 Good morning everyone. I am Jelena Porter principal deputy spokesperson at the u.s. Department of State I am also a proud HBCU alumnus of Howard University I'd like to welcome you all to the second day of the virtual HBCU foreign policy conference It's a tremendous honor to serve as a presidential appointee under the Biden-Harris administration and also represent a community of HBCU alumni well represented here at the department We've looked forward to this virtual conference as a way to bring our u.s. Foreign policy priorities to your laptops at home We hope you take this experience as a way to expand your network knowledge on international affairs and Awareness of how our efforts impacts the lives of Americans at home and abroad. I Hope you found yesterday's discussions enlightening interesting and inspiring Today you will hear from representatives of government fellowships Internships and organizations that are dedicated to the advancement of students gaining entry into public service. I Began my journey into public service as a college student learning about international service opportunities and pledging a public service sorority my beloved alpha chapter delta sigma theta sorority incorporated We're honored to have HBCU alumni represented at the department who are eager to engage beyond this week's conference We have a series of stories about our HBCU alumni that are thriving and enjoying their careers in foreign policy on our website www.state.gov Backslash blogs. I Want to emphasize that today will not be the last time you hear from us Our team and the global public affairs bureau and across the department want to engage with your universities Our goal is to close the gap to provide opportunities and resources that otherwise might not be accessible on your campus Our flagship outreach programs are a great first start To send speakers to your campuses to learn about our invaluable work at the department Our agency is proud to produce the conference dedicated to HBCU advancement in foreign policy careers Which is an opportunity we don't take for granted Here are a few tips to keep the conversation going on the last day of the conference The hashtag HBCUs at state is a great start to connecting with fellow HBCU alumni at the department And other participants from the conference Share your linkedin profiles through the chat feature on the conference website You may also send a direct message to a staff member at the department during today's discussions We are so honored to have all of you join us here virtually I hope this conference has inspired you to consider pursuing a career in foreign affairs And I know for certain that if you choose to do so our department and our country will be better for your contributions I hope you'll join us. All right. Good morning everyone. Thanks so much for being here for day two of the HBCU foreign policy conference It's great to be with you this morning I'm going to tell you all about the presidential management fellows program And then I'll have a chance to answer any questions that you may have And so just excited to be here with you today And I'm going to go ahead and share my presentation here All right. Well before we get started I do want to take the opportunity to give a shout out To my colleague rose the saint rose is helping with the chat this morning But she is also a virtual student federal service intern in our office here in the pmf program And the vsfs program is another program that I would encourage all of you to take a look at It's a great opportunity to Be involved in federal service while you're still in school on a part-time basis So thanks so much to rose for helping out Feel free to connect with her. She's been a great asset to our program And is currently pursuing a phd and in psychology at the university of west Georgia, so thanks rose and again Be sure to check out the vsfs program at the state department So this morning's presentation is about the presidential management fellows program So what I'll do is I will tell you what the program is I'll give you a little bit of background and history on the program Then I'll tell you what the fellowship includes As well as tell you about the application process and what makes a competitive applicant And then I'll end the presentation by talking a little bit about The other two pathways programs As well, so there are three pathways programs one is our program the pmf program There's also interns and recent grads. So those are three really great ways To get into federal service either while you're in school or after school So with that, I think we'll jump right in So first off, what is the pmf program? The pmf program is the federal government's premier leadership development program For advanced degree holders across all academic disciplines It is a two-year fellowship that leads to a career in the federal service So this is as I said a program for advanced degree holders, masters, phd, jd Or folks who are currently in the last year Of their advanced degree program and we'll talk a little bit more About eligibility here in a little bit But that is at its heart what it is. It is the federal government's primary way Of bringing in tomorrow's federal government leaders. So that's something that appeals to you This is this is the right program for you One thing that I'll say is it is open to all academic disciplines But a lot of our applicants come in with backgrounds in international affairs And so specifically for this audience today If you do have that background, this is a great program to come in At the state department or another federal agency And apply