With the swipe of a pen, President Trump issued executive orders that reduced some agencies to skeleton operations and completely eliminated others. The results have been immediate and devasting for tens of thousands of federal employees. Their jobs, once thought to be stable and secure, are gone.
What’s Next?
If you are among these suddenly unemployed people, you may be a bit shell-shocked and asking: “What do I do now?” Moving from a federal government job to a private-sector job may be your best option – and making the change may be easier than you think.
Companies engaged in areas like healthcare administration, corporate governance, IT/cybersecurity, finance, and purchasing and logistics value the structured experience of federal employees. They want people with expertise in areas like budgeting processes, operations management, regulatory compliance, contract management, and public-sector administration.
Your First Challenge
The first thing you must do is transition from self-reporting to self-marketing.
Instead of simply listing your responsibilities, your private-sector résumé should:
- Be clear and easy to read
- Focus on results and achievements
- Use numbers to show success (percentages, dollar amounts, time saved, etc.)
- Be tailored to the specific job you are applying for
- Include important keywords so it passes the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Your government résumé is probably long, detailed, and formatted as a plain, extremely wordy and uninteresting account of your career. It has worked okay in the community you’ve lived in for a long time, but it will fail to help you enter the highly competitive community you want to join.
In order to impress hiring managers in the private sector, your résumé must be a concise, eye-catching, results-focused and keyword-rich résumé that markets you to employers. It’s much more than an account of what you did, how long you did it, where you did it, and why you did it. It’s a marketing tool that communicates your special brand and potential value, highlights your accomplishments, is tailored to a specific job, and uses numbers, percentages, dollars, etc. to clearly demonstrate your performance.
There will be many applicants for every job you pursue, so it is critical that your résumé (your marketing document) positions you as the most qualified person for the job.
You Need More Than Just a Résumé
Changing from federal government employment to working in the private sector requries more than rewriting your résumé. You should also:
- Choose the right industry
- Understand how your skills transfer
- Research companies and learn about their goals
- Understand company culture and values
- Be ready to explain how you can help the company make money or improve results
- Stay open to learning new skills
Private-sector companies move faster than government agencies in recruiting, interviewing and hiring people, so being flexible in providing information and preparing for interviews is important.
Take Control of Your Next Step
Losing a job can feel overwhelming, but it can also be a new beginning. With the right résumé and a smart job search plan, you can successfully move into the private sector. Now is the time to take action and answer the question: “What’s next for me?”
You have valuable experience. With the right approach, you can turn it into new opportunities.
Why Choose Us?
We turn experience into opportunity – and résumés into interviews. We know what recruiters and hiring managers look for in candidates. And we don’t disappear after your project is done. We will be available to answer your questions and address your concerns throughout your career.