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In recent weeks, the headlines have rarely strayed far from news of cuts and changes in the public sector. Although much of this has yet to be implemented, what's clear is that there is likely to be a large number of job losses in the sector. With fewer employment opportunities it's inevitable that many employees, some of whom will have remained in the public sector for much of their working lives, will be looking to make the switch to the private sector. But with competition for vacancies fierce, ex-public sector employees will need a clear understanding of what employers in the commercial world are looking for and how they can make themselves standout as potential new recruits. Hays recently undertook research among employers and candidates from both sectors, which identified a number of issues in this area. Over 90% of employers go as far as to say that public sector experience is 'not very important' or 'not important at all' when recruiting. This may come as a surprise to the third of workers who believe their public sector background actually puts them at an advantage in the job hunt. This is largely symptomatic, and the real problem is that private sector employers often struggle to accurately assess candidates coming from the public sector; the vast majority of those we spoke to said candidates need to better convey their skills and experience. This can be difficult, as job titles between the two sectors vary greatly (over half of employers said they struggled with this). Attractive To make themselves as attractive as possible to employers, ex-public sector workers should be prepared to clearly demonstrate how their work and experience relates to the private sector. They should also focus on transferable skills and competencies, rather than listing duties and skills, which might appear to be specific to the public sector. The variety of employers in the private sector, in terms of sector and type of organisation, is huge. Candidates should decide where their skill set is best suited to add value. Contrary to stereotypes, public sector workers have a lot to offer the private sector; senior executives will be used to managing on a large scale, and IT workers may be supporting many thousands of users. These type of skills will be recognised and highly valued by the private sector if positioned correctly. Employers also told us that candidates fail to show a strong sense of commercial acumen. Many public sector organisations focus on service delivery, whereas in the private sector organisations the emphasis is on the bottom line. Being able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the commercial environment and markets a company operates in will increase their attractiveness. There is also a critical role for public sector organisations making redundancies to play. It is a distressing experience for any employee. If employers provide practical and emotional support to workers they are making redundant, those staff will be better placed to find new opportunities. Both sectors still have somewhat stereotypical views of the other. But jobseekers moving from the public to the private sector need to show they fully understand the similarities and differences, so they can demonstrate how their skill set will add value. Andy Robling is public services director at recruitment specialist Hays