Being laid off from a federal job can make you feel like you’re being fired, even if you know intellectually that the decision was based on budgets, shifts in an agency’s mission, or other factors that have nothing to do with your performance.

You may feel as though potential employers are questioning your value.

You may worry that the experience you gained as a government employee will count for less now that you’re outside the system.

However, you have a valuable asset on your hands–your previous experience–but you need to know how to present it effectively to prospective employers.

There are some basic steps to take when tailoring a resume for the private sector.

I’ll give you an overview of them now; in the next section we’ll talk more about the differences between federal and private-sector resume requirements and language.

Decide Where You Want to Go

Before you start reworking your resume, decide on your target job market.

Are you looking to find another federal job, or do you want to go into the private sector?

Or maybe you want to do both.

The reason for this step is simple: a federal resume and a private-sector resume serve two entirely different industries with two entirely different sets of requirements.

A federal resume should follow the guidelines set forth in the USAJOBS “What To Include In Your Federal Resume” resource, which may include providing information such as the number of hours you worked per week, the dates of your employment, and information about how your qualifications meet the requirements in a vacancy announcement (which often requires several pages).

Meanwhile, a resume for the private sector should be more focused, using language that highlights your value to a specific company, and it should be shorter.

When targeting the private sector, you wouldn’t want to send a multi-page document that buries relevant information and wastes a potential employer’s time.

If you’re doing both searches, create two separate versions, one for each.

Replace Federal Speak With Business Speak

Federal agencies employ people in a variety of occupations. That’s why most federal jobs have official titles that help differentiate one type of worker from another. But to someone in the private sector, your GS-14 Program Analyst position may not say much.

In order to effectively market yourself to your new target audience, you need to be able to describe your experience in ways that don’t rely on acronyms or jargon that have no meaning outside the government.

Analyze your resume for words and terms tied specifically to the federal government and replace them with terms that have more general appeal.

For example,

instead of saying:
 “GS-14 Program Analyst responsible for interagency initiatives and OMB compliance,”

you might say:
 “Directed multifunctional programs that included interagency collaboration and bolstered regulatory compliance, operational performance, and executive oversight.”

This allows you to highlight the value of your background without relying on acronyms or federal-specific responsibilities, making your experience more accessible to a private-sector recruiter.

When reviewing your document, look for opportunities to de-federalize it by noting:

– Agency-specific acronyms that don’t have meaning outside your workplace

– Federal-specific job titles or other positions that may not accurately reflect your experience level or responsibilities

– Unnecessary mentions of forms, directives, or unique systems used only within the government

– Descriptions of your job functions without mentioning relevant achievements

-Technical language that hides your leadership or impacts from view

Focus on Accomplishments (Not Your Job Description)

Most federal resume samples are written as if they’re an employee’s job description. They provide a list of responsibilities, but they don’t always provide a sense of the impact an employee could have made with those responsibilities.

Meanwhile, private-sector recruiters are looking for specific skills and accomplishments.

When thinking about what to highlight, consider the problems you’ve solved, the risks you’ve mitigated, and the opportunities you’ve taken to improve your organization’s operations.

Ask yourself whether you’ve had the opportunity to:

• Drive down costs, cycles, headcounts, risks, or errors
• Lead, manage, or direct employees, independent contractors, or interagency teams
• Make improvements in budget, compliance, security, or other areas
• Take on the implementation of new technologies, strategies, or processes
• Respond to a critical situation, investigation, audit, or similar event
• Brief, advise, or support senior leadership in decision-making or mission execution
• Leverage broad markets, diverse populations, or multifunctional organizations to achieve an organization’s goals

Whenever it’s appropriate, include numbers to help put your accomplishments on display.

You could say that a specific technology implementation saved the government “hundreds of thousands of dollars” or “over a million dollars” without giving away any sensitive information.