If you’ve had experience in the public sector, you’ve honed skills that would cause most corporate executives to perspire. Consider it: working through the system, handling multi-million-dollar programs, drafting policy, ensuring compliance, and high-stakes leadership.

So why does pivoting into the private sector feel impossible sometimes?

The reality is that federal workers do not struggle because they lack qualifications—they struggle because they haven’t been educated about expressing their worth in the language of the private sector.

Here’s how you can do just that: begin with your resume, refresh your LinkedIn, and then ace the interviews.

Rewrite Your Resume: Emphasize Strategy, Not Service

Government resumes are lengthy, detailed, and task-driven. Good for USAJobs, perhaps, but private employers? Not so good. You’re going to need a tighter, cleaner resume that’s written as a value proposition, rather than a job description.

Before:

∙ Responsible for overseeing policy development and staff training.

∙ Managed interagency communication.

After:

∙ Spearheaded policy overhaul that reduced processing time by 40%, impacting over  10,000 constituents.

∙ Built and led a cross-functional team across three federal agencies, improving  compliance outcomes and stakeholder collaboration.

Ditch the Jargon

Words such as “GS-15,” “OPM standards,” “SOPs,” “FOIA” or “Program of Record” are  of no meaning beyond the Beltway. Rather, substitute acronyms and federal jargon with  private-sector equivalents.

Example Reframe:

-Managed the responses to FOIA requests in several divisions

-Managed complex document reviews and risk-sensitive disclosures under federal  regulations, maintaining 100% compliance and completing tasks on time.

Emphasize Transferable Leadership & Strategy

Be visionary rather than job-focused. Concentrate on effect.

Focus on Impact

Bullet Points That Work:

-Achieved $3.5M in savings by renegotiating contracts and consolidating vendors.

-Led crisis management efforts during shutdown of the agency, ensured continuity to  25K+ end users.

-Rebuilt a struggling team and boosted productivity by 38% in 6 months.

Update Your LinkedIn: You’re Not a Federal Title

LinkedIn is not USAJobs. It’s a brand platform, not a bureaucrat’s filing cabinet. If you’re  simply copying and pasting your resume into your LinkedIn profile, you’re passing up a  huge opportunity to differentiate yourself.

Here’s the way to pivot your profile:

Rewrite Your Headline

Your LinkedIn headline should not say:

“GS-14 Supervisory Management Analyst, XYZ Agency”

That’s a title, not a value proposition. Rather, try:

“Operations Executive | Program Optimization | Former Federal Executive Driving  Public Sector Strategy to Private Sector Outcomes.”  

Focus on your brand and what you bring to the table. Not just your job title.  

Using the “About” Section to Share a Story

This is your elevator pitch. Talk about who you are, the kind of roles you’re targeting,  and the results you’re known for — without sounding robotic.

Example:

“I’m a mission-focused operations professional with more than a decade of experience  spearheading high-impact programs in the federal sector. My passion is constructing  impactful, streamlined systems, inspiring cross-functional teams, and converting

convoluted policy into action-driven outcomes. After serving in public service for years,  I’m now eager to leverage my leadership, operational perspective, and policy-to outcomes mind-set in a corporate setting to continue making a lasting impact.”

Add Private-Sector Keywords:

Recruiters treat LinkedIn as a search engine. If your resume doesn’t contain keywordssuch as “operations director,” “program manager,” or “process improvement,” you may  be invisible in searches — even if you’re the right candidate.

Scan a number of private-sector job listings and extract keywords. Inject those into:

-Your headline

-Your About page

-Your job titles