those skills and that background to federal service Just a couple things I'll point out right at the top. Our website is super easy www.pmf.gov. That's where you can find all the information you need on the program I would encourage you and I'll do it again toward the end to subscribe to our listserv from the home page That will be a great way for you to receive resources on the application And we'll also give you a heads up when the application launches later this year I would also encourage you to review the become a pmf section of the pmf website That is the section that is specifically geared toward applicants And so you can find all kinds of great information and resources there To help you as you navigate the application process And any application inquiries that you have questions feel free to email us at pmf application at opm.gov So before I jump into the pmf program Generally, I did want to talk a little bit about the pmf program participation At the u.s. Department of State So during this conference you've probably heard about a number of opportunities at the state department Some of those have probably focused on the foreign service The pmf is a great way to enter the department on the civil service side And so that's what we're looking at here for this program in this presentation The state department has a long history of participation in the program going all the way back to the beginning And it also has a vast network of pmfs at the department So one of the advantages is not only on an individual level For your career and your growth, but also if you join the state department through the pmf You're automatically connected to A great network of pmf and pmf alumni at the department Every year the state department hires pmfs there were over 40 that were hired last year through our program Across a number of regional and functional bureaus And we expect that that will continue going forward So that's just a little bit about the pmf program at the state department specifically After this session There is a networking lunch where I know that pmfs from the advisory council at state Will be talking a little bit more In specific about the pmf program and what it looks like at the state department And what fellows generally do and what their careers look like there So I would definitely encourage you to Connect with the pmfs from the pmf advisory council at the networking lunch That follows this presentation All right, so the pmf program is the president's program It was started in 1977 under the carter administration Back then it was called the presidential management intern program And it was also at that time specifically for masters of public policy And public administration students It went through a number of changes over the years And some of those notable changes are what happened under the regent administration When the program was open to folks from other degree backgrounds Including international affairs Under the bush presidency the program was renamed to become the presidential management fellows program And then under the obama administration one of the important changes that took place Is that the eligibility was expanded to include Folks that completed their advanced degree within the last two years And we'll talk a little bit more in detail about that But as I mentioned this is for people who are in the last year of their advanced degree Or who have completed an advanced degree within the last two years So there is potentially kind of a three-year window that you have to apply As I mentioned a number of individuals have gone through this program We've had over 10,000 that have gone through the pmf program over our 40 plus year history And these are just a few of the alumni that I wanted to spotlight for you We have Sean O'Keefe who is part of our inaugural class in 1978 He was a pmf at the office of management and budget He went on to become secretary of the navy administrator of nasa CEO of airbus and now he's a professor at syracuse university We have susu who is a pmf at the department of defense She spent quite a while in government and then left for the private sector And it's currently the chief people officer at time magazine And then these last two were actually state department pmf alums and I wanted to highlight them for you as well So we have ambassador bonnie jankins Who was a pmf at the department of defense in the state department? During the obama administration. She rose to the ambassadorial level She went on to found a nonprofit called the women of color advancing peace and security and conflict transformation And she is also the current nominee for under secretary of state for arms control and international security affairs And then there's ambassador reberda jacobson No relation to me. It's a different spelling And she was a pmf at the state department as well She became former assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs and was also u.s. ambassador to mexico Currently ambassador jacobson is A member of the nsc the national security council at the white house And so particularly with these last two This just gives you a sense or an idea Of where pmf can take you once you launch your career through the program We've had pmf's at the state department Who have risen to the highest levels of the department? To become ambassadors to become under secretaries assistant secretaries and all kinds of other senior leaders So just wanted to highlight for you What this can do for you and for your career And not only at the state department as i mentioned we have a number of agencies that Participate in the program and