- Elon Musk’s DOGE has been laying off federal workers and canceling government contracts.
- Erin Kennedy runs a résumé-writing business and said federal workers are contacting them in a panic.
- Those who want to leave federal work should tweak their résumés and embrace LinkedIn, she said.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Erin Kennedy from Michigan, CEO of Professional Resume Services, Inc. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Things at my business have gotten really busy as far as the federal sector is concerned.
Government workers finding us are panicked and bewildered.
I’ve been running Professional Resume Services, Inc. since 2001. We offer résumé-writing services — working 1-1 with clients to weave together a dynamic story about their work experience. We also help clients write their LinkedIn profiles and offer career coaching.
We have team members who specialize in résumés for those looking to switch from military to civilian jobs or who want a résumé for a federal job — which can look very different from corporate résumés.
Here’s how recent changes to the federal government and government contracts have impacted people I’m speaking to in my line of work — as well as my tips for those who are thinking of leaving the federal sector or who are fearful about losing their government jobs.
We’re seeing a wave of interest from federal employees and government contractors
We always get a huge influx of interest in our services when there are mass layoffs — like at Tesla and Microsoft.
We recently started getting calls from job seekers in the federal sector. In February, I shared a post on LinkedIn telling laid-off federal workers about our services which led to increased interest in our business.
Over the past few weeks, two private companies that are government contractors have asked us to rewrite résumés for their employees because their contracts have been terminated or aren’t up for renewal. Another company asked us to do a webinar about résumé-writing.
One person at a contractor company told me, “Nothing is normal.” They’re experiencing sudden chaos and want to be prepared.
Some federal workers are looking to switch to the private sector
I’ve been contacted by federal employees who’ve been laid off and those who are still employed but are looking to leave the government.
I’ve spoken to federal employees who say they received DOGE’s email requesting their accomplishments for the week. They reached out to me because they’re unsure about the future of federal employment.
A senior employee who had to figure out what to tell their staff about how to respond to the email reached out. She said it’s total chaos.
She’s still employed but said she and some of her colleagues are looking to leave the federal sector. She said everyone is on edge and feels like their employment may be terminated at any moment.
We’ve spoken to dozens of employees who want to switch from federal to corporate jobs, which is unusual because federal employees we work with typically want another federal role.
Here are my top job seeking tips for federal employees
When it comes to transitioning out of a federal career, I’d advise removing things like a veteran preference statement, citizenship status, salary, and the hours you’ve worked from your résumé.
Many of these can be required on a federal résumé, but you don’t want them on a corporate one. Divulging too much personal information may expose you to bias, unconscious or otherwise.
I notice a lot of federal résumés list every course the person has taken in college, but you need your degree. I’ve also noticed federal résumés including objective statements, a sentence focusing on what kind of role you want. However, I think it’s better to include a career summary — a paragraph that highlights your skillset and what you bring to the company — instead.
We advise employees who have been laid off to say on their résumé that the company downsized, hence the layoffs. For laid-off federal workers, saying that they have been affected by the widespread cuts is enough. I don’t think they should go into the whole story.
For those who are scared about losing their jobs, my first piece of advice is to think about what you want to do next. Ask yourself if you like your role and if you want your next job to be similar.
I’d also encourage you to start using LinkedIn. Comment and engage with other people’s posts, like the pages of companies you want to work for and connect with people who work at those companies.
Once you’ve developed a relationship with contacts at a company, you can say you’re looking for a role and ask about openings. Warming up your network is the best way to go.
That said, you still need to have your résumé ready. If someone does reach out to you about an opportunity on LinkedIn, they’re probably going to ask for your résumé. Or, if someone has your résumé and looks you up on LinkedIn but sees your profile is really sparse and lacking detail, that’s not helping them either. You can’t have one without the other.
The job market’s especially competitive right now, so all of this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. We’re just trying to help as many people as we can.
Responding to a request for comment from Business Insider, a representative from the White House said: “President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse. This isn’t easy to do in a broken system entrenched in bureaucracy and bloat, but it’s a task long overdue. The personal financial situation of every American is top of mind for the President, which is why he’s working to cut regulations, reshore jobs, lower taxes, and make government more efficient.”
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