The head count from the Department of Government Efficiency’s job cuts continues to climb, and federal workers are finding themselves looking for a job — many for the first time in years.
For those looking to transition to private sector employment, there are opportunities. But it is a transition government employees have long struggled with. Similar to military veterans entering the workforce, they possess sought-after skills, but don’t know how to market them.
The first step is completely rethinking their resumes.
“Pull out all of the government language” and translate it to something that businesses can understand, said Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management headquartered in Northern Virginia. “When you talk about a GS this or that, it means nothing to people in the private sector.”
Private sector hiring remains robust, particularly in the D.C. area.
“Repositioning yourself and looking at yourself and saying, ‘I am going to go to the private sector. Let me take all of my government experience and show you how that translates to you,'” Taylor said.
A government agency background can be seen as an asset to those employers, many of whom are government contractors. But that in itself won’t open doors.
Taylor said in the current private sector hiring climate, it is about selling your skills, not just listing them on a resume. He strongly recommends seeking out career guidance in making the transition.
“Twenty years ago, we all said hire an outplacement firm, and they will help you with your resume. That’s like 101. You actually need a career coach who, yes, will help you write a resume and present yourself. But also will help you with the mindset. You have to understand how private employers talk, what they expect, the key words. It is a very, very different way to pitch yourself,” Taylor said.
What will DOGE ultimately do to the recruiting efforts of government agencies, which have traditionally been seen as stable and secure employers? Taylor said it may hurt that upper hand, but it is too early to know. He added that job seekers often don’t do what they say when looking at potential employers.
“Applicants often times will report, ‘If an employer does this, I won’t work there.’ And then, when we actually follow their conduct, people still apply for these jobs,” Taylor said. “It is too early to determine whether or not what we are seeing will actually impact the applicant flow to the federal government.”
Private-sector companies have also made strides in creating more stable and dependable longer-term employment after lessons learned from the Great Resignation and pandemic-era job hopping, when professionals with in-demand skills were leaving, often dissatisfied with schedules, up-skilling and advancement opportunities, Taylor said.
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