hire pmf's into roles that are related to international affairs At the defense department at the us agency for international development at treasury Pretty much any agency that you can imagine So this is just a great way to launch your career in public service with an international affairs background So the model of our program is a call to lead a call to serve And so when you think about uh pmf, I think a lot of folks ask the question What are you looking for when you have people apply to this program? And I think at a high level there are really two things that are most important One is leadership potential The other is public service motivation So if you strive to become a leader in government If you're interested and have a desire to be part of the public service This program is really for you And so this is the federal employee oath of office that all federal employees take Upon accepting an appointment or a career in government But just by nature of the fact that you're here today that you're part of the hbcu Foreign policy conference I know that you likely have that desire to be a leader a desire to serve Our nation and so this is what this program at its heart has always been about So now let me talk a little bit about The program and what it includes So as I mentioned, this is really a pipeline for future leaders in federal government It's the way that federal agencies bring in their future leaders It involves a competitive and rigorous application process That opens every fall for two weeks and we'll talk a little bit more about that in a minute Those who are at the top of the applicant pool are selected as finalists And then finalists seek appointments as fellows. So it's kind of a three-step process You apply and then you become a finalist and then you become a fellow There are two-year fellowships with full salary and benefits Training and development and then the potential to be converted to a permanent position at the end of that two-year fellowship And so fellows come in at the GS 9 11 or 12 And there's promotion promotion potential All the way up to the GS 13 And if you're not familiar with the the general schedule, the GS is what we call it This is just a way to describe the scope and the responsibility That someone has coming into government and then also the salary that goes along with that And so as you move up the GS scale you get both more responsibility And the pay increases as well And so if rose has it handy I can have her pop in the chat a link to the GS scale for the washington dc metro area So you can get a sense of kind of what the salary looks like As I mentioned PMFs usually come in at the nine or the 11 And one of the really unique pro parts of this program is it accelerates you through that promotion process And so within two years you could move up two grades And that could take years to do outside of a program like this. So it's really a great benefit So the fellowship includes onboarding with your fellowship class All fellows are part of a specific class year And so if you connect with PMFs at the lunch later, you can ask them what you know what PMF class year they're part of And they can tell you that that has to do with the year of the application So the application coming up in the fall is for the class of 2022 Um, it includes rigorous leadership development and also an individual development plan for you to map out your career It includes 160 hours of formal interactive training. So 80 hours a year of training that is both leadership development training and also technical training related to This specific job that you that you get as a PMF And then another really unique thing about our program is it includes at least one four to six month developmental assignment Which is where you go to another office or you go to another federal agency For four to six months on limitation And you learn and bring skills and experiences back from that experience to your home office And again, this is one of the really unique Features of this program. I think at the state department. They actually require their fellows to do two And a lot of times those rotations can also be overseas as well So within that two-year fellowship, you're getting exposure Not only to your home office, but to one or two or potentially even more other offices across government So that's a really great feature of this program Most people do it within the executive branch Some even go to the legislative branch When I did my PMF Fellowship I went to the senate foreign relations committee for six months as my developmental assignment So the opportunities and the possibilities are really endless with that piece You also have the assignment of a senior level mentor Which is a great benefit and then other appointment benefits such as public transportation subsidies, telework student loan repayment And then the opportunity to non-competitively convert at the end of your fellowship, which is a great benefit It really gives you that pathway into government that will allow you to stay for as long as you want All right, so let's talk a little bit about the application process So the application typically takes place in the fall At the end of september or beginning of october We haven't released the specific dates yet, but that is the window and if you sign up for our listserv You'll get updates on when the application will launch The announcements posted on usa jobs and then we have our own pmf talent management system Where we host the application So as part of the application you include your resume your transcript Any supporting documents for preference that you might be