they post them. I got my thesis and two research papers to worry about for the next 30 days, and I'm pretty sure many of you guys do have finals and other things coming up.... looking at the semi finalists list, most candidates are from prestigious universities so getting a job or accepted as a PhD candidate shouldn't cause nightmares. I'm at Columbia, VA VR&E is paying for everything, I'm going for a 12 credit certificate this summer after graduation so I'm not rushing lol
This morning, it occurred to me that the new TAS was supposed to go online today. I checked around 7:45, and the announcement from a few weeks ago said it would launch at 8. When I looked back at the website a little after 8, the TAS announcement had been removed. I'm guessing it won't actually be launched today (certainly not by 8 am!) and that's why they took down that announcement. So, perhaps today is not the day to hear after all.
It's actions like that (put up information, then take it down with no regard for those who have already processed it) that reinforce the necessity of this blog. I had thought, with the PMF Program Office's forays into its own social media outlets, a bit more communication would be flowing out, but the disappointing fact is, nothing of substance has been released lately.
Warning: this comment is a tad philosophical.
I don't know how many semi-finalists are visiting this blog, but I have traffic numbers that indicate either 1) there are many of you, or 2) there are only a handful of you, but you're refreshing the page like crazy. I am guessing it's number 1, and that the rest of the visitors are lurking. That's fine, of course, but what I have to say here is directed at all of you, especially those of you who have been engaging on here.
Something seems to happen, some fluke of government culture, that impedes the outward flow of information. Perhaps nobody wants to be quoted or give an appearance of misrepresentation. I understand that, really. But remember this: all organizations make mistakes. All organizations occasionally communicate incorrect things to the public. Government is not special in this regard.
You don't just get to erase your mistakes because the thing you said is no longer visible on your webpage.
Take a look at the communications you are getting from this Program right now, and then consider what you would like to be getting. There is an absence, right? You notice the absence because you are anxious and that anxiety translates into refreshing a set of web pages as a daily ritual, or refreshing your inbox every 10 seconds hoping for that email. And so you routinely discover the little messaging discrepancies that appear on a website one day, only to disappear into the void later when the promised date comes and goes with no new information.
I don't think I am alone in suggesting this state of communications is simply unacceptable. If there is anything I hope for you as a group to accomplish, it's finding ways, however small, to correct this failure to effectively communicate. If and when you make it into government service, I want you to remember this experience, and I want you consider what you can do to make it better. There are lots of dysfunctions in government, but this seems such a small one that a slow cultural change could probably fix.
I couldn't agree more. All of the momentum and excitement I had about this opportunity seems to be disappearing with each communication misstep. Don't get me wrong, I will be thrilled if I make it to the Finalist stage. However, I don't think I'll be as upset if I don't make it, because the cumulative effect of all the uncertainty is weighing on me.
I work in government right now, and I understand this reluctance to make mistakes. But, as you said, all organizations make mistakes. It is one thing to accept responsibility and be transparent, versus making the mistake disappear. The former allows us to have a better understanding of the situation, whereas the latter just frustrates us and confuses us further. I'd rather feel sympathy for an understaffed or overwhelmed office staff than feel the frustration and anxiety I feel now.
You guys are really impatient lol... well, good morning everyone. I just reread the announcement about the new TAS and it clearly states "From March 22 - April 8, 2013, the PMF Program's on-line systems will be down to conduct a data migration from the old system to the new system." It does not say that it will be launched today, rather it is clear that the system will still be down today.Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and be a little optimistic. Have a 24 hours "cool down" and tomorrow is another day :-)
Where did you find the announcement? The one that was on the website here http://www.pmf.gov/news-events.aspx this morning was removed, and it clearly stated it would be down "until 8 am" today. And then they removed it. I'm more irritated by the lack of transparency - taking news off the website - then the constant delays, which I think we're all used to at this point.
Anis, they make me this way!! Lol. Seriously though, I've stopped caring about the date, it's more so an issue with old news updates disappearing from the lineup. Why bother? Things change, it just looks strange when things just disappear. What you explain is totally true, so what was the point of deleting it?
I could have sworn that when they originally announced the delay it was worded as though they would announce the semi-finalists and a few days later, the TAS system would be launched. Now it is worded completely different. I thought it was just me and my bad memory. But now that others are noticing things disappearing from the website, I don't feel so crazy.
It's very disheartening (and a little scary when you think about it on a larger scale) that the government thinks if it just erases something and neglects to update the "updated date" then it doesn't exist and never happened. It really makes you wonder what you are getting into by seeking government employment.
Add to this that I got an ineligible status for a job I applied for on USAJobs a few weeks ago (since CLEARLY the PMF program is not working out as planned) because they said I didn't submit correct documents (transcripts and resumes) which I did. I emailed to find out what they were talking about and they responded that my transcript for undergrad didn't specifically state my graduation date. However, I applied for almost the same position maybe 6 months ago and they accepted this same document no problem, but I wasn't among the top referred candidates. I applied this time again because I just finished my MPA in March and figured it would help me rank hirer. I also used that same transcript documentation for every job I have applied for the government, including the PMF program, with NO problem, and my reasons for not moving forward had nothing to do with this supposed problem. I emailed back and said why is this suddenly a problem when you all have accepted it before, and considering I submitted a graduate school transcript it's pretty obvious I got my undergrad degree. I feel like they are looking for an excuse and that was the easiest one.
All of this is rubbing me the wrong way. I am definitely going to start paying more attention to alternate employment options because even if I make finalist status, its still going to be like jumping through rings of fire doused in gasoline trying to fight for the limited positions, especially because I can't move to DC for a position.
Like so many of the practices in life, law school for instance, the bureaucracy is slowly beating me down to the point that I will one day no longer have and "*ucks" to give. Maybe I'll go become a stranded sailor, gringo on some south pacific aisle, building biomass plants to fuel satellite dishes on discarded sugar cane chaff.
I only told a very select few about my semi-finalist status on a need-to-know basis. Not even my mother is aware of this opportunity. I originally did this to save myself from the embarrassment and disappointment if I do not make it. However, I am now glad that I have mostly kept it to myself, because I could not stand it if I was asked by one more person if I have heard anything yet. I have a co-worker that knows and every morning she asks if I was selected. I think she is starting not to believe me since I have been saying "any day now" for the past month. It only enhances the anxiety that you are already feeling.
I really thought we would definitely be notified by today since the TAS is scheduled to be up tomorrow and the update said we would know before the launch of the TAS. Once again, I was wrong. Well, you know what they say about assuming!
Selected - so relieved and excited. Considering I didn't even make it to semifinalist for the class of 2011, somewhat surprising; so, if you're a new graduate and didn't get selected this year, there's definitely hope.
Congratulations to the other finalists! Now that I see there are 663 finalists, I wonder what percentage of us will actually get jobs. I am surprised they didn't reduce the number of finalists given the budgetary climate right now. I guess that's a worry for tomorrow!
I know they did not choose all the veterans. I myself am one, 20 years Navy Intelligence Officer. Work as a civilian Intel Analyst for SF here in Afghanistan now. I think maybe my age was the downfall. Seems like everyone else was mid 20's and a very small % of us were older experienced adults.
I didn't make it and I'm really pissed that this is the process. Anis Attia I hope lot of negative energy towards you for telling people that they should chill out. Not everybody is in your situation, so the best the thing to do is to SHUT UP. you are an ungrateful person.
You've made my point for me. Thank you. You are smug. I am partially disabled and am grateful for every breath that I take and every step that I take as my body deteriorates and I wish you well. Congrats to all.
I was just reminding everyone there are other great things going on in their lives besides the PMF selection result. I'm a "He" by the way. I'm sorry to hear you got some health issues, but you shouldn't surrender. I'm combat wounded, I have TBI, chronic migraines, PTSD, vertigo, three herniated cervical discs and one lumbar. I also have bilateral posterior tebial tendon deficiency, arthritis and shrapnel through my knees, and the list keeps going. I have been on social security disability and without my VA benefits I don't know how I would have made it to get another opportunity in life. Many nights I used to be in do much in pain I wish I never wake up, but I look at my little boys and remind myself I can't give up. So, find something, there are always things out there that will give you purpose and hope. Good luck, no hard feelings
Thanks, hopefully some of us will end up being decision makers at the VA and DOD some day and ensure that service members and veterans never get wronged and don't have to deal with excessive delays and red tape.
GOOD-LUCK-TO-ALL. I got to the email late as I was in a rough meeting. When I checked, I did not make it. I knew this of course. I did not do well in the final essay (last activity in in-person). The noise distracted me and I blew it. Well, it is important to fail. Perhaps, I will try again. But, this evening, I want to celebrate for YOU ALL.
I hope each and every-one of you becomes the PMF! CONGRATS!
You are a good human being. I've failed many times in my life, but I've never regretted a single failure. It seems that you have a similar mindset. It will take you far! Besides, this is a pretty damn awesome thing to "fail at". The fact that you were a semi-finalist speaks volumes. Thanks for the congratulations!
Thanks, Dave, for your good-wishes. I have failed more times than I can remember. For every ten actions, I probably fail 8/9 times. But, I loved that one success. Now, I will try again next year (if I can). I just have to work harder. As it will be the last time I will be eligible. Hopefully, this new class (your class) will be so successful, that OPM will have even more PMFs. Here is to every-one who made it! Keep it up.
That's my one try. Would have been a nice career change from contractor to GS employee. For right now I am just going to continue to stay here in Afghanistan. Honestly it would of been a massive pay cut but its a privilege to be selected as a PMF and I would of gone from providing intel to our SF units out here to making coffee possibly but it would have benefits in the untold years.
Who knows where Ill go next? Iran, North Korea? Syria? Congrats to all those that made it and realize that you have achieved a good gig now so don't let the rest of us down :)
Congrats, all, to everyone -- those who applied and were not selected showed a lot of fortitude and patience. Your time will come.
Just wanted to throw in my two cents....I currently work for DOJ(D.C.) in a J.D. externship for my 3L year. I have reached out to a lot of agency reps about positions, and I have met unanimous "not hiring now because of hiring freeze" or "we don't even know if we are participating in the virtual fair."
Currently not hiring: DEA, Navy Office of Civilian Human Resources, Civil Division of DOJ, and Secret Service.
So stay diligent if there's an agency you really want. Semper Fi!
Commerce (Office of Human Capital Strategy) - "hopes" to attend VJF Education (attending VJF) DHS(Office of Policy) - Not hiring PMFs Executive Office of Pres. (Office of National Drug Control Policy)- not hiring PMFs right now
Yeah, maybe at some point we will have to start a new thread "awaiting TAS launch" lol. The "find opportunities" link was added but the drop boxes aren't populated yet. Technically, I'm on active duty until next February so I'm not sure I will be able to accept any position until then. It's a little complicated, it involves wrongful discharge, I sued, and the Army (through the ABCMR) conceded they discharged me in violation of the law and regulations. Until I'm reinstated I'm still a veteran though, but once reinstated I cannot be simultaneously on active duty and a PMF fellow. Maybe if I get a position within DOD they can work a way around it, who knows. Hopefully this nonsense in Congress will end soon and Agencies lift their hiring freeze.
