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As thousands of former federal employees flood the job market after mass layoffs, they struggle to land new roles—and face unexpected hostility from the private sector.
A fired federal employee wrote this week: “I’m lost trying to figure out how to land a new job before my savings runs out. Although I worked for the federal government for 22 years, I moved to a new position four months ago and so qualified as a probationary employee and got axed. Every job listing asks for a “fast-paced, results-driven leader.” This phrase intimidates the heck out of me. None of my federal jobs rewarded speed; they rewarded accuracy. I know how to document decisions and follow procedures but hiring managers aren’t looking for that. And I’m 50. What if I can’t find a job?”
An employer wrote: “When we posted a position forasenior analyst last week, I received a resume from a terminated federal employee. His resume checks all our boxes—decades of experience, high-level clearances, specialized knowledge. But I worry that he’ll have unrealistic expectations about compensation or hours. If we hire him, will he stay when he learns we often work ten-hour days? Or expect a six-figure salary with a pension baked in? Will he able to adjust to our pace? It’s a gamble.”
A federal worker who landed a private sector job shared: “I expected sympathy from my new coworkers over my losing my federal job. Instead, they tell me it’s time federal workers ‘join the real world.’ They remind me they got laid off during the pandemic while I collected a regular paycheck, with no loss of pension or health benefits.”
Challenges for Federal Workers Entering the Private Sector:
Multiple surprises await government workers transitioning into private sector employment.
- Job security: Most federal workers have never faced employment at-will or performance-based terminations.
- Different performance expectations: Few former government employees have had to hit quarterly revenue goals, customer retention targets, or efficiency metrics—standard in private sector roles.
- Salary expectations: Many former federal workers expect higher pay because of their GS pay scale history. They may also assume their compensation includes structured raises and pensions—which few private employers offer.
- Work Culture Shift: The federal system rewards process and documentation, while private employers prioritize profitability, speed and efficiency. Private sector employers expect initiative and self-direction, while many federal jobs emphasize procedural correctness. Public sector jobs often involve fewer work hours and more predictable schedules compared to the private sector’s longer work hours and less predictable schedules.
- Friction with New Colleagues: While many fired federal workers expect empathy from their new colleagues, they may not find it. Federal employees kept their salaries, pensions, and health insurance during the pandemic, while private sector workers lost their jobs or had their salaries cut. .
- Lengthy job hunt: Fired federal workers are entering a tough job market and will need to compete with private sector workers over a limited number of openings for white-collar work.
What fired federal workers can do to prepare
They can:
- Assess their transferable skills and rebrand them for civilian jobs.
- Focus on jobs involving compliance, project management, policy analysis, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity.
- Look for positions with employers who hold federal contracts or work in heavily regulated industries and might welcome their expertise in navigating bureaucratic structures.
- Rework their resumes by deleting government jargon and acronyms.
- Engage with professional and industry contacts to access the “hidden job market.”
- Pursue additional training and certifications to gain new and align existing skills with private sector employer needs.
For thousands of federal employees entering unfamiliar territory, the transition won’t be easy. But those who adapt and embrace private sector expectations will have the best shot at success.
© 2025, Lynne Curry, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
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