From Service to Strategy: Translating Your Skills for the Private Sector
You bring a wealth of transferrable skills from your work in the government. This guide is intended to help you translate your background to find your fit in the private sector.
Strategic Data and Intelligence:
Core Function: Strategic Analysis and Direction: interpreting complex information and synthesizing it into actionable plans, policies, or intelligence for leadership.
Transferrable Skills: Turning complex data into actionable insights, managing programs & cross-functional coordination, driving strategy with evidence-based recommendations, thriving in ambiguity & shaping executive decisions under uncertainty, writing for & briefing senior leaders, and identifying risks, opportunities, & trends.
Possible Private Sector Roles: Competitive Intelligence/Market Research, Product Strategy/BizOps/Communications, Governance & Compliance, Trust & Safety, Insider Risk, Policy & Government Affairs, Chief of Staff, and Travel Risk & Crisis Management.
Diplomacy & Relationship Management:
Core Function: Stakeholder Engagement and Trust-Building: developing and maintaining relationships, often under pressure, to achieve objectives.
Transferrable Skills: Building trust across cultures & organizations, leading high-stakes negotiations, communicating persuasively, bridging gaps between technical & non-technical audiences, adapting to ambiguity, and leading teams in high-stakes environments.
Possible Private Sector Roles: Partnerships & Business Development, Client Success/Account Management, Corporate Affairs/External Relations, Policy & Government Affairs, Product Strategy/BizOps, Sales Growth/Strategy, Chief of Staff, and Travel Risk & Crisis Management.
Technical Project & Risk Management
Core Function: Technical Implementation and Operational Security: solving complex technical problems and ensuring systems and operations are secure, functional, and compliant.
Transferrable Skills: Creative problem-solving with technology under real-world constraints, designing & implementing practical, secure solutions, balancing innovation with operational risk management, translating technical details into business outcomes, technical skills such as engineering, cyber, etc.
Possible Private Sector Roles: Technical Program Manager, Product Implementation/Solutions Engineer, IT Infrastructure/Cloud Operations, Cybersecurity Operations, Innovation/R&D Roles, Insider Risk
Complex Operations & Logistics
Core Function: Orchestration, Resource Allocation, and Continuity: the backbone that ensures large, complex operations run smoothly and efficiently, often involving supply chain, facilities, and vendor management.
Transferrable Skills: Orchestrating complex logistics with precision under pressure; efficiently managing budgets, vendors, and resources; anticipating risks and planning for contingencies; and keeping large, high-stakes operations running smoothly and in compliance.
Possible Private Sector Roles: Global Supply Chain & Logistics, Procurement & Vendor Management, Event & Travel Operations, Facilities & Workplace Operations, Business Continuity/Crisis Management, and Chief of Staff.