Congrats everyone who made it! I wish you all success in finding your ideal careers.
I was not fortunate to get to the finalist level. I thought I did very well at the in-person assessment, I also depended entirely on PMF which was my first mistake. I was willing to move anywhere with my little ones because I knew it was the best chance at starting a career, where I would truly be making a difference. For now, I am not sure where to begin. I really do not want to return to private sector and must find a job as soon as possible. I have thousands to repay in student loans and I need to find an income. I was one of those who refused a position in the hopes that I would make it as a finalist. I refused a private sector position, a secretarial position, as I wanted to begin my career after 13 years of administrative work.
Of course after weeks of waiting to hear from PMF, I received my rejection status only 2 days after a death in my family. I am overwhelmed, and have no idea what my next steps should be. I really wanted this and feel that I would have made it my long-term career. However, I am trying to stay positive and remind myself that there are other opportunities out there, it's just a matter of finding them.
I really wanted to share my experience, mostly for those who plan to apply next year, always have something to fall back on, a back-up plan. I had 1 or 2 backup plans, but early-March, then mid-March, to April 9 is a huge difference when you have others waiting on you. I have now lost those positions.
Nevertheless, good luck to all who did make it. Please make the best of this opportunity because it is quite an outstanding achievement. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me personally, especially coming from a CUNY school and struggling to juggle family responsibilities as well as an academic career and work.
Those who did not make it, please stay hopeful and positive, there will be more opportunities, perhaps even better ones, if possible in the future. Good luck to you in your search.
For those who wish to keep in touch or if you hear of any other positions at your agency later, kindly let me know, ameeta23 @ hotmail
Amy, I speak much success and clear direction in your near future. Lean strongly on your faith, and your path will be clear. Sometimes, the things we feel so strongly that we want or deserve are not really our ideal destiny in life. You will be amazing and influence many in your life for the better. Seriously, I can clearly discern by your amazing attitude, with no airs of trying to surreptitiously (sp?) bolster yourself or your achievements, that you will do amazing things and be a positive force to reckon with.
Amy, Sorry to hear about the death in your family. As for the PMF disappointment, don't let it get you down. There are many more opportunities out there. Keep strong! You have been a positive force on this blog and really helped me, and others I'm sure, through the maddening waiting period. Your strengths will show and you will find a great opportunity just around the corner!
To those of you that made it....CONGRATULATIONS! Happy for you all and wish you the best in finding a position (hopefully they will figure this budget crisis out soon).
On a positive side, USAJOBS has started posting more and more jobs that are open to 'US citizens' ...seems the hiring freezes are starting to lift. ;-)
Health and Human Services - Yes (Good morning. Congratulations on your newly appointment. We appreciate your proactive approach and interest of employment with the Department of Health of Human Services. At this time, we cannot move forward until we received the official email notification from OPM providing the newly appointed 2013 PMF Finalists list. Once received agencies should be able to view the current list and post vacancy announcements to recruit/hire 2013 PMF Finalists by utilizing the new PMF TAS portal.
HHS plans to post vacancy announcements for employment within our Operating and Staff Divisions (OPDIV/STAFFDIV) once this information becomes available. Hiring Officials are in the process of updating vacancies to post announcements via the PMF website to further assist fellows and interagencies seeking to interview and offer employment between now and the upcoming PMF Virtual Job Fair.
Our OPDIV/STAFFDIVs recruitment/selection varies based on its workforce planning needs. Therefore, we strongly encourage Finalists to continue to monitor to the PMF TAS portal for all upcoming postings.
Thanks for the updates and keep 'em coming! It seems that most agencies have no idea if, when, or what positions they will be hiring for at this time. I'm expecting competition to be "cut throat" this year. I'm getting the feeling that most agencies want to be left alone and it's probably best to just wait for TAS to launch. Is that pretty much what you are getting, or are there some agencies that have been receptive to your emails and phone calls?
Cut-throat is certainly correct, Jen. I am still surprised at the number of selections (thought it might be about 400) considering the climate in this city. The reps are just as frustrated as we are about the sequestration issues (from their own personal/professional lives as well as PMF quotas) so they understand our dilemma. I have sensed no hostility or impatience from them, and I will continue to try to gauge their openings and network until I see how this VJF works out.
Who did you contact for ICE and FEMA? Did you use the list from the PMF website or where? Im curious because I contacted DHS a few weeks ago (before the career fair change) about opportunities with these two agencies. They were in a holding pattern because of the sequester so I was going to wait to contact them again until the finalist list came out. Thanks by the way for posting these updates, I am keeping track.
Just a thought for everyone, if all these agencies are holding off on hiring PMF's this year, what about the possibility of holding a second career fair later this year? Sequesters traditionally do not last that long, and the government will always continue to run, so why not have a second after this mess is cleaned up?
ICE: Antonia “Toni” Acevedo Office of Human Capital U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 800 K Street NW MailStop 5008 (Ste. 1000) Washington, DC 20536 Desk: 202.732.1140
FEMA -Lorraine L. Cantolina Program Analyst Career Development and Training Branch Desk 202.212.2369
SMC is currently not hiring any PMF's. For further information on the PMF Program please visit www.pmf.gov. I wish you much success with other available agencies!
Lauren Lauren Beckett Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment & Placement) Los Angeles AFB
&
Currently we don't anticipate hiring for PMFs this fiscal year. However, if we do have a need OPM provides agencies with access to the list of finalists applications to consider as well as the ability to post positions on the OPM-PMF website for finalists to apply.
Thank you for your interest in USGS.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 3020 STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST, MODOC HALL, SUITE 2001. SACRAMENTO, CA 95819
Honestly, I think we should take it easy and there is no need to harass last year's published coordinators. I didn't make a whole lot of research and I don't know any prior PMFs. Conventional wisdom provides they selected the 663 finalists based on projected future needs. We are supposed to fill slots that will be available for permanent hire in two years. I'm assuming the finalists, among other things, possessed preferred or at least required skills the agencies relayed to OPM. I mean, if you look at the finalists' major of study there is a diversity but there are some disciplines with great numbers such as JD graduates, and there are disciplines with very few candidates. Everyone is eventually going to get hired. Obviously, a social worker is not going to take a lawyer's fellowship, so let's take a breather and stop spreading anxiety lol
AA, I'm going to try to weigh my words carefully here because I don't want this to sound negative, but no one is "harassing" anyone. If you feel that way, then stay off the site. You don't know what "conventional wisdom" provides when they say only 60% of the finalists were given jobs (that can be from a number of reasons, but 60% is 60%). I want to share the wealth with others; that's why I post the info. I don't need to try to hide every bit of insight I get in hopes of keeping it to myself. Many of these reps are VERY happy that I've contacted them (and the PMF program has emphasized to make inroads with different agencies because many may offer you a job before the fair. Many agencies have voiced excitement with my being proactive in contacting them, and they have said my resume is on their desks when they have an opening. I relay this info so everyone can have an idea if their agency is hiring or not. I believe this is a great program, but I have other law offers besides this so I'm not trying to hide the ball on other finalists. I want to share all the info I get because I do like seeing others succeed. So if you want to sit and chill, that's fine. But really, you have a knack for trying to tell everyone on here how they should be reacting to certain news (see you tiff above with Sterling). Just like no one commented on your whole off-line topics about injuries (don't all of us vets have them) or your discharge story saga, this info is actually placed here to help people succeed.
MK, sorry if "harassing" sounded that bad. I advocate for "chill" attitude because I think unconsciously I'm anxious too and try to cope with this whole waiting thing. I said I didn't research about the program that I don't have any first hand info from anyone. I'm not trying to mislead anyone, and obviously I had no clue about this 60% statistic otherwise I wouldn't have thrown my two words of "wisdom" lol. With respect to the other stuff, well... I vented about my discharge because I was anxious about it, I didn't even think I was gonna make it to SF list as I was reluctant about applying and if it wasn't for the extension I wouldn't have applied. Well, I deleted it afterwards, but I guess every subscriber got it :-/. I know we vets are all broken down, I was just saying nobody with injuries should give up no matter what. Thanks for caring and the advice, I'll keep my mouth zipped from now on as I'm just waiting for the TAS to launch :-) Again, sorry if I annoyed or caused any discomfort to anyone.
Yeah, it's like 40% of the finalists. That's really good. I wonder if there is a statistic of how many are enlisted and progressed up the education ladder using TA and post 9/11 GI Bill considering officers usually have their bachelor from the get go and senior officers have opportunities to get graduate studies, all those fellowships. I read a year or two ago that they will start sending eligible senior NCO's to grad schools but I don't know what happened to that, checked Milper messages and didn't see anything pertaining to enlisted.
If you go on the site where you log in, there is a link before you log in that says "View Finalists and Coordinators." On that page, it says who has vet pref.
I think they should extend the deadline for the current class. If we only have one year, with all the budget restrictions, it just won't be enough time for everyone.
I thought about this when they kept putting off releasing the results. This way, we get an additional few weeks to find something. The deadlines for previous years seemed to be during the winter.
K2, thank you for your kind words. I guess it's back to applying the old way for jobs :) That's great news that they are beginning to lift the hiring freeze, it will open many new jobs for all of us. I did a search for jobs in NYC from the GS7-GS9 level and there were only 9. I'll check again today.
I really appreciate this site. I contacted alot of agencies myself and have heard the same as posted above. Some are hiring, some aren't, some are waiting for new fiscal year "OCT" etc. I do know there are also 5 positions the Dept of Air Force is posting for Los Angeles for those interested on the West Coast. ******Does anyone have a number to the PMF office? I have interviews scheduled for tomorrow and Friday that were scheduled before I was a PMF Finalist. I was told yesterday by a PMF coordinator at one of the agencies I spoke to that I need to cancel the interviews because they are not PMF jobs, OR ask for them to be converted into PMF jobs or I can lose the risk of my Finalist status. Anyone have information on this and are you guys still applying/interviewing on USA jobs? Anyone have that number so I can call them? They havent responded to my email yet....Thanks
I don't think that's correct information, unless something has changed that I'm unaware of. You are a finalist whether you take a PMF job or any other job, inside or outside the government.
Some thoughts:
1) If you took a non-PMF position with a federal agency, you wouldn't get the benefits of the PMF program. Since your goal in this is probably to get a federal job, this may not be a big loss, but you will have to make that determination.
2) If you take a PMF position, the agency will report you as a PMF appointee, and the finalist list will be updated to reflect that. I am aware of people not ending up at the agency that first selected them, however, so nothing is settled.
3) Regardless of the (non-PMF) jobs you consider, apply for, interview for, or take, you are still a PMF finalist. You still have one year to secure an appointment.
4) While it's technically possible, it is unlikely to get an agency to convert an existing USAJOBS announcement to a PMF position. It's rare enough that I can't remember anyone I know having direct success with it, but that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't try. Especially now, when agencies are looking for creative solutions to staff projects and programs, it may be worth a try. Also, it may be the case that the hiring manager hadn't really thought of doing that. This is especially likely with agencies that still haven't had much participation in the program and don't know that much about it. Yes, there are agencies that still seem unaware of the awesomeness that is PMF!
