PMF Community Roundup

[Updated 9/29/2010] Perhaps you've found some of them already, but a number of Presidential Management Fellows communities have emerged as different social networks reach maturity. I'm probably preaching to the choir about the power of social networks within a cadre that is, by semi-official estimates, only about 7,000 strong in its entire history, but in case you aren't sold, let me just point out that PMFs share an experience that is capable of transcending agency boundaries, and these networks can help us harness that spirit, hopefully for the improvement of the Civil Service.

This post will attempt a comprehensive listing of such communities. I am purposefully excluding mere websites that include information about the program, because the emphasis is on connecting with others. I will, however, list out all of the blogs, pages, groups, and other networking tools run by or in support of agency-specific, school-specific, or other demographically specific PMFs. If you encounter anything I've missed, or have started your own community somewhere, leave a comment and let us know!

A quick note on criteria: If I didn't already know of a group, and it was not submitted as a comment on this post, then I found it in one of two ways. Either I searched on Google (and found it somewhere on the first page of results; I don't have a great deal of time to dig for hidden treasures here), or I searched directly on likely networks. If the community has few members and/or doesn't seem to be providing value (is demographically restricted AND walled off, for instance), then I am probably excluding them here. I am open to persuasion, however, so if you want your community profiled here, and I've excluded it, make your case. In any event, you can simply include it in the comments, since I won't remove those unless you're a spambot.

Facebook

Perhaps because Facebook makes it pretty easy to set up Group and Fan pages, plenty have chosen to make PMF-themed Group and Fan pages.

• Presidential Management Fellows: This group is the largest and most active I've found on Facebook.
• PMF Community Service Initiative: Provides formalized community service opportunities to PMFs.
• Presidential Management Interns/Fellows: Another general purpose group, albeit a small one.
• PMFs are the Best of the Best: Small, potentially not used.
• Black Presidential Management Fellows: Very small, but I would like to see more interest.
• NIH PMF Program: A Fan Page for PMFs at NIH.
• PMF Class of 2007 (Presidential Management Fellows): For the cohort year 2007. This is the earliest year-specific group I can find on Facebook.
• PMF Class of 2008 (Presidential Management Fellows): For the 2008 class.
• Presidential Management Fellows 2008: What seems to be a duplicate of the 2008 group. I don't know which was first.
• PMF Class of 2009 (Presidential Management Fellows): For the 2009 class.
• PMF Class of 2010 (Presidential Management Fellows): The 2010 class.
• PMF Class of 2011 (Presidential Management Fellows): Confusingly, and unlike the other year-specific groups, this one is NOT for people who will be applying for the program in 2010-2011; rather, it is for those who will complete the program in 2011.

LinkedIn

Quite a bit fewer results turned up on LinkedIn, probably because LinkedIn is much smaller than Facebook and more narrowly focused.

• Presidential Management Fellows: Fairly active, the largest on LinkedIn
• Presidential Management Program: Smallish
• NIH PMF: Because they want to cover all their bases.
• Presidential Management Fellows Class of 2008: Specific to those who became finalists in 2008.
• Presidential Management Fellows Class of 2009: For those who became finalists in 2009.

Twitter

Not much to see on Twitter yet. Aside from yours truly (@pmfellow), you can do a search for PMF or Presidential Management.

Yahoo! Groups

Yahoo! Groups have been around a while, and it totally shows. My search turned up 9 usable results, but I don't doubt there are some other groups lurking out there. The frustrating thing about Yahoo! Groups, and the reason I rarely use them, is that the membership restrictions are, well, too restrictive. Oh, and there's the fact that you have to have a Yahoo! email address. Anyway, here's a certainly not comprehensive list of what I found there.

• PMF-Finalist Central: Going strong for the last 6 years. Lots of current and former PMFs/PMIs are members, and lots of rotations are offered through here.
• DC PMF Social Group: For anyone living and working in DC as a PMF.
• westcoastpmf: West Coast? PMF? Go here.
• PMF-Homeland Security: If you're a PMF at Homeland Security, this group is for you.
• State Department PMF: One of State's three groups represented here.
• State Department PMF Class of 2006: Very specific to class of 2006 at State
• 2007 State PMF Group: Very specific to class of 2007 at State
• Presidential Management Fellow Attorneys: If you are a PMF with a Law degree, I guess this is for you.
• The listserve for Black PMIs and PMFs!: Pretty self explanatory.

GovLoop

GovLoop isn't as mature as the other networks, and its subsequent lack of niche groups is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. I was only able to find 2 groups.

