Presidential Management Fellows Program - Deadlines September 23 (Law School) and 25 (PMF Application)

Quick Overview

As many of you know, the Presidential Management Fellows Program (“PMF”) is an excellent way to enter federal government service after graduation.  The Office of Personnel Management runs the PMF program, which was created by Executive Order in 1977 to attract the most talented graduate students from all disciplines to become future federal government leaders.  PMF Finalists apply for fellowships (2-year jobs) with the approximately 80 federal agencies that participate in the program.

Last year, roughly 9100 graduate students from across the country competed to be finalists and about 850 obtained them.  Virginia Law had 4 PMF finalists.  Our alumni PMF Fellows work in agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Space and Missile Systems Center.  Read more general information about the PMF program here.

Selection Process for Finalists

PMF Finalists are selected through the following structured process:

(1)    applying on-line for the PMF program;

(2)    getting nominated by their school;

(3)    taking an on-line assessment that measures leadership skills and judgment; and

(4)    if chosen as a semi-finalist, completing an in-person interview that also measures leadership skills and judgment.  Read here for more information about the selection process.

For the first time in program history, the 4^th phase (in-person assessment) will no longer involve  oral presentations and group interactions at an assessment center.  Instead, trained staff will conduct 2-member panel interviews with semi-finalists that will last approximatley 45 minutes to an hour.  Interviews will focus on behavioral questions. 

Fellowship Placement with Agencies 

Once chosen as finalists, students begin the placement phase. This starts with attending a PMF career fair in the spring at which many finalists find jobs with particular agencies.  For those that don’t, they have 1 year from the the date they are announced as finalists to find an agency match.  It’s important to remember that PMF Fellows are not guaranteed jobs.  Also, jobs for PMF Fellows are typically for non-legal positions, although it’s possible to obtain a legal job. 

PMF appointments last 2 years. Fellows who succesfully complete their appointments are guaranteed continued federal employment.  Read here for more information.

Timelines

Come to our Public Service Center panel on the Presidential Management Fellows Program on September 9^th at 12 p.m.  in WB 105 to ask your questions about the selection and job placement processes.  We’ll have Susan Beall ’11, currently at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to talk about her experiences, as well as our staff.

Read the PMF website timelines and site in full, as there are many details you’ll need to keep in mind. Here are the timelines (student deadlines in orange): Download PMF Timeline

Questions?

Email us at publicservicelaw@virginia.edu and attend our September 9^th panel at 12 p.m.  in WB 105. 

Good luck!  We hope you’ll think about applying.