Thanks for the info....greatly appreciated....do you have a number to PMF? What you said makes since, I am pretty sure some people take non-PMF appointments. Can we also shorten this thread? Thanks for doing everything for us, again, it is greatly appreciated Aaron!!!!
I believe Information will be rolling out soon, most likely OPM is waiting for all the agencies to have their ducks in a raw. The don't want to have any mishaps this time around. For example, The National insitiute of health (all fellows begin the program at the Bethesda campus) posted that all "at large" PMF will start on July 29, 2013 (non negotiable date) http://trainingcenter.nih.gov/intern/pmf/faqs.html
This is a program to fill projected needs in the Senior executive Service 4 or 5 years down the road. For example, PMF in the Navy must be mentored and supervised by a general officer or an SES member. http://www.public.navy.mil/donhr/TrainingDevelopment/developmentalresource/Pages/PMF.aspx
When this whole thing was getting set up, agencies knew about the sequester and government shutdown threats. When they selected us, the sequester was already in place. OPM took a while to release the list, I assume if agencies gave them input they will not be hiring then the number of Finalists would have decreased significantly.
This is straight out of the CFR
§ 362.201(a) On or about October 1 of each year, the OPM Director will determine the number of Fellows and the number of Senior Fellows that may be appointed during that fiscal year. Those determinations will be based on input from the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, as well as input from agencies not represented on the Council.
Whiskers, I don't know brother. I'm in the darkness as much as you. But I remember, before they took down the positions for 2012 finalists, I saw most of them in the DC headquarters. But maybe they have some positions at the Regional Offices. It would be nice if there is a PMF Alumni Association where finalists can get more information from those who made it before. I listed the agencies that participated in the last two job fairs, I dug in Google but couldn't find listings from prior years. But it's clear that not all agencies hire all the time, for example SSA didn't participate two years in a row.
Is everyone planning to take off work (if you work) May 1-3? I am unsure how it will work or if I should request "off" or just play it by ear. I usually need much advance notice for days off so not sure what to do. Just wondered what others were thinking.
Also, I have also reached out to a coordinator and some others I found trying to see if anyone is meeting with PMFs prior to the fair and am getting the same pushback so I think I'll wait and see what happens at the fair. :(
well, here is a two years comparison... if others can update the chart with info from other previous years then maybe we can see a trend... and keep busy lol
African Development Foundation: participated in 2012 but not in 2011 USAID Participated past two years Department of Agriculture: 3 agencies in 2012, 1 different agency in 2011 Department of Commerce: 3 agencies in 2012, 3 in 2011 (NOAA, & ITA in both) DOD, 3 agencies in 2012, 2 in 2011 (Washington HQ services did not participate in 2011) Department of education Participated past two years Department of Energy 7 agencies in 2012, 5 in 2011 (Only EIO and Office of Chief Finance Officer both years) HHS 6 in 2012, 4 in 2011 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Administration for Children and Families did not participate in 2011) DHS 8 in 2012, 10 in 2011 (National Protection and Programs Directorate and Office of Intelligence and Analysis did not participate in 2012) HUD participated both years DOJ participated last year but not in 2011 DOL participated both years State Dept. participated in 2011 but not 2012 U.S. Air Force participated in 2011 but not 2012 U.S. Army 2 Agencies in 2011, 1 in 2012 (Center for Army Analysis both years) DOI 6 Agencies 2012, 5 in 2011 (Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement did not participate in 2011, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement did not participate in 2012) U.S. Navy 2 same agencies in 2012 and 2011 Dept. of Treasury 3 Agencies in 2012 and 2011 (ATF in 2011, Mint in 2012) DOT 6 Agencies in 2011 and 4 in 2012 (Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Railroad Administration did not in 2012) VA participated both years EPA participated both years OMB participated both years Import Export Bank participated both years GSA participated both years LOC participated both years OPM participated both years SBA participated both years National Science Foundation participated in 2011 but not 2012 Presidential Technology Fellows Program participated in 2012 but not 2011 Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board participated in 2012 but not 2011 Federal Housing Finance Agency participated in 2012 but not 2011 Federal Acquisition Institute participated in 2012 but not 2011
One I am looking at (and I got confirmation they will have at least one opening) is in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. If not there, would love any other DOD opening, Dept of State or Dept of Justice.
From what I read, most vacancies (about 70%) will be in DC but I'm a little confused as to whether, aside the rotational opportunities, we have any options during our 2 years fellowship. The only concrete info I found was the NIH which I posted above. I'm looking at NE region, preferably if I can stay in NYC due to family situation but even if I get DC I'll still be able to spend weekends back home so it's not a big deal. National Security, Foreign Affairs, or any conflict analysis/resolution positions. I have been looking at the rotational opportunities available for Current PMF's (https://www.pmf.opm.gov/RotationsOpportunities.aspx). There are some interesting position that I like such as Joint Staff Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, Office of Terrorism Narcotics and Crime, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. There were others taken down but from looking at these rotational opportunities I'm quiet optimistic I will find positions I like.
If anyone noticed, something new just popped up in the portal. GSA is the first agency to post its coordinator's info. Things are moving slowly but surely :-) cheer up fellas we are almost there
two more agencies just posted their coordinators' info, Treasury and SSA... if you noticed in my chart yesterday SSA hasn't participated in the past two years. Probably this list of coordinators will grow by the hour and we should have a lot more info soon... Hopefully a full TAS launch within the next couple of days
When you go to the login page, there is a link on top "view finalists and coordinators", or you can try this direct link: https://apply.pmf.gov/pmf/pmfreports/listOfAgencyCoordinators.hms?tabIndex=2
No additional Coordinators listed since my last post.
UPDATE for PMF FINALISTS: Effective 3/27/13, NOAA implemented a NOAA-wide hiring freeze for all types of civilian appointments in all funding programs. We do not anticipate being able to advertise or fill any PMF vacancies until the freeze ends. If and when we are able to fill PMF vacancies, we will advertise available positions on OPM's Talent Acquisition System (TAS). Thank you for your interest in PMF opportunities with NOAA. http://www.wfm.noaa.gov/pmf/pmf_fellows_supers.html
Alternating Bad News and Good News. SSA published some stuff about a (or maybe THE) position it will fill from the pool of this year's finalists.
About the Target Position-the Management Support Specialist
After PMFs successfully complete their internships, they will be converted to their post-internship assignment--a career conditional/career permanent assignment, the Management Support Specialist (MSS) position, wherein the PMF will:
Assist Field Office managers by preparing analytical reports. Research data for use in a variety of meetings, office visits and other functions. Evaluate administrative training needs of field office staff. Prepare and provide training. Coordinate recruitment efforts and develop orientation for new employees. Plan, develop and monitor activities in support of SSA public service initiatives. Coordinate labor relations activities. Conduct periodic reviews of administrative, operations and remittance processes. Serve as a liaison with the Regional Security Officer, integrity staff, Office of Inspector General and central office on suspected fraud cases; and, as directed. Handle key technical and operational contacts in and out-of office with representatives of significant organizations and agencies.
Thank you for your interest in the FBI’s Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program. Due to current budgetary constraints it has not been decided if the FBI will be participating in the 2013 PMF Program.
Washington Headquarters Services....(this is interesting because she doesn't sound like they will be at the job fair, but they will have positions)
Thanks for your interest in OSD. Due to the change in operating systems, I do not yet have access to OPM's TAS site. Our announcement requirements will be posted on OPM's TAS site as soon as possible, but to apply, you will need to go to usajobs. The usajobs announcement will not be available until May 1-3. All of the info on how to apply will be made available on the announcement listed on the TAS. I do not believe we will be attending the virtual job fair.
Okay, VA just added their coordinators info. Honestly, I think this will continue and TAS won't lunch until all participating agencies provide their positions, locations, coordinators, and any other info necessary for this such as required skills for the positions and so on. I don't think OPM will do a partial lunch with just few of the agencies because all of us finalists will be flooding every agency with e-mails and application as they pop up. It's like when a product has been unavailable for a while then it reappears, all consumers rush to whichever place is selling it lol. That metaphor aside, it seems that many of us have been contacting agencies and coordinators trying to gain some information. And from what I'm reading, all the answers so far have been yes, no, or maybe so. Nothing else with respect to what positions need to be filled, the number of positions, etc... It is obvious that OPM has the agencies in a tight leach with respect to communicating any agency prior to releasing all the info to all the candidates at the same time, in this case the launch of TAS. It does make sense for them to act that way because PMF is one of the flagships of the whole federal government recruiting and they want the brand to be solid. The morale of the story, this trend will continue until TAS launches, we can chat with the coordinators from now until then but we are not going to gain anything else. P.S. I'm not telling anyone what they should or should not do, and definitely not advising anyone to chill like me, to each his own.
Ya the VA coordinators said they are waiting to hear from all their locations as to what and where there positions will be.....they said they will be posted them on the TAS system when it becomes available. Some agencies have asked for my resume already, but most agencies are giving everyone their fair shake to apply when the jobs are posted, which is fine with me. I think we will see jobs starting to post at the end of this week and next week.
Just something that occurred to me, anyone knows of any finalists from previous years who fulfilled all the requirements and did not quit because they took another job, yet within the one year time frame they failed to secure an appointment with an agency.
Okay, this what I just did... I grabbed a beer and went through some of the post finalist list chats from previous years. It's really worth reading, and you got nothing to do even more worth it. You might laugh at times as I did, your jaws Matt drop at times when you read how nasty they talk to each other at times. My take from it, a lot of whining and name calling for the program and the agencies add people wait lingered... then all of the sudden you see a "yay" and more finalists get super upset... then eventually, it all stopped. There are no posts anywhere saying someone never got a position. There was a survey sent but no results, maybe everyone got their job, went on with their lives and forgot all about this blog afterwards.
Comments took a pretty nasty turn in past years. I must commend this group for maintaining professionalism.
And yes, most PMFs move on and don't look back here, but as you've probably seen, a few linger here and there and have provided you some valuable insight. I always hope more of you stick around, but I understand how it is :)
I have emailed the coordinators for the CDC and VA Health Admin concerning positions and have not yet received a response. Has anyone heard anything from either of these agencies, or have any knowledge of possible positions they may have?
Also, has anyone heard anything about the TAS launch? They are way behind schedule and the job fair is just 2 weeks away. I was hoping to have a few weeks to plan.
FYI...Govloop has posted an article on tips for the virtual fair.
Anxiety level will probably rise after the job fair, for that and for many of us wondering what kind of positions will be posted, etc... this link will be helpful: https://www.pmf.opm.gov/JobSearch/results.aspx It is the last thing still available from the soon to replaced Projected Positions System. So, as we are waiting for the TAS to launch, those interested can take a peek at the duty description and requirements for those positions. The most important lesson from checking this out though, is that agencies were still hiring PMF's from the last class until Mid February of this year. For example, the Department of Education was offering a GS-12 position, the SBA was offering a position starting at GS-11 and up to 13. So, whichever positions will posted when TAS launches will not be the only ones as positions will be offered or withdrawn in rolling basis until April next year so we shouldn't get too alarmed by the number of positions offered and if some time elapses without jobs being posted. Finally, from looking at previous years blogs, if someone doesn't meet the requirements of the position, the agency will immediately say "NO"... Otherwise, for agencies considering us for appointment, we should expect up to 2 months for notification. This doesn't mean that some of us may get contacted almost immediately, but knowing there will be a wait makes it easier to cope with :-)
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ReplyDeleteSorry about that, I think the results will be out next week when the system is updated..just a guess but makes since.