claiming And then there is an online assessment That is part of this application process The whole application process can be done online. It takes three to four hours. So you can do it from wherever you are And the online assessment is really the thing that We look at to determine Who will be selected as a finalist? So once the application closes we typically announce finalists about six weeks after And then once announced as a finalist You have 12 months of what's called appointment eligibility or 12 months to find a job So that's when you'd be getting interviewed from federal agencies like the state department To find your pmf appointment So once you go from the finalist stage to becoming appointed, that's when you're Called officially a fellow So the online assessment as I mentioned, this is kind of the most important part Of the selection process. There are four parts to the online assessment Situational judgment life experience problem solving and then there's an essay that's part of this as well And so this isn't really kind of the assessment that you would study for It's more an assessment that's looking at Whether or not you would be a great potential future leader in government So that's where kind of the situational judgment and these things come into play As I mentioned the two big things we're looking at are leadership potential And public service motivation. Those are kind of the big picture things we're looking for But then the online assessment is also Designed to evaluate for specific competencies and these are some of those competencies. It's flexibility Integrity interpersonal skills how you interact with people As I mentioned public service motivation problem solving and written communication That's a really important one. Can you write clearly? Can you write concisely? And so one of the things that we do Is we post an assessment preparation guide every year usually in april That helps walk you through the online assessment and get a sense of what the questions look like What we're evaluating for and so that resource is something that's really important for you to look at if you're thinking about the pmf program And I would really mention two resources. One is the assessment preparation guide And the other is the applicant handbook Those two resources are really the most important resources that you can use to get a sense of the application process The assessment process and what will make you competitive as a candidate for this program So who can apply that's that's another question that we often get So this is open to graduate students worldwide. You need to have an advanced degree from an accredited institution Um, and so the eligibility window as I mentioned, it's about three years So there's there's two parts to this you must either Expect to complete your advanced degree by august 31st of the following year So for this next application cycle, it'll be august 31st 2022 Or you can apply within two years of completing that advanced degree So the full kind of range of dates for this would be If you completed or expect to complete your advanced degree between october 2019 and august 31st 2022 i'll just say that again just so everybody gets it it's october 2019 to august 31st 2022 that's the window of eligibility we're looking for And again, that could be a master's phd JD or other advanced degree So when it comes to how to apply definitely review the become a pmf section on our website as I mentioned And then once the application opens, you'll follow the instructions on the usa job announcement usa jobs announcement So that's where you'll actually find add the link to go and apply So here are some class of 2021 statistics for you. So this is from our last class We had a total of 6,820 applicants From that applicant pool. We selected 551 finalists And and I would encourage you not to be kind of nervous about that number at all It is usually around an 8% acceptance rate in terms of finalists But you know, like I said by nature of the fact that you're here We can already see that you're Motivated for public service and leadership And so definitely don't be scared off from applying by by that number We also have quite a bit of diversity within That group of finalists. So this year We had 153 academic institutions that were represented And we had 77 unique academic disciplines represented a lot of those had to do with international affairs And then 10% of our applicants. Sorry our finalists were veterans So this is kind of just a snapshot Of what the class of 2021 which is the current class Looking for appointments looks like So this is where you can learn more about the pmf program I'd encourage you to you know snap a pic of this screen or take Down some of this information here Our website is pmf.gov Again, one of the biggest kind of things that I would ask you to do if you're interested in the program is subscribe to our listserv So I believe rose can drop the link to that in the chat All you got to do is go to that link And select pmf from the drop down The reason why I encourage you to do that is because you can kind of do that And then once the application rolls around You'll get an email announcing it you'll also receive resources related to the application And info sessions that we do in september prior to the launch of the application So we definitely don't bombard folks with a bunch of different emails But there are a few important touch points that will come through if you subscribe to that listserv So you can find that again on our home page Right where it says stay connected sign up there select pmf from the drop down And then again