• PMFs and Alums
• PMF 2009

Blogs

These are the hardest to track down. I had to wade through numerous Google results gathered with a variety of different search terms, and even so I was left with many blogs that either mentioned the PMF only in passing or were talking about something completely unrelated. What I was looking for with blogs was information similar to what can be found here. The blogs in question do not have to be devoted to PMF, but I would like to gather as many perspectives as possible, especially from those who are in various stages of Fellowship, from finalist to graduate (or beyond). If you know if a resource I am missing, let me know.

• Courtney Fong's PMF Assessment Blog: Courtney, if I recall, was class of 2006, and she keeps a blog similar to this one about PMF happenings.
• Aaron Helton's PMF Postings: Aaron is a class of 2009 PMF, and although his blog seems to be dead now (and not accepting comments), there is a good deal of information out there. I hope to replicate some of it here.
• Pete Ruscitti's PMF Papers: Pete is a 2011 PMF hopeful who is chronicling his journey through the process, so you might find some good information there as well.

Where is it?

I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering where the snazzy new website is. September 15 has come and gone, and there's no word of the new site, which I assumed was supposed to coincide with this year's PMF program announcement. Has anyone else heard anything?

[Update 9/27/2010 - The new PMF website is apparently stuck in legal review and will be available in time for the launch of this year's program, which is now reported to be 1 October. Eric Brown, the PMF Program Manager, posted a blog entry on the Disability blog hosted at Gov Delivery, outlining the application process for this year.]

PMF Success Stories

This just arrived in my inbox today. In conjunction with the new site launch, the PMF program is going to highlight what it calls "PMF Success Stories," the experiences of current PMFs with remarkable stories. The full text of the email is below (with identifying details redacted, of course). The question to the community is whether this is something that would be useful for any of you who are looking to apply or who are still looking for appointments?

Dear [Redacted],

The PMF Program will soon launch a new program website (www.pmf.gov). The homepage will include a section entitled “Highlights” and will randomly show a program highlight or success story, and photo of a current/former PMF.

We would like to hear from current and former PMFs who can share a remarkable PMF experience or success story so we can prepare your postings for when the new website launches (scheduled for September 15, 2010).

All submissions will need a release form (see attached) filled out and submitted to the PMF Program Office.

Please follow these instructions for your submission:

1. Send an email to [redacted] with the subject of “Highlights”, to include the following:
a. Your first and last name
b. PMF Class Year
c. Agency/Sub-Agency
d. A couple paragraphs of your program highlight/success story
2. Attach a graphic of your photo or a graphic related to the posting
3. Attach a signed release form or fax it to [redacted]

All entries will be reviewed, and potentially edited for space, prior to posting. If you have any questions please reply to this email.

We look forward to hearing from you and showcasing your experience on the PMF website!

Sincerely,

[Redacted],
PMF Program Manager

Define Presidential: A Contest

The PMF Program Office is looking for suggestions from current PMFs about the meaning of "Presidential" in Presidential Management Fellows. They are accepting 60 second videos starting August 9, and the deadline to get them in is August 31. The terms are available on a special new portion of the web site, which also has an updated URL: http://videocontest.pmf.gov/About.aspx

Videos will be judged on clarity, content, and style, and must be uploaded to YouTube.

Putting aside the idea of a video contest, there's the whole question of what it means to be "Presidential" in the first place with respect to such a program. Since most of my visitors are prospective PMFers, you'll undoubtedly have your own concept of what this means, so I am certainly interested in what it means to you. As a current PMF, I have my own ideas about this, and amazingly (or not), it's not just about how we PMFs perceive ourselves. Tied up in all of this, though, are issues of prestige, rigor and exclusivity getting into the program, treatment of PMFs at the hands of agencies, and the expectations of PMFs with respect to the program requirements, both from the PMF Program Office and from the agencies in which PMFs serve. There are also perceptions that the PMF program has lost its way over the years, failing to reach a diverse enough audience and allowing agencies to treat PMFs as yet another expedited hiring authority (i.e., another way to avoid the burdens of Veteran's Preference, which applies in a slightly different way in the PMF program).

Simply put, I doubt I could fit in 60 seconds what presidential means, because it has so many other dependencies. What do you think?

Whispers...

Rumors suggest a new PMF web site is in the works (about time). Any bets on what it will look like? What kind of functionality do you want to see on it?

[Update 8/12/2010 - Confirmation arrived in my inbox about the date of the new website launch. It is scheduled for September 15, 2010. It will also sport the new URL: www.pmf.gov.]

PMF Reinvigoration Begins...