ReplyDeleteI expect the results to be tomorrow (Friday) late morning to late afternoon. The new system is up next week. So, they would want us to have the weekend to plan ahead. The validation on-going is on in-person tasks. I do not think I will make it. Perhaps, next year. All-the-best-to-every-one. May be there will be over 50% selected (from 1,600+).
ReplyDeleteI hope so too! Fingers crossed for all!
DeleteI hope your right...Good luck to you and hopefully you get it!
ReplyDeleteI was told by a fed today that the agencies have been given a packet, and that she thinks that packet contains the list. Concurrent to that, I was invited to coffee by another fed, who asked me 'if' I made it(she did know that I was a semi-finalist, pretty much the whole agency does it seems), whether I'd be interested in joining her department if she gets approval to have a pmf on staff. This gives me a good feeling that the list is ready, and that I am on it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as a follow up to someone else's post- I was told by a current/past PMF that it was his understanding that every veteran who made it to semi-finalist in his year- a few years ago- made it. This is good news for some regular posters on here (not for me, I never followed up on that opportunity to serve, and greatly respect those of you who did).
Thanks for the information and sounds very re-assuring for you! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI'm glad you've gotten that reassurance but I think this whole insider information business is crap. It definitely sounds like you were essentially told you made it. Great for you but it sucks for the rest of us who don't have contacts already with the feds. And that's one less job open to the general pool of applicants. Do you already work for the government or do you just know people? I think it's lame that people seem to know who the finalists are but yet the other 1,600 of us have to wait until the official results are in.
DeleteWow! You go!
DeleteNB: I was told by many to be an intern before applying. That helps to know Feds.
If I do not make it this year, I will apply again, and start as an intern this summer.
Networking is the only way....
Agreed with anonymous, this is ridiculous to imply somehow the agencies get the list of finalists before anyone else. As stated in the previous blog, some large agencies still do NOT know if they will even be appointing PMFs.
DeleteI did a bit more digging, they do have a 'packet', its a pdf that was sent to the agencies by OMB yesterday, someone printed it out- because they were reviewing the rules/cost to agency of the positions. No, they apparently don't have a list of who made it- the two incidents were just coincidence.
DeleteYes, I've been working for the government as a non-fed, being treated like a second class citizen for years. Yes, this is an advantage in that people already know I will work like a son of a gun without being given any of the federal perks. And I feel lucky to have it.
However, they have to list the jobs publicly, the applications go through HR scrutiny, and contrary to public belief, knowing someone doesn't go that far in government to getting you a job.(If it did, I'd have one already) Also, I have been calling agencies I am interested in (not my agency) for weeks. I already arranged interviews and have pre-offers. There is a difference between counting your eggs before they've hatched and working your tail off to be the first in the door.
Well bully for you. I personally think you're counting your chickens before they're hatched (not eggs).
Deleteyour honesty and bluntness is appreciated :)
Deleteboni_et_aequi,
DeleteI must say that I admire your drive! Yes, you have an advantage, and it would be foolish of you to not use it. I would definitely use ever advantage possible to get to where I want to be. It's called "networking," and some people are better at it than others.
Based on the connections that you have made as a semi-finalist, even if you do not get selected, you may be able to still secure your dream job!
Good Luck!!!!!
That's a good point - if I make it to finalist, I'm going to have to really hustle to reach out to anyone and everyone I know with the feds.
DeleteI didn't do it earlier because, frankly, I didn't want to have to tell all my federal contacts I didn't make it to finalist...I do want to work in the government at some point, even if I don't make it now, and I wasn't sure if that would make a bad impression.
I sure hope that comment about all veterans making it is true *fingers crossed*
DeleteI have become useless since the postponement of the announcement! I am a 60% disabled veteran, so I am encouraged by the previous post. I wish everyone luck and I hope this agonizing wait comes to an end soon!
ReplyDeleteI asked this question previously with no direct responses so here it is again. Does anyone know if the all the PMF positions are in DC? I saw some people talking about oversees positions so it makes me wonder. Does anyone know if there are agencies in multiple states that have PMF coordinators and positions available? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
ReplyDeletewhiskers- I don't know what agencies have really even figured out 100% what they want to list. The OMB guy at my interview said they usually have some, but the great majority are in DC. I am trying to make my own job- with there being what amounts to a hiring freeze for the budget, if you can evaluate the needs of the agency- looking at their online strategic plans, and really drilling down office by office- looking a missions, plans, current and past job postings, you can find places you match and reach out. I've made at least 100 phone calls/emails already. Only a few have been returned. Some of them already had plans to use a PMF, some never heard of it, some think they can convert an existing need that was to be listed publicly to a pmf. What I'm saying is- get them to want you- and they will list it. So figure out what fed offices are where you want to be, and find out what they are supposed to be accomplishing and where they aren't. I feel right now like any agency I am interested could call me cold, and I could explain their mission, my expertise- and why I fit into it- why they need me.
DeleteI don't know about the positions this year, but in the past *most* of the positions were in DC. I'm guessing that it depends on the Department/Agency and how/where it's centralized. I work for DOI, and we've had some PMF's in Colorado... Sorry that's not very much info, but I figured I'd share.
DeleteI didn't think of that @sassy- @whiskers- look for agencies with 'field offices' once the list of opportunities come out see if the position could be worked from there- I think DOE and DOT also have large staffs in Denver metro- look for USAjobs listings that are similar to the described PMF in your local area?
DeleteThere are PMF jobs in other cities. Look for State Dept passport agencies and HR, DHS, Border Patrole, Veterans Association, DOD, etc. Those agencies all have either HQ or branch offices in other cities besides DC.
DeleteWhat about the Department of Veterans Affairs specifically? Any gouge?
Deletethe VA has offices all over the country
DeleteWith PMF positions?
DeleteYes.
Deleteyep.
DeleteNot sure if it's worth stirring the pot, but I thought I'd post to see if it's the same for everyone. Just noticed my PMF application changed from "Congratulations, you have been accepted as a semi-finalist" to "no comments". Anybody else notice a change?
ReplyDeleteYep - same for me
Deletethis is updated too:
Deletehttps://www.pmf.opm.gov/ACoords.aspx
My application status changed also. This seems hopeful that something has changed.......but no comment? Hope that doesn't mean anything bad.......
DeleteYep, same change, was just about to post it.
ReplyDeleteI got the no comment status also! Maybe could it be...maybe.....
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody have any idea what the background check is like? How easy is it to get disqualified, anything we can do to prepare, etc. I've never had one before, so I'm curious.
ReplyDeletehere is the form http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116382
Deleteits cake for the public trust- unless you've been to prison or are a druggie, you are fine. The secret is a little bit more intimidating- but if you smoked pot in college, just tell them you smoked pot in college. Arguably, if you smoked pot last week, you should tell them that too, rumor has it that doesn't disqualify you, but I don't know anyone looking for a fed job that smoked pot last week.
When I was a 2L I worked for DOJ and needed a Secret, they sent a shiny shoed FBI guy to my house, interviewed me and my sig other at the time, and went to my hometown and interviewed my childhood neighbors, and even an ex. I wasn't squeaky clean, but no drugs or arrests, and I passed just fine. I'm older now, and have a few exes who I'm not proud of, but I still think it will be fine, if a little harder for them to follow my trail.
Just be honest! The biggest disqualifer is if you lie. They just want to make sure you cant be blackmailed for what you've done.
DeleteI have done a background check for the Army, Navy and Dept of VA. Download SF 85 and fill it out. It will give you a heads up on what information is required in a background check!
ReplyDeleteKevin,
DeleteSame here for the Navy,I still have an active "SECRET" until September of 2014 so I will bypass this whole process I think if I am fortunate enough to make.
I had a secret when I got out of the Navy in 2009. I can't imagine it is that difficult to get it back if you have to.
DeleteYou might not be able to bipass the clearance process if you go to another agency. DOS and DOD do different clearance processes and it might need to be re-verified if you go through a different one. Also I know most State PMFs get TS clearance...
DeleteKyle: You will get it as you are already at State. Does State have the most PMFs? Will the new SecofState want to have new PMFs given the budget? If I make it (wishful thinking as I blew the in-person essay due to stress), I would like to get to DoS in a national security office.
DeleteAlready being at an agency doesn't mean much, I am just an intern anyways. I have tons of friends who didn't make it to the semi-finalists stage that work at state. State has a big program but I don't think its the biggest, DOD also has a big program too. One thing I've heard from other PMFs is that state has a very established program and the PMF coordinator there is good and that has its advantages. but its also popular and more competitive so... as far as the sequester/budget goes, all i kno is there is new hiring policy that is for every two people who leave, DOS can hire one person, thats how they are responding to the sequester, buut I honestly don't know how that is going to work for PMFs. I don't have a good gauge for that, on a positive note, a friend of mine told me that offices need to apply/put in paperwork for pmfs well ahead of time so maybe the sequester hasn't hurt it much.
DeleteI had to redo my clearance from the Navy to the VA because it was over a year since the investigation was conducted.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
DeleteI guess I will be doing another one if selected. I'm still on active duty so that is crazy. It seems to me if obviously I haven't been kicked out of the Navy my clearance is still good. I figured with all the budget cuts that is one area they could save in. I know other civilian agencies take advantage of hiring vets as they transfer out with their clearance to save money. I was wrong again...Thanks for the info...
I know....the Navy wouldn't accept the Secret clearance I had from the Army. Its someone's job and they don't want to subtract work from someone's desk!
DeleteKevin,
DeleteWhat do you do at the VA and where are you located if you don't mind me asking?
I work at the Philadelphia Regional Office as a veteran's Service Representative. I process pension, death indemnity, and accrued benefits.....along with a slew of other claims...
DeleteAah! Too bad you can't speed up my disability appeal...27 months and counting!
DeleteLOL, I submit mine next Friday under the BDD program, 6 months out from my EAOS....I will be waiting for a long time!
DeleteHaha well this is my appeal. Including my original claim time, I have been waiting 40 months.
DeleteMy BDD claim was filed in May and I received my rating in September.
DeleteRyan,
You will receive a retro payment from the date of your claim to the decision date. So its like having money under a mattress!
Kevin,
DeleteWOW.......5 months from submitting you got your rating...I hope I have that happen to me!
Hope they give Veterans a priority and all you make it. Thank-you-for-your-service.
DeleteWhat's your thoughts on this news about health record and VA and DOD complication? I see Hagel wants to cut budget. VA is safe from cuts but for how long. Is Shenseki up-to-the task? It would be great to be a PMF in the SecofVA/DOD office.
Lets just say that the VA would not be the best fit for me as a PMF......
