Harness The Program. Be Assertive. Be Creative.

Completing the combined application and online assessment is your first step towards PMF success. You will need to submit your application and assessment documents between November 5 and 19, 2012.

What to expect:

• Make sure your resume is current and ready to submit
• Get a copy of your graduate school transcript to upload (3MB size limit on all documents)
• Look up your federal school code if you don’t know it already.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to take the un-timed situational and behavioral questions, and the three required essays.

When you begin your application, you will be prompted to create a user name for login, and provide basic biographical information. Secondly, you will be asked to upload your resume and transcript. After submitting, you will reach a page warning that you are about to begin the online assessment section. If you wish, you are able to stop at this point and resume your progress later. It is recommended that you complete this section in one session. However, it is expected that this entire section – the application and online assessment – could take up to three hours, so make sure to manage your time accordingly.

Tips for completing the online assessment portion begin in the next section.

“It’s important to make sure that every step of the application is done accurately. I have several friends who would have been well-qualified, but they were not considered due to computer malfunction when submitting their initial application. If you were applying to the typical job you might be able to call and say ‘I tried to submit my resume by email, and didn’t get a response, did you receive it?’ You can’t do those types of things when you’re applying for PMF. You need to be a lot more detail-oriented in this application than you do in others.”

- Kaleigh Emerson, PMF Class 2010, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Top 4 Tips for Completing Your Application

START EARLY. Make sure that you have given yourself enough time to complete your online application. Past applicants have reported having trouble with the online submission system, such as not being able to save attachments – problems that can be easily taken care of by starting well in advance of the November 19 deadline.

HAVE YOUR LONG FORM FEDERAL RESUME READY.  For those who will be applying to work in the federal government for the first time, make sure that you know the specific details about how to correctly create a federal resume: GovLoop Rock Your Resume Guide. While you are allowed to submit a traditional resume, formatting in the government style will help ensure your qualifications are understood by federal hiring agents.

UNDERSTAND THE PMF PROGRAM. Know what your commitment will be when you are hired as a PMF fellow, and why you are motivated to apply. This is a good opportunity to start thinking about your “elevator pitch” — quick talking points about yourself that will come in handy in later stages of the application as well.

HAVE SOMEONE LOOK OVER YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE SUBMITTING. This will cut down on small needless errors. Your career advisors would be good candidates for this type of assistance.
 

The PMF Application: OPEN THREAD