Career Expert Warns, Furloughed Federal Workers
Face Competition Crisis for Private Industry Jobs

“Jobseekers’ DIY resume efforts are creating
the perfect storm for hiring failures.”
notes Kathryn Troutman

(Baltimore, MD; 11-10-25) Even before the government shutdown, some 200,000 Federal employees had left their jobs according to the Partnership for Public Service. Now with the suspension of appropriations, another 700,000 workers have been furloughed, says the Federal News Network. Private industry jobs can look like the remedy to all the uncertainty, but career expert Kathryn Troutman warns that only the most exceptional resumes will get a second look in this crowded marketplace.

“With so many skilled professional Feds flooding private industry with their resumes, very few of them are getting interviews for the private market positions,” Troutman notes. “Jobseekers’ DIY resume efforts are creating the perfect storm for hiring failures.”

But out-of-work Federal employees don’t have to apply for private industry work with inadequate resumes. Troutman, known as the Federal Resume Guru, has been actively providing support to workers forced into the huge undertaking of revamping their lengthy CVs. Traditionally four or five pages, or even longer, the old long-form Federal resume has a lot of exhaustive detail to pare down.

During the shutdown, Troutman is offering free informative and inspiring one-hour webinars at theresumeplace.com on writing two-page resumes. Some are geared to Feds streamlining their long-form resumes to the shorter two-page format now mandatory for government applications. Others are specifically for Feds moving into the private sector, and these webinars are based on Troutman’s new insightful book, Transitioning Your Federal Resume to Private Industry: A Step-by-Step Guide.

Troutman points out that having excellent resume samples is key to doing an effective revision. “The book includes seven case studies of five-page Federal resumes converted to two-page private industry resumes, translating the government language into private industry language,” notes a reviewer from Booklife Book Reviews.

A US Review of Books reviewer writes, “Whether one is early-career, mid-career, or late-career, this book will serve as an indispensable handbook for revamping one’s resume and reshaping one’s career”… This text incorporates an encouraging tone that reminds those who may have lost their jobs due to Federal cuts that their skill sets still hold value in the corporate world.”

Old-school resumes emphasized duties, but those resumes can be boring, Troutman observes. “You must have significant accomplishment stories in order to stand out. State your challenges and quantify your results…dollars saved, people trained, work effort reduced, etc.”

In addition to the free webinars and the Transitioning book, Troutman’s Resume Place also offers invaluable one-hour consults on your resume for $210. This initial service is an assessment and consultation designed to identify necessary changes to create a competitive two-page resume. “You want to make sure your resume is headed in the right direction,” Troutman says. “With this service, you get to consult with a resume expert on how to maximize your results.” Along with tips for improvements and a marked-up document, jobseekers also receive a quote for a professional rewrite that would bring the resume up to its full potential. There is also a consultation available to help you brainstorm your accomplishments.

“Federal workers are discouraged,” Troutman says. “Why not take some proactive steps, like signing up for a webinar, buying the Transitioning book, getting a resume consult or even purchasing our professional resume writing services? Federal employment is currently chaotic. But to move into the private sector, you’ll need that competitive edge…a powerful, attention-grabbing resume.”

Kathryn Troutman is the author of over 30 books on the Federal resume, including a new revision of her best-selling Federal Resume Guidebook, which now features the recently mandated two-page resume. She is the Founder, President and Manager of Resume Place, Inc., a leading resume writing and job search consulting firm in Baltimore, MD.

Get informed. The new book Transitioning Your Federal Resume to Private Industry can be purchased on the Resume Place site, HERE.

Learn more. Read the full The Review of Books review of the Transitioning book.

Get inspired. Sign up for a FREE two-page resume-writing webinar at: https://resume-place.com/two-page-resume-writing-webinar/

Get help. Buy a professional consult on writing a strong private-industry resume.

Get competitive. Learn more about our expert private-industry resume-writing services.

The Book: Transitioning Your Federal Resume to Private Industry: A Step-by-Step Guide, is available on the Resume Place website as a paperback or eBook. Inside you’ll find Seven Case Studies of Federal Resumes to Private Industry Resumes including samples of 5-page Federal Resumes converted into 2-page Private Industry Resumes with Accomplishments and Keywords and a step-by-step process to help you write a winning resume and apply for a government position in your field.

ORDER Transitioning Your Federal Resume to Private Industry: A Step-by-Step Guide. BOOK

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If you want to hire a consultant to review your resume, give you advice on improving the content, accomplishments and keywords, we provide this at Resume Place.

$210 one hour consultation

Purchase $210 one hour consultation here

If you are an employment specialist or career counselor, you would like our Certified Federal Job Search Trainer® / Certified Federal Career Coach® program.

We teach our Ten Steps to a Federal Job® trainers and coaches on writing CCAR accomplishments for Federal Resume Writing, Interview Preparation and Annual Self-Assessments.

Information about the CFJST / CFCC program is here.