DeleteAmerica's Politico,
DeleteThats what I want. PMF in the VA.....
Its definitely frustrating at times, but also very rewarding!
ReplyDeleteThis site isn't working anymore for me: https://www.pmf.opm.gov/FFinalist.aspx#top
ReplyDeleteI wonder if today is the day?
I contacted the PMF office when those people were trying to trick us all on April fools asking for some clarification and this is what I got yesterday evening:
ReplyDeleteAll Semi-Finalists will be sent an email to go to the application system to check their status. In addition, a full list of Finalists will be posted to the PMF website.
There have been NO emails sent to any Semi-Finalists regarding the selection of Finalists. We anticipate notifying everyone in a few days.
Kyle, you will get it. You will be the example of an intern at DOD who is now a PMF. If I do not make it, I will apply for an internship this summer. I expect PMF to notify us today. If not today, I expect it will be Sun night or first thing on Monday. They cannot delay much further, as it will affect the next PMF class (we have one year to find a placement, so delaying us affects the next group). They should release the results sooner then later.
DeleteI also wonder how many FINALISTS will be there. For over 1,600 semis, I expect about 250-300 to get placed. With that frame of reference, I expect they will have around 400 Finalists. This way there will many who will withdraw their finalist status (as they have better ones outside of PMF positions), do not graduate, or just do not like their offers.
"in a few days" from yesterday... Must mean next week :(
Deletemeh, they fibbed and said 'within the week' last time. I'd be surprised if it came out today, the whole government seems to be on AWS on Friday.
DeleteAmerica's Politico,
DeleteTo add to your previous post about how many will take other offers is a very interesting concept.....I know me personally if I get offered a full time position with the feds outside the PMF I am taking it and here's why. This is a two year fellowship, no guarantee of employment. If the government keeps downsizing or furloughing employees, PMF's will be the first to go in my eyes. I don't see an agency downsizing a permanent employee before letting go the Fellow. There are a lot of things to think about before you uproot your whole life and put trust in the Federal Government. There is obviously a lot of unknowns in Washington right now with the budget crises.
Kyle,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.....why can't they just say a date!!!!
I would like to know this too. Maybe the finalists can find out from their coordinators. It could be a number of things: technical difficulties, extreme quadruple checking because of last year's finalist acceptance fiasco, OPM cutbacks due to the sequester. My guess is a combination of all three. Add on a new TAS and the online job fair, and they've got their hands full. I imagine things are just too hectic to name a precise date.
DeleteIt's also worth remembering that the PMF Program Office is fairly small (like a half dozen people), or was as of 20ish months ago when I left OPM.
DeleteAny ideas what the upper bounds of "Early April" are?
ReplyDeleteWell anything after April 15th disqualifies "early April," but I quit guessing. It wouldn't surprise me if we found out April 30th at this point
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought nobody was responding since I did not get any emails, I hope others will remember to subscribe to this new thread.
ReplyDeleteMy randon thought is that this will be listed on Monday with the return of their updated systems. That is what seems logical to me now........but what does logic have to do with all this now???? LOL, good luck everyone. I'm going to take the weekend off from waiting and watching and obsessing and whatever else has me up nervously snacking late at night!!!
ReplyDelete*random
DeleteI'm still hoping to hear back over the weekend! My ability to deal with bad news is exponentially better over the weekend than a Monday morning.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSecurity clearance used to be different among agencies and departments, but my understanding is it was taken over by OPM several years ago in order to have a standardized investigation procedures. The adjudication though is specific to every agency. However, some agencies like the FBI at least do their own investigations. Well, it's almost midnight so we will rest out anxiety until Monday lol... have a good weekend folks.
ReplyDeleteI had a TS-SCI clearance from the Navy that was still active and that didn't do me a damn bit of good when I started working for the feds. Like Anis said, OPM took over doing clearances so even though you have a fancy clearance, you'll have to redo it once you come on board with your new agency. The only exception to that may be if you start working for DOD.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that the clearance I had to get was just for public trust AKA a single scope background investigation.
DeleteI hope everyone is having a blessed Sunday. Perhaps this is the eve of results? I profess no knowledge of any planned announcement's, I only have hope that it will be tomorrow. Tomorrow's is my little brother's birthday, so perhaps a little good Karma will be in the air. Best of Luck to All.
ReplyDeleteSo, what is the consensus? PMF finalist results announced tomorrow? I'd put money on it :)
ReplyDeleteAll-the-best-to-Every-One. I hope we get the results tomorrow. I suspect we will know late morning (around 11 AM eastern onwards, to as late as 6 PM eastern).
DeleteThe delay has already given me a feeling that if I do not make it, I will not worry about it longer. The anxieties have taken the toll. So, bad news will not mentally hurt for a long time.
Here is hoping at least 1/3 of the semis (1,600+) make it. Perhaps, somewhere between 400 to 450. So, I have one in four shot.
Good-luck to All.
Just be fatalistic, Que sera sera lol... whenever they post the results they post them. I got my thesis and two research papers to worry about for the next 30 days, and I'm pretty sure many of you guys do have finals and other things coming up.... looking at the semi finalists list, most candidates are from prestigious universities so getting a job or accepted as a PhD candidate shouldn't cause nightmares. I'm at Columbia, VA VR&E is paying for everything, I'm going for a 12 credit certificate this summer after graduation so I'm not rushing lol
ReplyDeleteThis thesis will help you get the PMF Placement at VA. GOOD-LUCK!
DeleteGood info!
ReplyDeleteThis morning, it occurred to me that the new TAS was supposed to go online today. I checked around 7:45, and the announcement from a few weeks ago said it would launch at 8. When I looked back at the website a little after 8, the TAS announcement had been removed. I'm guessing it won't actually be launched today (certainly not by 8 am!) and that's why they took down that announcement. So, perhaps today is not the day to hear after all.
ReplyDeleteIt's actions like that (put up information, then take it down with no regard for those who have already processed it) that reinforce the necessity of this blog. I had thought, with the PMF Program Office's forays into its own social media outlets, a bit more communication would be flowing out, but the disappointing fact is, nothing of substance has been released lately.
DeleteWarning: this comment is a tad philosophical.
I don't know how many semi-finalists are visiting this blog, but I have traffic numbers that indicate either 1) there are many of you, or 2) there are only a handful of you, but you're refreshing the page like crazy. I am guessing it's number 1, and that the rest of the visitors are lurking. That's fine, of course, but what I have to say here is directed at all of you, especially those of you who have been engaging on here.
Something seems to happen, some fluke of government culture, that impedes the outward flow of information. Perhaps nobody wants to be quoted or give an appearance of misrepresentation. I understand that, really. But remember this: all organizations make mistakes. All organizations occasionally communicate incorrect things to the public. Government is not special in this regard.
You don't just get to erase your mistakes because the thing you said is no longer visible on your webpage.
Take a look at the communications you are getting from this Program right now, and then consider what you would like to be getting. There is an absence, right? You notice the absence because you are anxious and that anxiety translates into refreshing a set of web pages as a daily ritual, or refreshing your inbox every 10 seconds hoping for that email. And so you routinely discover the little messaging discrepancies that appear on a website one day, only to disappear into the void later when the promised date comes and goes with no new information.
I don't think I am alone in suggesting this state of communications is simply unacceptable. If there is anything I hope for you as a group to accomplish, it's finding ways, however small, to correct this failure to effectively communicate. If and when you make it into government service, I want you to remember this experience, and I want you consider what you can do to make it better. There are lots of dysfunctions in government, but this seems such a small one that a slow cultural change could probably fix.
Thoughts?
I couldn't agree more. All of the momentum and excitement I had about this opportunity seems to be disappearing with each communication misstep. Don't get me wrong, I will be thrilled if I make it to the Finalist stage. However, I don't think I'll be as upset if I don't make it, because the cumulative effect of all the uncertainty is weighing on me.
DeleteI work in government right now, and I understand this reluctance to make mistakes. But, as you said, all organizations make mistakes. It is one thing to accept responsibility and be transparent, versus making the mistake disappear. The former allows us to have a better understanding of the situation, whereas the latter just frustrates us and confuses us further. I'd rather feel sympathy for an understaffed or overwhelmed office staff than feel the frustration and anxiety I feel now.
You guys are really impatient lol... well, good morning everyone. I just reread the announcement about the new TAS and it clearly states "From March 22 - April 8, 2013, the PMF Program's on-line systems will be down to conduct a data migration from the old system to the new system." It does not say that it will be launched today, rather it is clear that the system will still be down today.Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and be a little optimistic. Have a 24 hours "cool down" and tomorrow is another day :-)
ReplyDeleteWhere did you find the announcement? The one that was on the website here http://www.pmf.gov/news-events.aspx this morning was removed, and it clearly stated it would be down "until 8 am" today. And then they removed it. I'm more irritated by the lack of transparency - taking news off the website - then the constant delays, which I think we're all used to at this point.
DeleteAnis, they make me this way!! Lol. Seriously though, I've stopped caring about the date, it's more so an issue with old news updates disappearing from the lineup. Why bother? Things change, it just looks strange when things just disappear. What you explain is totally true, so what was the point of deleting it?
Deletehttp://www.pmf.gov/become-a-pmf/find-a-job/job-search.aspx I copied and pasted when I was writing the comment... it is still there
ReplyDeleteAh. The language on the announcement posted to the news section was worded differently. Thanks for pointing this out. Good luck!
DeleteWhen will they tell us? The waiting game is so stressful!
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn that when they originally announced the delay it was worded as though they would announce the semi-finalists and a few days later, the TAS system would be launched. Now it is worded completely different. I thought it was just me and my bad memory. But now that others are noticing things disappearing from the website, I don't feel so crazy.
ReplyDeleteIt's very disheartening (and a little scary when you think about it on a larger scale) that the government thinks if it just erases something and neglects to update the "updated date" then it doesn't exist and never happened. It really makes you wonder what you are getting into by seeking government employment.
Add to this that I got an ineligible status for a job I applied for on USAJobs a few weeks ago (since CLEARLY the PMF program is not working out as planned) because they said I didn't submit correct documents (transcripts and resumes) which I did. I emailed to find out what they were talking about and they responded that my transcript for undergrad didn't specifically state my graduation date. However, I applied for almost the same position maybe 6 months ago and they accepted this same document no problem, but I wasn't among the top referred candidates. I applied this time again because I just finished my MPA in March and figured it would help me rank hirer. I also used that same transcript documentation for every job I have applied for the government, including the PMF program, with NO problem, and my reasons for not moving forward had nothing to do with this supposed problem. I emailed back and said why is this suddenly a problem when you all have accepted it before, and considering I submitted a graduate school transcript it's pretty obvious I got my undergrad degree. I feel like they are looking for an excuse and that was the easiest one.
All of this is rubbing me the wrong way. I am definitely going to start paying more attention to alternate employment options because even if I make finalist status, its still going to be like jumping through rings of fire doused in gasoline trying to fight for the limited positions, especially because I can't move to DC for a position.
Like so many of the practices in life, law school for instance, the bureaucracy is slowly beating me down to the point that I will one day no longer have and "*ucks" to give. Maybe I'll go become a stranded sailor, gringo on some south pacific aisle, building biomass plants to fuel satellite dishes on discarded sugar cane chaff.
