Life After Government
ear the end of the 1981 movie Absence of Malice, actor Wilford Brimley poses
a simple question to an errant assistant U.S. attorney: "What exactly was it you
was plannin' on doin' after government service, Robert?"
"Oh no, I'm not resigning," says the attorney, unaware that he's about to
have little choice in the matter.
Many career civil servants, when faced with the looming threat of early
"career transition" -- that is, termination -- are like that attorney. They
choose to live in denial. But whether they believe it or not, large numbers of
federal employees will find themselves seeking employment outside the government
far sooner than they'd planned. That's because agencies, caught between the rock
of National Performance Review reinvention initiatives and the hard place of
base closings, program terminations and severe budget cuts, are jettisoning a
substantial number of jobs.
How many is substantial? Well, the good news is that agencies have already
cut more than 160,000 jobs from a high-water mark of nearly 2.2 million civilian
executive-branch employees in 1990. The bad news is that's only about halfway
toward the Clinton Administration's goal of getting down to roughly 1.88 million
employees by the end of the decade. And Republican budget-cutters in Congress
have even steeper cuts in mind.
Like those stubborn pounds still clinging to your middle in the late stages
of a diet, these jobs will not go easily. Attrition and early-out deals have
already wrung most of the relatively painless cuts out of the system. So most of the employees who leave from this point on will not do so voluntarily. And
when they leave, they'll be looking for full-time employment, not an address
near their favorite golf course or fishing hole.
Facing the Future
Therein lies the rub. To paraphrase Brimley's question, just what jobs are
these about-to-be-former feds planning on getting after they leave government
service? And, even more to the point, how, exactly, do they plan on getting
them?
These are difficult questions for anyone, but even more so for mid-career
federal employees who have not been in the privatesector job market for a decade
or more -- if ever. Indeed, "difficult" may not begin to describe how they view
the prospect of an unwanted job search in the unfamiliar landscape of the
private sector.
"'Terror' is probably a better word to describe the feelings of people about
to be dumped from what they thought was secure, lifetime employment into a
hostile-looking job market," says Robert Carey, a consultant who teaches career
transition seminars for FPMI Communications.
As a former manager with AT&T, which went through a dramatic job implosion in
the early 1980s, Carey learned firsthand what's involved in helping people who
suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves contemplating life on the outside. In
the end, he "outsourced" himself, establishing a consulting practice to help
organizations dealing with downsizing. Since then he has worked with people in a
wide variety of industries. Certain factors, he notes, remain constant
regardless of the size or primary business of the organization involved.
"Employees facing restructuring, outsourcing, downsizing, right-sizing,
whatever you want to call it," says Carey, "all tend to go through a predictable
range of feelings." The first is the fear, based on rumors and ominous signals,
that jobs are likely to be cut. "Many people deal with that through denial,"
says Carey. "You tell yourself that it won't really happen, or that you'll be
one of the ones to stay. After all, you're too important for the organization to
lose, maybe even indispensable to it.
"But then, when it finally becomes clear that you are going to lose your job,
shock and anger set in. 'Why me, after all I've done for this outfit?' is the
typical reaction. But eventually that wears off too, leaving many soon-to-be
un-employees to fall into feelings of powerlessness and depression. "Underlying it all is the fear that you'll never be fully employed again,
that your best days are already behind you. And that's really frightening. No
one wants to entertain visions of winding up living in a refrigerator box. But
it's hard not to in this situation."
Pretty grim stuff. But the silver lining, Carey notes, is that there is
rarely a sound basis for all the fear and pessimism. There are three keys to
dealing with it, he says. The first is getting yourself to take an accurate,
realistic inventory of your marketable skills. The second is learning a new
skill -- how to search for a job effectively. And the third is approaching the
job market in a diligent, professional manner that ensures a high probability of
success.
Alternatives
Actually, as Carey notes in his forthcoming book, Facing the Future: A
Practical Guide to Career Transition (FPMI Communications), there are several
job markets, each requiring different strategies and skills to approach it
successfully. One of them is the federal government itself.
That may seem surprising at first glance. But in any large organization
there's bound to be a constant demand for new employees, regardless of whetherthe organization as a whole is shrinking. Employees still quit, retire, die, get
fired or take other jobs -- and therefore must be replaced. Besides, not every
federal agency is downsizing. Some, such as the Bureau of Prisons, are actually
growing.
In recognition of this fact, in September President Clinton directed agencies
to fill openings with displaced feds before going outside to hire new employees.
(The Defense Department already has a system in place to give hiring preference
to its own employees who have been downsized out of their jobs.)