...or does it?

Today, OPM directory John Berry released a memorandum to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council (CHCOC) announcing a program to "reinvigorate the PMF Program" by forming what he calls "power packs." These are intended to be small teams of people on what looks like continuous rotation to achieve its five goals, one of which is otherwise newsworthy for those of you who are considering a 2011 bid.

The power packs will work on the following goals:

1. Increase outreach to deepen and broaden the PMF applicant pool.
2. Revamp future orientation sessions.
3. Develop a job-matching process to connect Finalists to jobs.
4. Reenergize the PMF Alumni Program.
5. Plan and execute the assessment center interviews that are being restored for the Class of 2011.

OPM plans to post announcements to fill these "power packs" via the PMF web site, so presumably any PMFs who are interested could have some say in how future PMFs are recruited and interviewed, and how current and former PMFs are treated. Tellingly, these are projected to be four month assignments, which means that OPM intends for them to serve as developmental assignments for purposes of the PMF program.

Some of these activities are long overdue, but there is still no mention of one of the most visible signals of change: the horribly outdated PMF web site. Perhaps I am being too picky and should just take what I can get, but it seems to me that if you want to signal change badly enough, you ought to start with your most visible asset. But enough ranting. There are other items of note in this memorandum. Let's go through these goals one by one.

Outreach: The PMF program has long been viewed as fairly homogeneous, in terms of the kinds of schools it draws from (rich, East Coast schools), the fields most commonly represented (Law and Public Policy), and even its racial makeup (mostly white). It has drawn criticism for this lack of diversity in the past, whether it is deserved or not; think, for instance, what percentage of minorities end up ever getting a graduate degree and thus qualifying for PMF, much less if they went to a Midwest school and studied Business Administration. I will be interested to see what the power packs come up with to address this. It is potentially one of the best ideas in the list.

Orientation: While I don't expect to ever see the data that motivated this goal, it strikes me as one of those easy checkmarks. Without rigorous methodology, it's project padding, something to point to as a success in case any/all of the other goals fail to meet expectations. I could be wrong, though. It is quite possible that the PMF Program Office, having developed a survey tool (which I used after the orientation I attended) and having collected quantifiable feedback, will be able to objectively define and measure success.

Job Matching: This one elicits mixed feelings. A good number of PMF appointments never involve the Projected Position System, but I don't know if that can be blamed on the PPS or something else, like regulations. In short, I am neutral on this, but leaning ever so slightly to the positive side. If it means an update to the web site, I'm sold.

Alumni: For current and former PMFs, this is welcome news. At least, if it's what it sounds like. Quite WHY the PMF Program Office has left its alumni to languish on crappy Yahoo! groups is beyond me. If this means we get an officially sanctioned community, count me in. That doesn't mean this blog will go away, of course, because sometimes anonymity is the best option.

Interviews: I have heard that in the history of the program, interviews were part of the PMF application process. They were done away with to save money, but surprisingly led to a decrease in program prestige (I don't know what that means even). It looks like they are bringing back some form of interviews, which in the least should increase the rigor of selection, though I have no idea what impact they will have on program diversity. This is actually the most newsworthy item for future PMFs, because it changes the playing field somewhat compared to the intervening non-interview years. I'll play psychologist for a moment and ask you: how does this make you feel?

Just as interesting as what's in the memorandum is what's NOT there. I already mentioned the web site (twice, now three times), so I won't go there again. There is no mention of what, if anything, happens to key parts of the application process, and how or whether the timeline will change as a result of this new interview. My guess is that we won't hear anything about these effects until September or October, when the PMF program for 2011 opens up. What else is missing that you would like to see in the memorandum? More importantly, what do you really hope these power packs accomplish with the program?

Link to the OPM director's memorandum to the CHCOC.

2010 Jobless PMFers: Got Stories?

It's been pretty quiet on the PMF front right now, mostly because this year's finalists should be busy moving, starting PMF appointments, or making other preparations to start. The last news out of the Program Office was in April and had to do with this year's orientation dates, which is cold comfort to approximately 550 of you who appear to still be looking.

That brings up the question of what to do in the mean time. So it's summer, you are on this roster of PMFs from the 2010 class, and you're hoping for that perfect position (are you?)... Do you work in the mean time? Take some more classes? Move and hope for the best? I'd like to hear from anyone in this situation.

I can't tell you how long to wait. Past performance indicates a significant number of you will never find that perfect fit. You'll have to weigh your willingness to discover your ideal Government job against your need (and ability) to find other work. What are your thoughts on this?