Extra Cheese: PMF 2022

Things to know about this year's competition

I’ve talked about the PMF in previous installments - here is an interview with an alum of the program. The program is open to people who will complete an advanced degree by August 31, 2022 or who have completed an advanced degree since September 28, 2019. The website has a lot of information. I’m going to point you to some highlights.

First, starting in September, the program will offer a number of informational webinars. Some of them have a specific focus; most of these are disciplinary (though all sessions are open to all disciplines), but the September 16 session has a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility focus and the September 27 session is an open forum for questions. There do not look to be any sessions scheduled during the application period.

Second, the program provides an Applicant Handbook along with other resources. The handbook gives a helpful, though general, overview of the process: for example, they estimate 2-3 hours to complete the application, and give information about number of applicants and finalists in past years (more info on that in this FAQ). They also give a more detailed look at the online assessment - if you are interested in the program, you should absolutely read that part carefully! The handbook also gives information about obtaining accommodations for the assessment. (This information, or most of it, is also available on a web page).

Finally, some of the resources for PMFs may be of use to other people trying to make sense of the USAJOBS process. Here is a handout on reading government job posts. It’s for PMFs, so useful for people interested, but may be good information for other people. There are also handouts on grades and salary. Poke around! I was not impressed with the site on my first look, but it may have other riches.

See you Friday!