review the become a pmf section of our website And any inquiries that you have you can send a pmf application at opm.gov So again would encourage you all to connect with us Um, you can connect with me as well. Um, I don't think I even mentioned my name at the top of this But I'm brandon Jacobson. I'm the communications and outreach lead For the pmf program office All right, I have one more slide and then I'm going to get to your questions and I can see some of those coming in here So as I mentioned pmf is part of the pathways programs There are three pathways programs one is pmf and that's for advanced degree candidates So whether you're pursuing your advanced degree now you recently received it Or you're thinking about it in the future That's one that I would definitely highlight for all the reasons that we just talked about But then there are another two pathways programs as well There's the internship program that is for students that are currently in school So students in high school college trade school or another qualifying institution You may be eligible for those internship opportunities through pathways. These are paid opportunities And they're a great way to sort of explore working in federal service while you're still in school. So internships is one The other is the recent graduates program So recent graduates, uh, like the name suggests is for those who have who've graduated recently within the past two years from a qualifying institution And um, those also provide great career development opportunities training and mentorship And so I would definitely recommend looking at all three They're all great ways to get into the federal service To explore what that might look like And one place where you can go is this link here and I believe Rose can drop it into the chat as well This page has kind of a brief overview of all three of the pathways programs and where you can go To get more information On those three programs. I know the state department Works with all three Um, so that could be a potential pathway as the program names suggests Into the state department. So I believe with that I'm going to um end the formal presentation And then I will go ahead and address Some of the questions that are coming in here Through the chat box So the first question that comes in says can you talk more about how you are evaluated as a pmf applicant? And are there placement programs that can lead to jobs? So it's a great question. So first on the Evaluation side. So the evaluation that we do Is almost entirely through that online assessment that we Do as part of the application every year And again, the assessment preparation guide is the best way for you to understand The exact competencies we're evaluating for and get an idea of kind of what those questions look like When it comes to, you know, things like the writing exercise the essay You're really just trying to show us, uh, you know that you can write clearly and concisely And then for some of the, you know, situational judgment parts of it, again, we're looking at Based on this this candidate's answers Would they make a good federal leader for the future? So that's kind of, you know, how we're evaluating and again, as I mentioned Big two things leadership potential and public service motivation And then drilling down a little bit more flexibility integrity interpersonal skills Written communication and problem solving. Those are kind of the the other competencies that we're really looking at And then in terms of the placement The way this works is that once we announce finalists Um, you have 12 months to find an appointment as a PMF But the nice thing about this is is that agencies that participate in the PMF program Including the state department Post jobs on our talent management system on our website That are specifically for PMFs And so you'll have an opportunity every day when you're a finalist to go in there and see what jobs are being posted And um, there's usually a person that you can reach out to to ask questions and talk more with And the other thing we do too is we do a hiring fair every year for every class of finalists And so we bring agencies together where you can go in you can apply you can interview with these agencies And so once you become a finalist There are a lot of opportunities to learn about what These federal agencies do and to learn about appointment opportunities that are available for finalists The last thing I would mention about that Is this year we started doing what's called agency meet and greets Where agencies will come they'll talk about their agency They'll usually bring in fellows and alumni and program managers from their agency And they'll talk in depth about what working at that agency looks like as well as highlighting any available appointment opportunities That come up for finalists So hopefully that helps answer that question. So the next question is is related and this question says Are applicants who are selected as finalists guaranteed a federal job? So it's a great question and the answer is no, they're not guaranteed a federal job That said in our experience in the PMF program Any finalists who really wants to get placed has multiple opportunities to do that And so while it's not guaranteed It's definitely the expectation that if you become a finalist You're going to be able to find that appointment I think the trick is to Make sure that you know, if you're coming in for example with the background in international affairs Then you cast a wide net. Do you think about your? background your skills what you love to do And what you would do well at a federal agency