ReplyDeleteI only told a very select few about my semi-finalist status on a need-to-know basis. Not even my mother is aware of this opportunity. I originally did this to save myself from the embarrassment and disappointment if I do not make it. However, I am now glad that I have mostly kept it to myself, because I could not stand it if I was asked by one more person if I have heard anything yet. I have a co-worker that knows and every morning she asks if I was selected. I think she is starting not to believe me since I have been saying "any day now" for the past month. It only enhances the anxiety that you are already feeling.
ReplyDeleteI really thought we would definitely be notified by today since the TAS is scheduled to be up tomorrow and the update said we would know before the launch of the TAS. Once again, I was wrong. Well, you know what they say about assuming!
Check your status! I didnt get it, but they're udating them when you log on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know! Mine is updated, too. Good luck everyone!
DeleteI didn't get it :( good luck to you all.
ReplyDeletemine's updated,, not selected,, good luck everyone!
ReplyDeleteI made it!
ReplyDeleteFinalist :-) I just logged in and it showed a congratulation message. good luck everyone :-)
ReplyDeleteUpdated... not selected. Good luck everyone else.
ReplyDeleteNot selected.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bust.
Selected - so relieved and excited. Considering I didn't even make it to semifinalist for the class of 2011, somewhat surprising; so, if you're a new graduate and didn't get selected this year, there's definitely hope.
ReplyDeleteFinalist! BEST OF LUCK EVERYONE!!
ReplyDeletecan someone give me the link to log in please?
ReplyDeleteapply.pmf.gov/pmf
Deletethanks
DeleteLog into your account. My results have posted. I'm not BS'ing.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you all logging into?
ReplyDeleteWoops just saw the comment above. Thanks!
Deletemy status changed to being a finalist in the apply login go check! am excited but I'll wait to see if it's real
ReplyDeleteI made it!!!! Good luck to everyone who hasn't see it. I literally cried at work and so did my wife when I called her.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the other finalists! Now that I see there are 663 finalists, I wonder what percentage of us will actually get jobs. I am surprised they didn't reduce the number of finalists given the budgetary climate right now. I guess that's a worry for tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to those that made it.....I made it as well...Good luck everyone
ReplyDeleteI was selected as well. Let the next phase begin!
ReplyDeleteI made it!
ReplyDeleteJust curious, how many other veterans made it?
Thanks everyone,
Don
Don,
DeleteI know they did not choose all the veterans. I myself am one, 20 years Navy Intelligence Officer. Work as a civilian Intel Analyst for SF here in Afghanistan now. I think maybe my age was the downfall. Seems like everyone else was mid 20's and a very small % of us were older experienced adults.
Brian
I'm a veteran and I made it. Super excited for the opportunity!
DeleteI am a 74 years of age disabled veteran, I made it. Decision time.
DeleteDon,
DeleteActive duty and start my separation leave in July...made it
263 VETERANS!!
DeleteThats just under 40%. Has this been the average?
Looks like the VA and DOD will be covered with a PMFs this year. I wonder whats going to be left over?
We invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, its only natural we invade the PMF program and federal government.
Congrats all!
D
I made it!!!! I'm so excited.
ReplyDeleteI didn't make it and I'm really pissed that this is the process. Anis Attia I hope lot of negative energy towards you for telling people that they should chill out. Not everybody is in your situation, so the best the thing to do is to SHUT UP. you are an ungrateful person.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks, keep that negative energy to yourself... You displayed it quiet well in this post... whatever
Delete@Anis, congrats on finalist status and thumbs up on your graceful response... Reflects well on you.
DeleteYou've made my point for me. Thank you. You are smug. I am partially disabled and am grateful for every breath that I take and every step that I take as my body deteriorates and I wish you well. Congrats to all.
Deletedude, seriously, she said that calm down thing before the finalists had been announced anyways...
DeleteI was just reminding everyone there are other great things going on in their lives besides the PMF selection result. I'm a "He" by the way. I'm sorry to hear you got some health issues, but you shouldn't surrender. I'm combat wounded, I have TBI, chronic migraines, PTSD, vertigo, three herniated cervical discs and one lumbar. I also have bilateral posterior tebial tendon deficiency, arthritis and shrapnel through my knees, and the list keeps going. I have been on social security disability and without my VA benefits I don't know how I would have made it to get another opportunity in life. Many nights I used to be in do much in pain I wish I never wake up, but I look at my little boys and remind myself I can't give up. So, find something, there are always things out there that will give you purpose and hope. Good luck, no hard feelings
Delete@Anis and to all veterans who applied to the program to begin with, thank you for your service!
DeleteThanks, hopefully some of us will end up being decision makers at the VA and DOD some day and ensure that service members and veterans never get wronged and don't have to deal with excessive delays and red tape.
DeleteStill can't believe I made it, but I'm so happy! The last thing I wanted to do was practice law!
ReplyDeleteGOOD-LUCK-TO-ALL. I got to the email late as I was in a rough meeting. When I checked, I did not make it. I knew this of course. I did not do well in the final essay (last activity in in-person). The noise distracted me and I blew it. Well, it is important to fail. Perhaps, I will try again. But, this evening, I want to celebrate for YOU ALL.
ReplyDeleteI hope each and every-one of you becomes the PMF! CONGRATS!
You are a good human being. I've failed many times in my life, but I've never regretted a single failure. It seems that you have a similar mindset. It will take you far! Besides, this is a pretty damn awesome thing to "fail at". The fact that you were a semi-finalist speaks volumes. Thanks for the congratulations!
DeleteThanks, Dave, for your good-wishes. I have failed more times than I can remember. For every ten actions, I probably fail 8/9 times. But, I loved that one success. Now, I will try again next year (if I can). I just have to work harder. As it will be the last time I will be eligible. Hopefully, this new class (your class) will be so successful, that OPM will have even more PMFs. Here is to every-one who made it! Keep it up.
DeleteCongrats to everyone that was selected as a finalist!
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who weren't selected, what are your plans? Are there other programs your applying to? Just curious what people are planning of doing.
That's my one try. Would have been a nice career change from contractor to GS employee. For right now I am just going to continue to stay here in Afghanistan. Honestly it would of been a massive pay cut but its a privilege to be selected as a PMF and I would of gone from providing intel to our SF units out here to making coffee possibly but it would have benefits in the untold years.
DeleteWho knows where Ill go next? Iran, North Korea? Syria? Congrats to all those that made it and realize that you have achieved a good gig now so don't let the rest of us down :)
Congrats, all, to everyone -- those who applied and were not selected showed a lot of fortitude and patience. Your time will come.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to throw in my two cents....I currently work for DOJ(D.C.) in a J.D. externship for my 3L year. I have reached out to a lot of agency reps about positions, and I have met unanimous "not hiring now because of hiring freeze" or "we don't even know if we are participating in the virtual fair."
Currently not hiring: DEA, Navy Office of Civilian Human Resources, Civil Division of DOJ, and Secret Service.
So stay diligent if there's an agency you really want. Semper Fi!
Commerce (Office of Human Capital Strategy) - "hopes" to attend VJF
ReplyDeleteEducation (attending VJF)
DHS(Office of Policy) - Not hiring PMFs
Executive Office of Pres. (Office of National Drug Control Policy)- not hiring PMFs right now
Is this posted in the PMF portal or you had to dig into the agencies' web sites?
DeleteDirect from the agency rep.
DeleteYeah, maybe at some point we will have to start a new thread "awaiting TAS launch" lol. The "find opportunities" link was added but the drop boxes aren't populated yet. Technically, I'm on active duty until next February so I'm not sure I will be able to accept any position until then. It's a little complicated, it involves wrongful discharge, I sued, and the Army (through the ABCMR) conceded they discharged me in violation of the law and regulations. Until I'm reinstated I'm still a veteran though, but once reinstated I cannot be simultaneously on active duty and a PMF fellow. Maybe if I get a position within DOD they can work a way around it, who knows. Hopefully this nonsense in Congress will end soon and Agencies lift their hiring freeze.
ReplyDeleteCongrats everyone who made it! I wish you all success in finding your ideal careers.
ReplyDeleteI was not fortunate to get to the finalist level. I thought I did very well at the in-person assessment, I also depended entirely on PMF which was my first mistake. I was willing to move anywhere with my little ones because I knew it was the best chance at starting a career, where I would truly be making a difference. For now, I am not sure where to begin. I really do not want to return to private sector and must find a job as soon as possible. I have thousands to repay in student loans and I need to find an income. I was one of those who refused a position in the hopes that I would make it as a finalist. I refused a private sector position, a secretarial position, as I wanted to begin my career after 13 years of administrative work.
Of course after weeks of waiting to hear from PMF, I received my rejection status only 2 days after a death in my family. I am overwhelmed, and have no idea what my next steps should be. I really wanted this and feel that I would have made it my long-term career. However, I am trying to stay positive and remind myself that there are other opportunities out there, it's just a matter of finding them.
I really wanted to share my experience, mostly for those who plan to apply next year, always have something to fall back on, a back-up plan. I had 1 or 2 backup plans, but early-March, then mid-March, to April 9 is a huge difference when you have others waiting on you. I have now lost those positions.
Nevertheless, good luck to all who did make it. Please make the best of this opportunity because it is quite an outstanding achievement. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me personally, especially coming from a CUNY school and struggling to juggle family responsibilities as well as an academic career and work.
Those who did not make it, please stay hopeful and positive, there will be more opportunities, perhaps even better ones, if possible in the future. Good luck to you in your search.
For those who wish to keep in touch or if you hear of any other positions at your agency later, kindly let me know, ameeta23 @ hotmail
God bless!
Amy, I speak much success and clear direction in your near future. Lean strongly on your faith, and your path will be clear. Sometimes, the things we feel so strongly that we want or deserve are not really our ideal destiny in life. You will be amazing and influence many in your life for the better. Seriously, I can clearly discern by your amazing attitude, with no airs of trying to surreptitiously (sp?) bolster yourself or your achievements, that you will do amazing things and be a positive force to reckon with.
DeleteAmy, Sorry to hear about the death in your family. As for the PMF disappointment, don't let it get you down. There are many more opportunities out there. Keep strong! You have been a positive force on this blog and really helped me, and others I'm sure, through the maddening waiting period. Your strengths will show and you will find a great opportunity just around the corner!
DeleteTo those of you that made it....CONGRATULATIONS! Happy for you all and wish you the best in finding a position (hopefully they will figure this budget crisis out soon).
On a positive side, USAJOBS has started posting more and more jobs that are open to 'US citizens' ...seems the hiring freezes are starting to lift. ;-)
Health and Human Services - Yes (Good morning. Congratulations on your newly appointment. We appreciate your proactive approach and interest of employment with the Department of Health of Human Services. At this time, we cannot move forward until we received the official email notification from OPM providing the newly appointed 2013 PMF Finalists list. Once received agencies should be able to view the current list and post vacancy announcements to recruit/hire 2013 PMF Finalists by utilizing the new PMF TAS portal.
