The federal government is in the midst of a dramatic restructuring that includes layoffs of thousands of career civil servants across the nation. Preparing for a private sector job search can be bewildering for former Feds used to lengthy USA Jobs-style resumes.
Federal resume writer David Barnes has made a career out of translating government jargon into clear and concise summaries as a journalist, congressional aide and federal agency communicator. “Federal resumes often exceed five pages and contained detailed information about key duties and responsibilities,” David says. “Private sector resumes need to be concise and clearly communicate the jobseekers’ skills and relevant accomplishments."
To assist displaced federal workers, we are now offering career coaching services, provided by Dr. John S. Lybarger, PHD.
John brings over 30 years of experience in career transition coaching, executive coaching, and leadership development. He has led national leadership development programs integrating career transition and executive coaching for senior leaders for federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, IRS, Department of the Treasury, Department of the Navy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Federal Executive Institute.
John has provided career coaching to senior leaders of well-known companies including IBM, Computer Science Corporation, Adobe, Hilton, helping them successfully land new positions.
His career includes service as Senior Faculty & Program Director for the Federal Executive Institute and most recently as senior client partner for Korn Ferry.
John has specialized in coaching senior leaders and professionals, successfully helping them:
Preparing for A Federal-to-Private Sector Job Search
Private sector resumes are significantly different from federal resumes, which require detailed information about duties performed at each job, along with salary information and contact information of supervisors. Many federal resumes do not include accomplishments, which are crucial to private sector resumes.
Private sector resumes should focus on accomplishments and metrics and generally should not exceed 2 pages.
Checklist To Preparing For A Federal-To-Private Job Search.
Gather the following documents, beginning with your most recent resume:
If your position description doesn’t match what you actually do, develop a list of your significant responsibilities and duties.
Comply With Federal and Agency-Specific Policies
Obtain information on your agency’s policies regarding job hunting while still on the federal policy. This may be in your agency’s ethics policy. Check with HR or counsel’s office. Feds working for DOD or in the Intelligence Community should seek guidance on what information regarding duties and accomplishments can be used in career documents. Likewise with work products. Publicly-released information is generally usable in a job search. When in doubt, ask.
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