What's it like being a social worker in the Presidential Management Fellowship Program?
Can social workers go beyond clinical work? Yes! What does it look like to be a social worker in PMF? What are some of my experiences? Read on for the answers to those questions and more...
I’m passionate about social workers serving in government - not just as electeds, but in management, administration, data analytics, policy, and any other role you can imagine. Social work is a discipline that’s all about seeing and understanding systems and their interconnectedness - it’s perfect for government work. Yet, few schools of social work well prepare their students for macro work (many barely have macro programs!), and fewer still discuss the Federal government’s premiere leadership development program - the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) Program.
What is the PMF Program?
The PMF Program is “the Federal Government’s flagship leadership development program for advanced degree holders…” (OPM’s PMF website). The program originated as the Presidential Management Internship (PMI) under President Carter. In brief, it’s a two-year paid fellowship within (typically) the Executive Branch of the US government. You can find more information on the OPM’s PMF site (linked above) and the Wikipedia page.
How did you learn about PMF?
I went to a social work program that is known far and wide for its macro social work focus. You may think I learned of the program there - not so! In fact, I’m not sure the school communicated much at all about the opportunity. Rather, when I was working on my BSW and working “in the field,” my boss at the time encouraged me to reach out to someone who had worked in homelessness locally and then worked for the Federal government. I cold-e-mailed that person, had an incredible phone call, and PMF was the resource they pointed me to. That’s a big part of why I feel a responsibility to share info about the PMF Program.
Was it hard to get into the PMF Program?
The Program has an intimidating reputation for its low admission rate. When I applied, hopefuls had to complete an application, a series of assessments (which I think included an essay), and then hope to become a finalist based on those things.
I was fortunate to get through on my first application. I don’t think I am a typical candidate - by the time I applied, I had nearly 7 years of work experience, with several of those in quasi-leadership roles. I also know that my cohort was one (perhaps the) largest in the program’s history. According to the OPM’s 2022 Cohort info, some 8,065 applications were received, and of those, 1,100 were selected as “Finalists” (source).
You mentioned you don’t think you were a typical candidate - what was your work history?
I applied to the 2022 Cohort and had been in the field since 2015. In 2015, I started work as a mental health case manager, and the next year coordinated that program. I worked for a while in acute psych as a tech while doing my undergrad from 2018-2019, and then moved to case management with impoverished folks and people experiencing homelessness. In 2019, as part of my BSW internship, I was promoted into a new role coordinating our county’s homeless service system. That work involved grant writing, managing things like the annual Point-in-Time, etc. I held that job full time all the way until late 2022 when I started at my current job (ie, all through COVID - which held many leadership opportunities as my role grew). Additionally, my graduate internship was a fellowship at a philanthropic grantmaker, and I also held an additional fellowship at a data science institute as a social work consultant. It’s worth noting that the very specific, niche systems with which I worked in those roles are directly related to my work now, and I think that’s a big part of why I got hired (though wouldn’t necessarily speak to the initial PMF application).
Do I have to have policy experience to be selected?
I don’t think so! Social workers are under-represented in the PMF program, in my opinion. We have a unique view and understanding of systems, and it is important to capitalize on that in your application material. Social work students with a clinical background should pay special care to make connections between their clinical experiences and how those inform policymaking (because they SHOULD and DO!). A lot of folks working in the Federal government have been there for EVER - that means recent, direct, experience is absolutely critical. Sell that!
Don’t forget - you have two years after graduation to apply to the program, and you can apply as many times as you’re eligible. If you don’t get in the first time, prep for next year.
Wait, what’s a Finalist?
Not everyone who gets through the application part becomes a Fellow. After the application, but before you’re a Fellow, you’re a Finalist looking for a posting. The various departments and functionaries of the Executive branch create job postings specifically for Finalists to apply to, typically through a separate OPM website (though, often requiring a second application at the same time to USA Jobs).
Finalists must then apply to those posts, be selected as ‘eligible,’ interview, and hope to be hired.
Do you know if the PMF application process is still the same?
My understanding is in the 2023 Cohort, and possibly still, the OPM introduced an intermediate step between applicant and finalist. Now, once someone’s application and assessments have been reviewed and selected (no idea their criteria for this), folks become Semi-Finalists. Semi-Finalists are interviewed and then folks successful at that point become Finalists. I did not go through that process and don’t know much about it other than that. I would guess they introduced this because of the huge 2022 class size and potentially the rather large attrition rate of the 2022 cohort (more details there in a later post).
What does it mean to be selected as ‘eligible’?