ReplyDeleteHHS plans to post vacancy announcements for employment within our Operating and Staff Divisions (OPDIV/STAFFDIV) once this information becomes available. Hiring Officials are in the process of updating vacancies to post announcements via the PMF website to further assist fellows and interagencies seeking to interview and offer employment between now and the upcoming PMF Virtual Job Fair.
Our OPDIV/STAFFDIVs recruitment/selection varies based on its workforce planning needs. Therefore, we strongly encourage Finalists to continue to monitor to the PMF TAS portal for all upcoming postings.
Best regards,)
Marine Kappa,
DeleteThanks for the updates and keep 'em coming! It seems that most agencies have no idea if, when, or what positions they will be hiring for at this time. I'm expecting competition to be "cut throat" this year. I'm getting the feeling that most agencies want to be left alone and it's probably best to just wait for TAS to launch. Is that pretty much what you are getting, or are there some agencies that have been receptive to your emails and phone calls?
Cut-throat is certainly correct, Jen. I am still surprised at the number of selections (thought it might be about 400) considering the climate in this city. The reps are just as frustrated as we are about the sequestration issues (from their own personal/professional lives as well as PMF quotas) so they understand our dilemma. I have sensed no hostility or impatience from them, and I will continue to try to gauge their openings and network until I see how this VJF works out.
DeleteICE (Office of Human Capital) - No...maybe after the sequestration is lifted.
ReplyDeleteFEMA will be at the VJF, and their senior leadership is super excited about our class.
Marine,
DeleteWho did you contact for ICE and FEMA? Did you use the list from the PMF website or where? Im curious because I contacted DHS a few weeks ago (before the career fair change) about opportunities with these two agencies. They were in a holding pattern because of the sequester so I was going to wait to contact them again until the finalist list came out. Thanks by the way for posting these updates, I am keeping track.
Just a thought for everyone, if all these agencies are holding off on hiring PMF's this year, what about the possibility of holding a second career fair later this year? Sequesters traditionally do not last that long, and the government will always continue to run, so why not have a second after this mess is cleaned up?
Just my two cents....
Thanks,
Don
Don,
DeleteICE:
Antonia “Toni” Acevedo
Office of Human Capital
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
800 K Street NW
MailStop 5008 (Ste. 1000)
Washington, DC 20536
Desk: 202.732.1140
FEMA -Lorraine L. Cantolina
Program Analyst
Career Development and Training Branch
Desk 202.212.2369
Don, ICE was Antonia “Toni” Acevedo,Office of Human Capital, 202.732.1140
DeleteFEMA was Lorraine L. Cantolina, Program Analyst, Career Development and Training Branch, 202.212.2369
Hope it helps.
I contacted two in California, they replied:
ReplyDeleteSMC is currently not hiring any PMF's. For further information on the PMF Program please visit www.pmf.gov. I wish you much success with other available agencies!
Lauren
Lauren Beckett
Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment & Placement)
Los Angeles AFB
&
Currently we don't anticipate hiring for PMFs this fiscal year. However, if we do have a need OPM provides agencies with access to the list of finalists applications to consider as well as the ability to post positions on the OPM-PMF website for finalists to apply.
Thank you for your interest in USGS.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 3020 STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST, MODOC HALL, SUITE 2001. SACRAMENTO, CA 95819
Not too optimistic right now..We'll see
Thanks, Donald. I spoke to Lauren too. She was nice.
DeleteHonestly, I think we should take it easy and there is no need to harass last year's published coordinators. I didn't make a whole lot of research and I don't know any prior PMFs. Conventional wisdom provides they selected the 663 finalists based on projected future needs. We are supposed to fill slots that will be available for permanent hire in two years. I'm assuming the finalists, among other things, possessed preferred or at least required skills the agencies relayed to OPM. I mean, if you look at the finalists' major of study there is a diversity but there are some disciplines with great numbers such as JD graduates, and there are disciplines with very few candidates. Everyone is eventually going to get hired. Obviously, a social worker is not going to take a lawyer's fellowship, so let's take a breather and stop spreading anxiety lol
ReplyDeleteAA, I'm going to try to weigh my words carefully here because I don't want this to sound negative, but no one is "harassing" anyone. If you feel that way, then stay off the site. You don't know what "conventional wisdom" provides when they say only 60% of the finalists were given jobs (that can be from a number of reasons, but 60% is 60%). I want to share the wealth with others; that's why I post the info. I don't need to try to hide every bit of insight I get in hopes of keeping it to myself. Many of these reps are VERY happy that I've contacted them (and the PMF program has emphasized to make inroads with different agencies because many may offer you a job before the fair. Many agencies have voiced excitement with my being proactive in contacting them, and they have said my resume is on their desks when they have an opening. I relay this info so everyone can have an idea if their agency is hiring or not. I believe this is a great program, but I have other law offers besides this so I'm not trying to hide the ball on other finalists. I want to share all the info I get because I do like seeing others succeed. So if you want to sit and chill, that's fine. But really, you have a knack for trying to tell everyone on here how they should be reacting to certain news (see you tiff above with Sterling). Just like no one commented on your whole off-line topics about injuries (don't all of us vets have them) or your discharge story saga, this info is actually placed here to help people succeed.
DeleteMK, sorry if "harassing" sounded that bad. I advocate for "chill" attitude because I think unconsciously I'm anxious too and try to cope with this whole waiting thing. I said I didn't research about the program that I don't have any first hand info from anyone. I'm not trying to mislead anyone, and obviously I had no clue about this 60% statistic otherwise I wouldn't have thrown my two words of "wisdom" lol. With respect to the other stuff, well... I vented about my discharge because I was anxious about it, I didn't even think I was gonna make it to SF list as I was reluctant about applying and if it wasn't for the extension I wouldn't have applied. Well, I deleted it afterwards, but I guess every subscriber got it :-/. I know we vets are all broken down, I was just saying nobody with injuries should give up no matter what. Thanks for caring and the advice, I'll keep my mouth zipped from now on as I'm just waiting for the TAS to launch :-) Again, sorry if I annoyed or caused any discomfort to anyone.
DeleteSo if I counted correct, 263 of the 663 selected have veterans preference. Bodes pretty well for us veterans I think!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's like 40% of the finalists. That's really good. I wonder if there is a statistic of how many are enlisted and progressed up the education ladder using TA and post 9/11 GI Bill considering officers usually have their bachelor from the get go and senior officers have opportunities to get graduate studies, all those fellowships. I read a year or two ago that they will start sending eligible senior NCO's to grad schools but I don't know what happened to that, checked Milper messages and didn't see anything pertaining to enlisted.
DeleteRyan,
DeleteWhere do you see the vet pref or status listed?
If you go on the site where you log in, there is a link before you log in that says "View Finalists and Coordinators." On that page, it says who has vet pref.
DeleteGot it. Thanks
DeleteI think they should extend the deadline for the current class. If we only have one year, with all the budget restrictions, it just won't be enough time for everyone.
ReplyDeleteThat thought occurred to me also.
DeleteGlad to hear I'm not alone. Is there any chance of this happening?
DeleteI thought about this when they kept putting off releasing the results. This way, we get an additional few weeks to find something. The deadlines for previous years seemed to be during the winter.
DeleteK2, thank you for your kind words. I guess it's back to applying the old way for jobs :) That's great news that they are beginning to lift the hiring freeze, it will open many new jobs for all of us. I did a search for jobs in NYC from the GS7-GS9 level and there were only 9. I'll check again today.
ReplyDeleteThanks again and good luck to you as well.
ALL,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this site. I contacted alot of agencies myself and have heard the same as posted above. Some are hiring, some aren't, some are waiting for new fiscal year "OCT" etc. I do know there are also 5 positions the Dept of Air Force is posting for Los Angeles for those interested on the West Coast.
******Does anyone have a number to the PMF office? I have interviews scheduled for tomorrow and Friday that were scheduled before I was a PMF Finalist. I was told yesterday by a PMF coordinator at one of the agencies I spoke to that I need to cancel the interviews because they are not PMF jobs, OR ask for them to be converted into PMF jobs or I can lose the risk of my Finalist status. Anyone have information on this and are you guys still applying/interviewing on USA jobs? Anyone have that number so I can call them? They havent responded to my email yet....Thanks
I don't think that's correct information, unless something has changed that I'm unaware of. You are a finalist whether you take a PMF job or any other job, inside or outside the government.
DeleteSome thoughts:
1) If you took a non-PMF position with a federal agency, you wouldn't get the benefits of the PMF program. Since your goal in this is probably to get a federal job, this may not be a big loss, but you will have to make that determination.
2) If you take a PMF position, the agency will report you as a PMF appointee, and the finalist list will be updated to reflect that. I am aware of people not ending up at the agency that first selected them, however, so nothing is settled.
3) Regardless of the (non-PMF) jobs you consider, apply for, interview for, or take, you are still a PMF finalist. You still have one year to secure an appointment.
4) While it's technically possible, it is unlikely to get an agency to convert an existing USAJOBS announcement to a PMF position. It's rare enough that I can't remember anyone I know having direct success with it, but that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't try. Especially now, when agencies are looking for creative solutions to staff projects and programs, it may be worth a try. Also, it may be the case that the hiring manager hadn't really thought of doing that. This is especially likely with agencies that still haven't had much participation in the program and don't know that much about it. Yes, there are agencies that still seem unaware of the awesomeness that is PMF!
Aaron,
DeleteThanks for the info....greatly appreciated....do you have a number to PMF? What you said makes since, I am pretty sure some people take non-PMF appointments. Can we also shorten this thread? Thanks for doing everything for us, again, it is greatly appreciated Aaron!!!!
I believe Information will be rolling out soon, most likely OPM is waiting for all the agencies to have their ducks in a raw. The don't want to have any mishaps this time around. For example, The National insitiute of health (all fellows begin the program at the Bethesda campus) posted that all "at large" PMF will start on July 29, 2013 (non negotiable date)
Deletehttp://trainingcenter.nih.gov/intern/pmf/faqs.html
This is a program to fill projected needs in the Senior executive Service 4 or 5 years down the road. For example, PMF in the Navy must be mentored and supervised by a general officer or an SES member. http://www.public.navy.mil/donhr/TrainingDevelopment/developmentalresource/Pages/PMF.aspx
When this whole thing was getting set up, agencies knew about the sequester and government shutdown threats. When they selected us, the sequester was already in place. OPM took a while to release the list, I assume if agencies gave them input they will not be hiring then the number of Finalists would have decreased significantly.
This is straight out of the CFR
§ 362.201(a) On or about October 1 of each year, the OPM Director will determine the number of Fellows and the number of Senior Fellows that may be appointed during that fiscal year. Those determinations will be based on input from the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, as well as input from agencies not represented on the Council.
Cheer up and have a good day everyone
Anis,
DeleteAny info on where any VA positions will be?
Whiskers, I don't know brother. I'm in the darkness as much as you. But I remember, before they took down the positions for 2012 finalists, I saw most of them in the DC headquarters. But maybe they have some positions at the Regional Offices. It would be nice if there is a PMF Alumni Association where finalists can get more information from those who made it before. I listed the agencies that participated in the last two job fairs, I dug in Google but couldn't find listings from prior years. But it's clear that not all agencies hire all the time, for example SSA didn't participate two years in a row.
