Transitioning from the Public Sector to Private Sector

Having made the move from the FBI to the private sector, I am very grateful to have two or three conversations a week with individuals contemplating the same change. Many are leaving law enforcement or the military due to retirement or frustration. The conversations take on a very similar theme and I wanted to provide the main points I have learned in the last eight years.

In no particular order:

·??????When reaching out to a company, learn all you can about their mission and their culture before the phone call. This needs to align as closely as possible with your own.

·??????If you are reaching out to me and I am calling you back, I have already done my due diligence about your background. Please don’t say, “Let me tell you about my background.”

·??????Background and experience are great but what are you willing to do tomorrow, and the next day, and the week after that?

·??????As briefly as possible, tell me how your experience and skills help my company and my clients/customers.

·??????What is it you are really passionate about; can you make a living doing that thing?

·??????Don’t focus solely on the salary offered. I know many former colleagues who took a job with a big salary, and absolutely hated the job.

·??????NEGOTIATE – this is not the USG. There is not a GS scale. Negotiate your worth and don’t get fixated on the yearly salary. There are other things that are as valuable as money: stock options, company benefits, executive travel package, remote work, flexible schedules, living where you want, etc.....

·??????When entering the new job, it is completely normal to feel awkward or have anxiety as things are unfamiliar. You may not know the systems, the hierarchy, or the forms they use but you know how to do the thing they hired you to do, and they expect you to do it Day 1. So speak up and prove you earned the position.

Lastly, if you like a secure paycheck, annual leave, sick leave, and having 11 holidays a year – consider staying in your government job. It might not be as bad as you think, and things could always be worse.

Hope this helps.