But remember, even under the most optimistic scenario agencies will be
cutting well over 100,000 jobs between now and the year 2000. Neither a
spreadsheet nor a crystal ball is necessary to predict that not enough vacancies
will appear by then to absorb all the displaced employees. So for those who may
not be lucky enough to hang on to their current job, slide into a convenient
opening elsewhere in their agency or catch on with another agency that's immune
to the cutting craze, here are the primary employment alternatives:
State and Local Government. This is a job market that many federal employees
-- particularly if they are located outside the Washington area -- may want to
consider. Many state and local civil service systems are modeled on the federal
government and will be familiar to those who have never worked in a bottom-line oriented organization.
The downside of taking a job at a lower level on the civil service totem pole
is that few, if any, state or local governments pay as well as Uncle Sam. Still,
at a time when federal employment is shrinking, state and local governments are
growing rapidly. And with both the Administration and Congress looking to
devolve federal programs to the states and localities. that trend is likely to
continue in the future.
Large Private Companies. What these firms have in common with the government
s size and structure. Indeed, some large companies -- particularly utilities --
are more bureaucratic than many federal agencies. Among the advantages to
working for a large company are higher salaries, work which is similar to that
done in many agencies (such as data processing, financial management and
personnel management) and fairly extensive benefits. The bad news is that
America's biggest companies are slimming down as fast or faster than the
government. So you could find yourself being "downsized" or "outsourced" yet
again a few years down the road.
Small Private Companies. Study after study has shown that the vast majority
of job growth in the United States is in small companies. There are many
advantages to working for a small firm. Small companies often offer a less formal work environment, greater flexibility in personnel rules, more room for
rapid professional growth and possibly even a financial stake in the company if
you become a key performer.
On the other hand, life in small companies is usually far less structured,
more subject to rapid change and often less secure than employment in government
or in a large corporation. So if you can't live without an organization chart, a
staff of clericals to support you and a starting salary equal to your current
position on the General Schedule pay chart, this probably isn't the option for
you. Pay and benefits are also unlikely to match those found in the federal
government-at least initially.
Self-employment. Being your own boss can mean everything from working as an
independent ice cream wagon operator to becoming the CEO of a high-tech
start-up. With the astonishing advances in computer, telephone and desktop
publishing technologies in recent years -- along with a sharp drop in the costs
of equipment -- it's neither difficult nor expensive to start a business of your
own these days. That's particularly true if your ego doesn't recoil at the
thought of headquartering yourself in the extra bedroom and answering your own
phone, typing your own correspondence and filing your own documents -- at least
until runaway growth forces you to add staff.
Over the past 10 years, the authors of this article -- both of whom formerly
worked for Uncle Sam -- have watched ex-colleagues start successful businesses
that specialize in everything from janitorial services to software development.
And such opportunities likely will multiply as agencies shrink, since they will
have to contract out for many of the services they now obtain in-house.
The downside of self-employment, of course, is that you have no one to rely
on but yourself. That can be a lonely and frightening feeling for someone
accustomed to the paternal support and trappings of a large organization.
But contrary to conventional wisdom, the overwhelming majority of new
businesses do succeed. And in the process, they provide their owners with not
only a living, but also a delicious feeling of control and the room to exercise
creativity. For some hardy souls, this is more than enough to compensate for the
anxiety and loss of benefits such as employer-paid health insurance that
accompany independence.
Keys to Career Transition
Regardless of which alternative might seem most appealing to you, Carey
recommends that anyone facing potential job loss carefully heed the following
pieces of advice before taking action.
- Recognize reality. Although denial is a routine first reaction to the
specter of possible job loss, keeping your head in the sand can only hinder your
chances of making a successful transition.
- Be aware of the emotional component of job change situations. Do whatever
is necessary to work through your feelings. Remaining mired in anger or
depression will not help you secure new employment. If you find it difficult to
get on top of your feelings, don't hesitate to seek out professional counseling.
- Find out what options and services are available. Most agencies will
provide an array of services, ranging from counseling to referral to
resume-writing assistance. (See "71 Model Resource Center," page 16.) Take
advantage of any help you can get.
- Develop your job search skills. If your agency offers career transition
training, take advantage of it. If not, seek it out on your own, either in the
classroom or via the plethora of books on this subject. Remember, if you are
facing unemployment, finding a new job is your job for now.
- Adopt a positive attitude. Easier said than done, but essential if you are
to attract a new employer. Dispelling negative thinking will help you do so.
- Create a support network. Even if your agency provides help in searching
for a new position, you should supplement it with family members, friends,
co-workers and professional associates who can provide both emotional support
and networking help in locating new opportunities.
- Take care of yourself. Dealing with unexpected, unwelcome change is both
emotionally taxing and physically draining. However, you'll only compound the
problem by eating wrong, sleeping too little, drinking too much or, worst of
all, relying on drugs to pick you up.
Post a Comment
To post a comment, you must provide a name and a valid e-mail address. Messages must be limited to 400 words. By using this Service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Government Executive does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.