New York Magazine reports that nearly 30,000 federal workers have been laid off since Trump took office in January. As this number continues to rise, so does the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the job transition.
For those who have spent years—decades, even—building their careers, transitioning into a new role can lead to an identity crisis. Reframing your experience to appeal to the marketplace can be challenging, but it is essential for landing your next role. Be deliberate in thinking about ways to leverage your government experience in the private sector.
Reframe Your Skillset: Updating your resume is crucial for the success of your job search. In the private sector, recruiters spend only seconds reviewing resumes, so it’s important to be concise, showcase measurable achievements, and highlight transferable skills. To identify transferrable skills, research your ideal roles and scan job descriptions. Highlight skills you may already have and note skills that you can build or develop.
Resources:
Leverage Your Government Experience: While the job search is an extremely personal process, you may need some ideas to help focus your initial search. After identifying the skills you’ve developed, think about how they can be applied to roles that interest you. The hardest part is knowing what opportunities are out there. Thinking about your ideal role in the private sector can be daunting, simply because of the unknown.
Some potential pathways for you to consider:
- Government Consulting: Management Consulted Job Board: Ernst & Young, Oliver Wyman, Booz Allen Hamilton and KPMG
- International Relations & Non-Government Organizations: Idealist– opportunities for ‘people that want to do good,’ Human Rights Jobs, & GlobalJobs.org– International job board for NGO’s, Think Tanks, Government, & Private Sector roles.
- Sustainability, Energy & Conservation: Sustainability Jobs & Terr.do– Provides educational resources and a job board focused on climate opportunities
Network Strategically: Your friends, family and former colleagues are built in network. If you find that you need to expand your outreach, check out the following resources:
- LinkedIn: Take advantage of the expansive Penn alumni network (200K+) to explore career fields and gain specific insights into jobs and employers. LinkedIn is a great tool to use in combination with MyPenn.
- MyPenn: Stay engaged with alumni around the world through MyPenn! MyPenn is the exclusive online community for Penn alumni and students. This platform serves as a one-stop portal for Penn students and alumni, offering opportunities to connect with alumni, customize your experience, and access university resources.
- CareerShift: CareerShift was created to help job seekers successfully navigate the published and hidden job market to find career opportunities. With CareerShift‘s robust company and contact database, users can find current job connections and make meaningful new connections.
Stay tuned for an announcement on and upcoming webinar covering some of these topics!
Sources:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/how-many-federal-employees-fired-jobs-cut-trump-doge.html
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/laid-off-from-your-federal-job-why-might-turning-point-soliman-jmrxc