DeleteIs everyone planning to take off work (if you work) May 1-3? I am unsure how it will work or if I should request "off" or just play it by ear. I usually need much advance notice for days off so not sure what to do. Just wondered what others were thinking.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have also reached out to a coordinator and some others I found trying to see if anyone is meeting with PMFs prior to the fair and am getting the same pushback so I think I'll wait and see what happens at the fair. :(
I don't think we'll know until they post more information. Considering this is the first online job fair, we can't guess anything...
ReplyDeletewell, here is a two years comparison... if others can update the chart with info from other previous years then maybe we can see a trend... and keep busy lol
ReplyDeleteAfrican Development Foundation: participated in 2012 but not in 2011
USAID Participated past two years
Department of Agriculture: 3 agencies in 2012, 1 different agency in 2011
Department of Commerce: 3 agencies in 2012, 3 in 2011 (NOAA, & ITA in both)
DOD, 3 agencies in 2012, 2 in 2011 (Washington HQ services did not participate in 2011)
Department of education Participated past two years
Department of Energy 7 agencies in 2012, 5 in 2011 (Only EIO and Office of Chief Finance Officer both years)
HHS 6 in 2012, 4 in 2011 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Administration for Children and Families did not participate in 2011)
DHS 8 in 2012, 10 in 2011 (National Protection and Programs Directorate and Office of Intelligence and Analysis did not participate in 2012)
HUD participated both years
DOJ participated last year but not in 2011
DOL participated both years
State Dept. participated in 2011 but not 2012
U.S. Air Force participated in 2011 but not 2012
U.S. Army 2 Agencies in 2011, 1 in 2012 (Center for Army Analysis both years)
DOI 6 Agencies 2012, 5 in 2011 (Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement did not participate in 2011, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement did not participate in 2012)
U.S. Navy 2 same agencies in 2012 and 2011
Dept. of Treasury 3 Agencies in 2012 and 2011 (ATF in 2011, Mint in 2012)
DOT 6 Agencies in 2011 and 4 in 2012 (Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Railroad Administration did not in 2012)
VA participated both years
EPA participated both years
OMB participated both years
Import Export Bank participated both years
GSA participated both years
LOC participated both years
OPM participated both years
SBA participated both years
National Science Foundation participated in 2011 but not 2012
Presidential Technology Fellows Program participated in 2012 but not 2011
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board participated in 2012 but not 2011
Federal Housing Finance Agency participated in 2012 but not 2011
Federal Acquisition Institute participated in 2012 but not 2011
If anyone wants to network on Facebook, look up:PMF Finalists 2013 Networking Community
ReplyDeleteGot an email that OMB won't be hiring until maybe later this year when they have a better idea on funding for FY 2014
ReplyDeleteWhat is everyone target agency and location? I'll start.
ReplyDeleteVHA and anywhere in the SE Region, I would love Florida but I think everything will be in DC.
One I am looking at (and I got confirmation they will have at least one opening) is in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. If not there, would love any other DOD opening, Dept of State or Dept of Justice.
DeleteFrom what I read, most vacancies (about 70%) will be in DC but I'm a little confused as to whether, aside the rotational opportunities, we have any options during our 2 years fellowship. The only concrete info I found was the NIH which I posted above. I'm looking at NE region, preferably if I can stay in NYC due to family situation but even if I get DC I'll still be able to spend weekends back home so it's not a big deal. National Security, Foreign Affairs, or any conflict analysis/resolution positions. I have been looking at the rotational opportunities available for Current PMF's (https://www.pmf.opm.gov/RotationsOpportunities.aspx). There are some interesting position that I like such as Joint Staff Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, Office of Terrorism Narcotics and Crime, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. There were others taken down but from looking at these rotational opportunities I'm quiet optimistic I will find positions I like.
DeleteI'm hoping for Dept. of State or Dept. of Energy
ReplyDeleteHi all, terribly excited about being selected as a PMF finalist. Has anyone received the TAS login information email as of yet?
ReplyDeleteAlec,
DeleteNo email yet...
If anyone noticed, something new just popped up in the portal. GSA is the first agency to post its coordinator's info. Things are moving slowly but surely :-) cheer up fellas we are almost there
Deletetwo more agencies just posted their coordinators' info, Treasury and SSA... if you noticed in my chart yesterday SSA hasn't participated in the past two years. Probably this list of coordinators will grow by the hour and we should have a lot more info soon... Hopefully a full TAS launch within the next couple of days
ReplyDeleteAnis Attia, can you post the link to the coordinator information?
ReplyDeleteWhen you go to the login page, there is a link on top "view finalists and coordinators", or you can try this direct link: https://apply.pmf.gov/pmf/pmfreports/listOfAgencyCoordinators.hms?tabIndex=2
ReplyDeleteNo additional Coordinators listed since my last post.
UPDATE for PMF FINALISTS: Effective 3/27/13, NOAA implemented a NOAA-wide hiring freeze for all types of civilian appointments in all funding programs. We do not anticipate being able to advertise or fill any PMF vacancies until the freeze ends. If and when we are able to fill PMF vacancies, we will advertise available positions on OPM's Talent Acquisition System (TAS). Thank you for your interest in PMF opportunities with NOAA.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wfm.noaa.gov/pmf/pmf_fellows_supers.html
Alternating Bad News and Good News. SSA published some stuff about a (or maybe THE) position it will fill from the pool of this year's finalists.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Target Position-the Management Support Specialist
After PMFs successfully complete their internships, they will be converted to their post-internship assignment--a career conditional/career permanent assignment, the Management Support Specialist (MSS) position, wherein the PMF will:
Assist Field Office managers by preparing analytical reports.
Research data for use in a variety of meetings, office visits and other functions.
Evaluate administrative training needs of field office staff.
Prepare and provide training.
Coordinate recruitment efforts and develop orientation for new employees.
Plan, develop and monitor activities in support of SSA public service initiatives.
Coordinate labor relations activities.
Conduct periodic reviews of administrative, operations and remittance processes.
Serve as a liaison with the Regional Security Officer, integrity staff, Office of Inspector General and central office on suspected fraud cases; and, as directed.
Handle key technical and operational contacts in and out-of office with representatives of significant organizations and agencies.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/atlanta/southeast/hr/atlpmi.htm
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interest in the FBI’s Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program. Due to current budgetary constraints it has not been decided if the FBI will be participating in the 2013 PMF Program.
Washington Headquarters Services....(this is interesting because she doesn't sound like they will be at the job fair, but they will have positions)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest in OSD. Due to the change in operating systems, I
do not yet have access to OPM's TAS site. Our announcement requirements will
be posted on OPM's TAS site as soon as possible, but to apply, you will need
to go to usajobs. The usajobs announcement will not be available until May
1-3. All of the info on how to apply will be made available on the
announcement listed on the TAS. I do not believe we will be attending the
virtual job fair.
My top choice by far...got the same response from her. That will be the first one I put in for.
DeleteAwesome, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI talked to Toni and she was nice.
Don
Okay, VA just added their coordinators info. Honestly, I think this will continue and TAS won't lunch until all participating agencies provide their positions, locations, coordinators, and any other info necessary for this such as required skills for the positions and so on. I don't think OPM will do a partial lunch with just few of the agencies because all of us finalists will be flooding every agency with e-mails and application as they pop up. It's like when a product has been unavailable for a while then it reappears, all consumers rush to whichever place is selling it lol. That metaphor aside, it seems that many of us have been contacting agencies and coordinators trying to gain some information. And from what I'm reading, all the answers so far have been yes, no, or maybe so. Nothing else with respect to what positions need to be filled, the number of positions, etc... It is obvious that OPM has the agencies in a tight leach with respect to communicating any agency prior to releasing all the info to all the candidates at the same time, in this case the launch of TAS. It does make sense for them to act that way because PMF is one of the flagships of the whole federal government recruiting and they want the brand to be solid. The morale of the story, this trend will continue until TAS launches, we can chat with the coordinators from now until then but we are not going to gain anything else.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm not telling anyone what they should or should not do, and definitely not advising anyone to chill like me, to each his own.
Ya the VA coordinators said they are waiting to hear from all their locations as to what and where there positions will be.....they said they will be posted them on the TAS system when it becomes available. Some agencies have asked for my resume already, but most agencies are giving everyone their fair shake to apply when the jobs are posted, which is fine with me. I think we will see jobs starting to post at the end of this week and next week.
ReplyDeleteJust something that occurred to me, anyone knows of any finalists from previous years who fulfilled all the requirements and did not quit because they took another job, yet within the one year time frame they failed to secure an appointment with an agency.
ReplyDeleteOkay, this what I just did... I grabbed a beer and went through some of the post finalist list chats from previous years. It's really worth reading, and you got nothing to do even more worth it. You might laugh at times as I did, your jaws Matt drop at times when you read how nasty they talk to each other at times. My take from it, a lot of whining and name calling for the program and the agencies add people wait lingered... then all of the sudden you see a "yay" and more finalists get super upset... then eventually, it all stopped. There are no posts anywhere saying someone never got a position. There was a survey sent but no results, maybe everyone got their job, went on with their lives and forgot all about this blog afterwards.
ReplyDeleteComments took a pretty nasty turn in past years. I must commend this group for maintaining professionalism.
DeleteAnd yes, most PMFs move on and don't look back here, but as you've probably seen, a few linger here and there and have provided you some valuable insight. I always hope more of you stick around, but I understand how it is :)
I have emailed the coordinators for the CDC and VA Health Admin concerning positions and have not yet received a response. Has anyone heard anything from either of these agencies, or have any knowledge of possible positions they may have?
ReplyDeleteAlso, has anyone heard anything about the TAS launch? They are way behind schedule and the job fair is just 2 weeks away. I was hoping to have a few weeks to plan.
FYI...Govloop has posted an article on tips for the virtual fair.
http://pathtopmf.com/advice-for-approaching-the-pmf-virtual-career-fair/
Anxiety level will probably rise after the job fair, for that and for many of us wondering what kind of positions will be posted, etc... this link will be helpful:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.pmf.opm.gov/JobSearch/results.aspx
It is the last thing still available from the soon to replaced Projected Positions System. So, as we are waiting for the TAS to launch, those interested can take a peek at the duty description and requirements for those positions.
The most important lesson from checking this out though, is that agencies were still hiring PMF's from the last class until Mid February of this year. For example, the Department of Education was offering a GS-12 position, the SBA was offering a position starting at GS-11 and up to 13. So, whichever positions will posted when TAS launches will not be the only ones as positions will be offered or withdrawn in rolling basis until April next year so we shouldn't get too alarmed by the number of positions offered and if some time elapses without jobs being posted. Finally, from looking at previous years blogs, if someone doesn't meet the requirements of the position, the agency will immediately say "NO"... Otherwise, for agencies considering us for appointment, we should expect up to 2 months for notification. This doesn't mean that some of us may get contacted almost immediately, but knowing there will be a wait makes it easier to cope with :-)