Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.
It doesn’t matter why you landed on this page. If you are starting to look for work and you are willing to do some work to get your next role, let’s go.
1. Understand Your Situation
Acknowledge the Transition: Recognize that being released from a federal position can happen for various reasons, including budget cuts, restructuring, or policy changes. Accepting the situation is the first step toward moving forward.
Review Your Benefits: Federal employees often have access to severance packages, unemployment benefits, and career transition services. Familiarize yourself with these resources through your agency’s human resources department.
2. Build Your Career Story
Craft a Comprehensive Resume:
Start with a long resume that details your career history over the past 10 years, focusing on skills and achievements relevant to your desired roles.
Create a one-pager summarizing key accomplishments and skills for networking purposes.
Develop tailored resumes for specific job applications, ensuring alignment with job descriptions and keywords used in applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Highlight Federal Experience: Emphasize transferable skills gained in federal service, such as project management, regulatory compliance, or public administration.
3. Research and Strategize
Identify Target Industries and Employers:
Consider industries that value federal expertise, such as consulting firms, non-profits, or private sector companies working with government contracts.
Use resources like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and industry databases (e.g., Value Line or MorningStar) to research potential employers. I am adding a long list at the bottom of this post.
Leverage Federal Job Portals: Explore opportunities on USAJobs.gov if you wish to remain in government service.
4. Activate Your Network
Reconnect with Contacts:
Reach out to former colleagues, supervisors, or mentors who can provide guidance or referrals.
Use LinkedIn to identify connections at target organizations and request informational interviews.
Join Professional Associations:
Participate in groups like the Senior Executives Association (SEA) or other relevant networks to expand your reach. SIM – Society for Information Management https://www.simnet.org/home
Engage in local community groups or alumni networks for additional support.
5. Upskill and Adapt
Invest in Learning:
Take advantage of free or low-cost training programs offered by platforms like Coursera or edX to gain new certifications or skills.
Federal employees may also have access to career development programs through their agencies or unions.
Explore New Career Paths: If you’re considering a career pivot, research fields where your skills can be applied differently, such as consulting, academia, or entrepreneurship.
6. Take Care of Yourself
Manage Stress: Transitions can be emotionally taxing. Practice mindfulness techniques like meditation or exercise to maintain mental well-being.
Set Realistic Goals: Break down your job search into manageable tasks—resume updates, daily applications, networking calls—to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
7. Stay Persistent
Understand that finding a new role takes time. Celebrate small wins along the way and remain adaptable to feedback from interviews or networking efforts.
Those are the highlights, here are some practical actions to take.
Practical Daily Routine
Here’s how to structure your day:
Morning: Focus on self-care—exercise, mindfulness, breakfast.
Midday: Work on applications—update resumes, research companies, send out networking emails.
Afternoon: Engage with your network—schedule calls or attend virtual events.
Evening: Reflect on progress—track applications and set goals for tomorrow.
Keep track of your work in a way that it is comfortable for you. You will make progress, and it is important for you to keep track of your work.
Know your value!
Discover, learn, identify and be confident in what you want!
General Remote Job Boards
Remotive (Community-driven remote job board)
Outsite.co (Focuses on digital nomads)
JobStack (Flexible jobs across industries, app-focused)
GoRemotely (Simple interface for various industries)
Remote Circle (Tech & non-tech roles, timezone filters)
Indeed Remote Jobs (Vast job site with remote filter)
Freelance Marketplaces
YunoJuno (Creatives & marketers, compliance support)
Outsourcely (Startups & global remote workers, long-term focus)
CloudPeeps (Curated for marketing, writing, design)
Tech-Focused Platforms
Creative and Design-Focused Platforms
99designs (Connects designers with clients)
Working Not Working (Selective, high-level creatives)
ClearVoice (Content creation & marketing projects)
Writing/Content Creation Platforms
Contena (Premium writing jobs)
Specialized Platforms
Mayple (marketing jobs)
Kolabtree (freelance science/research jobs)
Designhill (creative design work)
Nomadic Workspaces Directory (workspaces, using Nomad List as a resource)
MarketHire (marketing professionals)
RemotePOC (diversity-focused)
RemoteWoman (diversity-focused)
Community and Niche Platforms
Dynamite Jobs (startup jobs)
SolidGigs (freelance jobs via email alerts)
RemoteHabits (jobs & resources for remote workers)
AngelHub (startup roles)
VentureLoop (venture-backed companies)
Built In (tech and startup roles)
Techstars (entrepreneurs and startups, accelerator programs primarily, jobs may be within portfolio companies)
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