and then go out there and learn about all the different opportunities that are available As I mentioned, there are many opportunities at the state department And then there are also opportunities at usa. There's opportunities at executive office of the president at treasury at usda And so I think the finalists that are most successful are the ones who really take the opportunity as a finalist to learn about what's out there and then Apply to all kinds of different opportunities and interview as much as possible Sometimes we have finalists that don't get placed as fellows simply because they have pursued multiple opportunities And they decided not to go with PMF. They decided to go with another job another federal fellowship And so that also happens, but my very biased opinion Is that if you become a finalist, you know, you definitely want to keep PMF Kind of at the top of that list and and again, I would Really encourage you to talk to the PMF advisory council during the lunch because They'll be able to tell you a little bit more about what it looks like to be a PMF at state At the state department, we have foreign affairs officers Who are hired and work in all kinds of different regional and functional bureaus? And so hopefully through those conversations, you'll be able to kind of get a better sense of What it looks like to be a PMF specifically at the state department okay, so Question are there resources I can seek That will aid me in the assessment process So I'm glad you asked that question Um, there are two that I would say that you should start with There are a lot of resources really but the first two that I would start with And rose can help me, um, hopefully by posting the become a PMF resources link in the chat But the two are the PMF applicant handbook And that is sort of a 50 000 foot Here's what the application process looks like Document that will be really helpful for you to Review as you're getting ready to apply and as you're thinking about Whether PMF is the right option for you. So the PMF applicant handbook definitely one um And then the other one I would say is the assessment preparation guide And that one again is all about how to be successful During the assessment That one is not currently available. We release that every year around April So you'll have to wait a little bit for that one to come out But I would definitely recommend consulting that guide as long as the applicant handbook And then the other thing that you can do is you can Reach out and talk to PMFs and PMF alumni folks that have been through the program Um one thing that we're getting ready to do is a program office is we launched a program called PMF ambassadors And PMF ambassadors are volunteer PMFs and PMF alumni Who are there to support people who are thinking about applying for the program? So in a couple weeks, we're actually going to post a directory of PMF ambassadors That you can reach out to to have conversations To ask questions about PMF And so that's another thing I would definitely recommend doing Review all these resources to get ready And also have conversations with people who have been through this Who who have seen sort of the opportunity for what it really is So that is uh what I would suggest on that question So a couple more here Um Anissa asks uh if a current federal employee applies for the fellowship Does the fellowship program honor matching the pay grade they currently hold at another agency? So that's a good question. So first of all, let me just say this A lot of current federal employees apply for this program and that is completely okay um The thing that you have to do to be eligible right is to have that advanced degree or to be pursuing that advanced degree And whether you're a federal employee now or not Um, that doesn't really matter. So first of all, if you are a federal employee thinking about it Encourage you to do so Um in terms of the matching of the pay grade That's really going to depend On the agency where you're interviewing a lot of times they are able to do that Because when they're looking at whether or not to bring you in at a gs9 or an 11 They're really looking at something like work experience and and how much you've done to date So that would be part of the conversation you would be having as a finalist With the agency where you're interviewing But it's a great question And then the other thing to note too is agencies have different policies. Some agencies Only bring in fellows at the gs9 Some agencies are willing to work with you to bring you in at a 9 11 or 12 Uh depending on your work experience So those are the types of conversations you're going to want to have Once you get to the finalist stage and you're starting to interview with agencies, but it's a great question all right, so What are some of the different roles that pms can take in a government agency? Can you give examples of projects that they work on? Yeah, so that's uh, that's a great. That's a great question So a lot of pms that come in Are what we call management analysts or program analysts? And that's kind of a a catchall for doing all kinds of different things within government For the state department, it would be foreign affairs officers a lot of times or budget analysts as well There are a lot of different kind of what we call job series that pms come in But they're doing everything from you know helping with the coven response We had a pms At the state department. I think a class of 2009 pms Sorry, 2019 pms Who was a pms at the state department? She was on rotation in japan And she helped with the coven response on the diamond princess cruise