Become a PMF
Find a Job
As a Finalist, you are in the final stages of becoming a
PMF. Now, with your Finalist status, you're eligible to be
appointed to a PMF appointment in a participating agency
after:
- We officially announce Finalists to all participating
agencies.
- You complete all advanced degree requirements (not necessary to
have graduated), including successful completion or defense of any
thesis or dissertation.
- You complete any background investigation required by the
hiring agency.
The Finalist status expires one year after the date Finalists
are officially announced. For example, Finalists for the PMF Class
of 2012 were selected on January 24, 2012; they have until January
24, 2013, to be appointed to a PMF position. This means the
Finalist must have accepted a PMF appointment offer and physically
start by the appointment eligibility deadline.
Next Steps
You now have to get hired into a PMF position, pass a
background investigation, and go through the agency's on-boarding
process. It can take several months to pass a Federal background
investigation for a security clearance (if applicable). Because
you'll want to have as much control as possible over when you start
your PMF position, it is important to plan ahead. Thus, we ask
Finalists to take the following steps, which are explained in more
detail below:
- Review the Memo to Finalists under the Become a
PMF\Current Finalists webpage. The memo will be updated to
reflect the current class upon selection of Finalists.
- Start collecting information for the background investigation
(see additional information below).
- Monitor the Projected Positions System (PPS) for
available positions. The PPS is used by participating agencies to
advertise their PMF appointment opportunities. The system is
available year-round and the number of opportunities changes
throughout the year.
Updating Your Contact
Info
All communications are conducted by
email. Both current Finalists and Fellows use the PMF
Program's Talent Acquisition System (TAS) to update their personal
contact information (e.g., name changes, home mailing address,
personal phone numbers, and personal email address). Upon
appointment as a Fellow, the appointing agency's Agency PMF
Coordinator can update your appointment and work contact
information. NOTE: The PMF TAS is a new system that will replace
how PMF appointment opportunities are posted, how Finalists will be
recorded as PMFs, how rotational opportunities will be posted, and
more. Current Fellows may not yet be able to update their contact
information until we transition from the old to the new
systems.
Updating Your Resume
NOTE: The following information is applicable to 2012 Finalists
only!! Finalists from the PMF Class of 2013 will need to submit an
updated resume when applying for PMF appointment opportunities when
the PMF Program's new Talent Acquisition System (TAS) launches.
Agencies will have access to your on-line resume,
which you supplied during the application. If you want to update
your resume to ensure that it has the most current
information, you will need to fax it to the automated
system. Simply saving your resume in USAJOBS will not
get the updates in the hands of agencies.
The fax cover sheet below must be used by
Finalists to transmit your updated resume.
- Download and print the customized fax cover
sheet.
- Fill out the remaining information on the cover
sheet.
- Print your resume.
- Before faxing, it is important for your resume to
be correctly oriented in the fax machine otherwise it will not
post correctly.
- Using the fax cover sheet, fax your resume to (478)
757-3144 (long-distance phone charges may
apply).
Due to the volume of transmissions, it may take
a few days for your updated resume to
become synchronized with your record. You can confirm
receipt via your Application Manager
account by selecting the PMF announcement you used to apply, select
the "Details" tab, and view the latest date/time stamp of the
resume associated with your record. Your original resume will
still be listed, but the system will pull the latest version when
Agencies search and view your resume.
Preparing for a Background
Investigation
These investigations can be lengthy and may require you to
provide extensive information regarding your background. The most
common Standard Form (SF) used by agencies is the SF 85,
Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions. You are highly
encouraged to review this form and start collecting the requested
data ahead of time. Some agencies require agency-specific
forms for this purpose; if this is the case, they will inform you.
Common forms can be found under the Forms section.
All new hires into the Federal Government must complete some
level of a background investigation before being issued government
identification and/or starting employment (e.g., the Personal
Identity Verification (PIV) Smart Card Program). If you are offered
an appointment, the appointing agency's human resources office will
send you the necessary paperwork and instructions. The PMF Program
Office does not initiate or perform such investigations.
It is common for background investigations to be longer than
normal for those with any overseas activity (e.g., attending school
overseas, residing overseas, military stationed overseas,
etc.).
Depending upon the circumstance, it is possible that prior
background investigations will not transfer from one agency to
another and many agencies have unique requirements.
UPDATED: 09-19-2012, 11:30 PM
(ET)