Help wanted: Former federal workers are looking for advice and leads as they return to a competitive job market in Maryland.

About 10% of the state’s workforce, representing about 325,000 people, were directly employed by the federal government last year. President Donald Trump’s efforts to dramatically scale back the size of the government in recent weeks has hit the state hard.

In the wake of the layoffs, some jurisdictions such as Howard County, where an estimated 50,000 federal workers live, are hosting job fairs to support federal workers and connect them with companies that are hiring and other resources.

About 600 people attended one county-sponsored event in February, and interest in such events appears to be growing. More than 1,100 people registered to attend another job fair Tuesday evening at Howard Community College.

Local leaders are promising more events like this in the future. Meanwhile, here’s some advice directly from the career counselors and employers who want to help.

Don’t panic

There’s a frenzied energy among federal workers coming to Liz Brooks and Colleen Garrett for career coaching.

“It feels like the ‘Hunger Games,‘” Brooks said.

The two former Department of Defense employees leaned on their personal experiences in pivoting to the private sector when speaking one-on-one with former federal workers Tuesday evening.

People are understandably worried about entering a crowded job market, Brooks said. She likes to remind them to start with a deep breath.

“Don’t beat yourself (up),” she said. “Take a break, get centered and find your peace.”

Some workers may panic and feel the need to blast their resumes out to every job opening they can find, Garrett said. Instead, she suggested job hunters take some time to think about what they really want.

Both counselors suggested contacting a headhunter or assembling a group of people facing similar circumstances to work together. The latter approach is particularly effective for people who want help with proofreading application materials and generating ideas for finding job opportunities, they said.

Revamp that resume

Federal resumes tend to run long compared to those in the private sector. Very long.

Some federal workers in recent months have described the exercise of condensing their resume from six pages to two as “painful.”

Employers in the private sector don’t need to know every single detail of an applicant’s career. Instead, Garrett suggested that former federal employees focus on describing their work in terms of impact.

Use metrics to quantify and contextualize accomplishments, Garrett said.

Language is equally important in a resume, Brooks said. When she transitioned out of federal employment, she discovered that not everyone understood what a chief of staff did, nor did they know what certain acronyms stood for.

A good trick for converting a federal resume to the private sector is to ask multiple people to read it. Make sure at least one person has no idea what you did for work to make sure it’s easy to understand, Brooks said. Another option, Garrett said, is to use tools like ChatGPT.

Patience with the private sector

Some job hunters who stopped by Centennial Medical Group’s table Tuesday asked about pay scale or tried to lock down an interview right away.

“No one can give an answer on the spot,” said Erika Rauscher, director of physical therapy for the Centennial Medical Group. “Be open to a different way in the private sector.”

Rauscher said salaries often depend on an applicant’s experience and eventual duties, some of which may be tailored to their skillset. Generally speaking, there’s more negotiating power when it comes to pay in the private sector, but less transparency, she said.

Centennial is seeing a crush of qualified applicants with experience at the National Institutes of Health or the Food and Drug Administration. Rauscher said she likes to ask applicants what sets them apart from others by asking “Why you?”

Candidates should be prepared to move quickly when a job offer comes in, she said.

Consider all options

Not everyone feels ready to return to the job market.

The Howard County Economic Development Authority is also hearing from federal workers who are considering whether to go into business for themselves, said director Kierra Kimmie. That could mean pivoting to independent contracting, consulting or even starting a small business.

Some Maryland colleges and universities with tables at the job fair also fielded questions from federal workers about continuing education or certificate programs.

Lawrence Webb, an assistant director of admissions for Bowie State University, said some people are looking to sharpen certain skills to make them more marketable before a career change. Others perhaps never finished their studies and now have the time to do that, Webb said.

“We’re being a resource for folks looking for a way to possibly reinvent themselves,” he said.

Use free time wisely

One of Garrett’s favorite pieces of advice to applicants is to simply walk away.

The career counselor cautions against sinking enormous amounts of time into applying to jobs. Instead, spend a portion of the day with friends and family, or doing something else to unwind.

After all, job hunting is famously stressful.

“Take advantage of the time you have,” she said.