ship We actually have a write-up of that on our website But this pms was doing a rotation as I talked a little bit about earlier And she was able to really help us citizens there with This particular part of the coven response We have a lot of pms that are working on coven response not only at the state department But at the centers for disease control and prevention at the nih So you might be working on the current national crisis of the moment. That's a good You know example of of what you might be working on We have pms at the forest service who We're working a lot last year when the fires hit out west They were working on the response to those forest fires In international affairs, it's all of the above. It's everything that you can think of that's happening in the international space There are pms that are working on those things and so I would say, you know, there's a lot of different opportunities out there And that's why it's great to be able to talk to pms and get their experiences the one thing that I will mention is that Because pms is such a Well-established and well known program in government and it has the reputation it does When you come on as a pms at an agency There's usually going to be an expectation to take on quite a bit of responsibility and to work on projects That are really high priority And so that's kind of one of the great advantages of this program Is right off the bat, you're probably going to be working on something that is You know important for our country and that has a lot of impact because it's at this kind of federal level So that's another thing. I just wanted to to note for you Going down the line here Are us citizens residents privileged over non us citizens residents in seeking a pms placement? So it's a good question. We do talk about citizenship on our website Um, you don't have to be a non you don't have to be a us citizen to apply and become a pms That said you do have to have the ability to work in the united states And so that would be a question you would have to ask to the agency that you're thinking about working with I will say it's it's pretty rare for non us citizens to Come in through the pms program But it's something that you would have a conversation with a particular agency That that you're interviewing with and you can find more information again on the citizenship questions On our website in in the become a pms So do pms receive assistance with job placement with agencies in addition to opm? Good question Yes, uh job placement happens not only, you know with the facilitation of our office But as I mentioned, there are a lot of different touch points that agencies have with The finalists pool and so that happens through agency mean greets that happens through the hiring fair That happens through, you know, the conversations that you have With agencies and just for your awareness Every agency that participates in the pmf program Has what's called an agency pmf coordinator? So there your main point of contact at the agency where you are looking to work And so there are all kinds of opportunities to connect with the coordinators to connect with other folks at agencies To navigate the appointment process We also Shortly after announcing finalists We'll have info sessions for finalists to talk about how best to navigate the appointment process what to keep in mind How to negotiate with agencies when you're trying to find a placement And then we also do brown bags with current fellows and pmf alumni to get their perspectives on How they were successful in navigating the appointment process So there are a lot of resources available For you probably more than you would want But that's good. We want you to be able to have all of that To help you both get to the final stage and then once you're there find that appointment as a pmf Next question is there an age limit for applying to the pmf program? I'm glad somebody asked that question. There is not I had a conversation yesterday at a career fair at howard With somebody that was I believe in in In their 50s or 60s And so there really is no age limit for the pmf program And we have folks that are you know coming straight out of grad school after finishing their their bachelors And so they may be in their their early 20s mid 20s Um, we also have folks that are coming to the pmf program after spending a decade or more in another career My kind of situation is illustrative to that as well I was a high school teacher for 10 years um, and then I decided to go to grad school and uh, and joined um through the pmf program Um, just three years ago. And so even for you know, old guys like myself, uh, there's opportunities um For pmfs and no age limit. Don't let that be a barrier. There's also no, uh, gpa requirement I know that question sometimes comes up as well. We don't look at gpa Um as part of our application process, we also don't ask for letters of recommendation Um, really all you need is your resume your transcript And uh, and you need to um, you know do well on the online assessment. Those are the main thing So, uh, do you think the pandemic will change how the program is run in the future? Things like telework, etc That is a great question and there are probably multiple ways to answer that question um, many of the pmfs who are working now Are working from home. I'm working from home. I'm here in my house, uh, and I've been here since march And I've only been to the office one time um, a lot of pmfs are working from home working remotely And pmfs are not, uh, you know They're still able to find placements and come on board at federal agencies remotely So a lot of