Your application is reviewed by someone or something - I’m not sure if it is consistent across the departments. They’re looking for keywords and phrases (often from the posting itself).
To prepare for this, I did pay a professional to write a Federal-style resume for myself, along with a cover letter. I am not good at talking about my strengths, and I really wanted to get a very specific posting, so this made sense to me. I don’t think it’s a requirement, though. I often edited those products to use specific phrases from the job posting and connect those to my real experiences.
Additionally, there are hiring fairs finalists can attend. My ultim
ate posting came through a hiring fair, where I spoke to my now supervisor and our deputy director.
I was always advised to apply to as many postings as possible, and not to get hung up on permanency. Many PMFs get hired somewhere and utilize the required rotation to rotate somewhere of more interest to them, and often they end up transitioning to that job permanently. No promises (and that’s not what I hope to do).
How was the actual hiring process, after the interview?
Long, and a little stressful! I was navigating my full-time job still, and the hiring process in the Federal government is anything BUT timely. I didn’t keep track, but I would guess months passed between the various stages of the process. I had to do a background check, which I think took about a month (my position requires no clearance, for those that do, I understand it can take much longer).
A piece of advice I received? Do not lie on your background check forms! I detailed my use of three THC edibles one October evening to accompany a viewing of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the extent of drug use throughout my life). Despite this being legal in the State I lived in, it isn’t and wasn’t legal Federally. I received a rather URGENT-looking e-mail full of big, red, bold, underlined text demanding my disclosure of all sorts of details on the event (including rehabilitative efforts). This was very stressful! The response to the memo I sent in was quick, though, and didn’t pose any barriers.
Did you have to relocate?
I did! Though, my unit seems very open to folks being out-stationed, and I doubt I would have had to. That said, it was important to me to work in Headquarters in DC. I heard from some folks that HQ postings tend to be a little more involved in policy and the kinds of work I am interested in. Plus, I wanted to see a new town that I hadn’t lived in before.
So, I paid a moving company to move my stuff from a big city in the Midwest to the District. Then, a few days later, I loaded my cat and a few other things into a rental and drove across half the country to arrive in DC. It was tremendously expensive, and I received no relocation assistance from my new employer. This is sometimes a perk you can negotiate, but it wasn’t available to me. I had to take out a several-thousand-dollar loan to do this and am still paying it off. Keep that in mind when thinking about moving.
Earlier, you mentioned a “rotation” - what’s that?
Rotations are a required component of the PMF Program. Currently, Fellows are required to do at least one 4-6 month rotation outside of their home unit. I’ve heard a ton of mixed experiences with finding them, completing them, etc. I haven’t started mine yet, but I’ve identified it and am hoping to start soon. Many PMFs ‘create’ their own rotation, and that’s what I did. That happened by networking with some folks at a training, reaching out for an informational interview and then mutually agreeing to a rotation.
Do you like your work?
I love my work. At the start, it was really slow - I had a lot of days of looking for things to do; I’d e-mail and IM folks asking if there was anything I could work on. I’ve never had a job so self-driven. I’m sure not all PMF jobs are like that - in fact, I’ve heard the experience varies HUGELY.
My typical workweek includes a lot of policy writing/editing, data analysis (mostly with Excel and SPSS, though some folks I know use Python and PowerBI), consulting on policy questions, and meeting with teams around particular focus areas (like racial equity or training). I’m still pre-rotation, though, and I understand some more responsibilities typically come to folks in my office after that. I’m looking forward to them!
What’s the most frustrating part about government work?
So far? Time. Everything in government work, so far, is a weird blend of extremely slow and all-at-once. I’ve especially noticed the HR parts of my job move so slowly that it can be maddening. However, I’ve had the benefit of a supportive supervisor and office, so nothing has been too much.
It’s also really something to go from working in the field to working at the Federal level. I left direct-service several years ago for a macro role, but I was still close enough that I knew the names of folks, saw them, and spoke to them at times. It was macro, but close work. Sometimes I have trouble connecting what I’m working on today to the direct experience I had in the past, and sometimes it feels like I’m so far up in the atmosphere that there’s no oxygen. I am still working on how best to identify that in the moment and use that strategically to ground conversations so that they do have practical linkages - I think that’s where recent direct experience is useful. I’ll have more reflections on that as I continue to grow, hopefully.
Wrapping up…
That’s the info I have right now! Do you have other questions? Let me know! I’m happy to write a follow-up post to this in the future with additional thoughts. I’m including some data below about the 2022 PMF Cohort.