the pmfs that are getting hired right now by agencies are doing their onboarding From their home and they're getting shipped the supplies and things they need to get started Um, and so I think it definitely has affected the program but not adversely in a sense of Uh pmfs not getting hired because they still are and in some cases in greater numbers And that's the other kind of approach to this question that I would point out um, we've had a lot of pmfs that have now been hired Uh as a direct result of covet and to do covet response. So the cdc Uh, for example, uh late last year Posted over a hundred positions for pmfs and that's in a class of of 550 So that's a lot of opportunities for folks that you know could go and be part of the public health response And work on covet. Uh, and so it definitely has affected things But it's affected things in terms of yes, telework being much more prevalent But also in terms of opportunities to be part of the federal response to the crisis itself Um, next question are pmfs given preference for fso jobs for foreign service officer jobs um The answer to that question, uh, as far as I know is no Um, I think there are some programs within the state department that help Transition civil service to foreign service, but I would I would not be the authority on that I would ask uh the pmfs During the the lunch if you have that question Um, the foreign service process is completely separate completely different from coming in through the pmf process Which is a civil service appointment and so Hopefully that helps what I will say is there are many pmf alumni who have gone on to change gears and join the foreign service Um, so we've we've known a lot of those folks that talked to folks even recently that are going through that process um, but they are separate processes and In terms of transition programs at state. I think there may be mustang. I'm not sure what's around These days, but I would definitely ask that question at the next question are pmf opportunities given for overseas assignments And should you be selected for one of them? Do they provide for your family and children? so It's a good question Initial appointments The the sort of one where you start as a pmf Those generally are not overseas. Those would be at the state department, for example at main state in dc That said a lot of pmfs Go overseas for their rotation or their developmental assignment or on tdy I've had colleagues in the pmf program That have gone to vienna austria and worked on nuclear non-proliferation issues um, I currently have a colleague that's You know at the at the u.s agency for international development who's in beirut And so it is definitely common for Agencies like state like us aid to send their pmfs overseas For rotations, but not for the initial appointment But if you are interested in overseas rotations, I think that the state department is a great one USAID is obviously great CDC also does some overseas opportunities Um, so there are opportunities to go overseas if that's something there uh, now i'll try to Rapid fire through these last three questions because we only have a few minutes Does experience with another leadership program disqualify you from becoming a pmf? No, it does not in fact, it may help you because it may help you on the assessment in terms of having leadership experience and You know the experience that you gleaned from that other program the answer is no Is a security clearance required before becoming a pmf finalist at what point is a security clearance initiated? Great question. Um, it is not required Before becoming a finalist or even, um, you know at the point when you're announced a finalist when the security clearance comes into play Is when you are given what's called a tentative offer by an agency? So let's say that the state department interviews you and they like you for a certain position in a certain bureau At that point they would extend a tentative offer And if you say yes to the tentative offer They would initiate that background investigation process that's security clearance And so that's the point when the background investigation starts for any pmf position There's going to be some kind of background investigation whether it's a security clearance top secret clearance Um public trust whatever it is Some take longer than others depending on the level of the clearance, but that process is kicked off Once you are uh accepted a tentative offer Um, and Finally as a pmf, could you be sent overseas? I kind of addressed that one And and it says in parentheses post covet. Um, so so yes, I think the answer is yes It depends on the opportunity you should ask that question when you're interviewing Um for a particular position to see what might be available and also ask pmfs if you're going to this This networking lunch is coming up So I think those are all the questions and um, I would say again if you're able to Connect with pmfs at the lunch, please do And I will say it one more time just because I don't want this to fall off anybody's radar We want you to apply So please go to our our home page and you know sign up for our listserv get connected Get connected with me Get connected with our ambassadors and we hope that when fall rolls around You'll consider applying to pmf So that we can put you on that trajectory toward leadership in federal government It has been my absolute honor and pleasure to talk to all of you today I hope you found this whole conference valuable. Thanks to everybody who set it up. Um, it's been fantastic So have a great rest of your day and I look forward to connecting with you in the future