In this episode, Host Christina Carter sits down with Al Vega, a recruiter specializing in the U.S. federal GovCon space, to unpack what’s really driving hiring decisions for capture and proposal professionals right now. Al explains why recruiting for proposal work is “hypothetical recruiting” (you’re often staffing teams before a contract exists) and how tools like letters of intent (LOIs) reduce risk for candidates. They dive into how AI is reshaping hiring—from the growing expectation that professionals understand how to use AI responsibly, to the emerging challenge of deepfakes in interviews.
Al also breaks down what actually separates one candidate from another when requirements are strict (think degree + years of experience), how to move from civilian agencies into DoD roles that often pay more, and the fastest ways to raise your earning potential, like clearances and certifications.
Finally, he shares LinkedIn and resume red flags, smart interview questions for job seekers, and a simple mindset shift that helps professionals stay competitive: adapt with the technology instead of avoiding it.
Host (Christina Carter) (00:08): Hey Stargazers. Today we’re talking with Al Vega, a recruiter in the U.S. federal GovCon space. We cover:
The top skill hiring managers and recruiters want in capture and proposal hires
What to do if you feel underleveled or underpaid
Common mistakes proposal and capture professionals make—especially on LinkedIn—that turn hiring managers off
Listen in if you’re looking for your next role, want to get paid better, or you’re curious where the GovCon job market is today. I’ll see you on the other side.
Guest (Al Vega) (00:58): Hi Chris, nice to be here. Thank you.
Host (01:00): I’d love to get a little more of your background for the audience. How did you get into what you’re doing now, and what’s the biggest misconception people have about your role?
Guest (01:15): My background is pretty diverse in talent attraction. I started in the staffing agency world—they teach you the ins and outs of recruiting. It’s a hustle. It’s a grind.
From there I moved into GovCon and started recruiting linguists—Afghan linguists—back in the early 2010s. That was hot back then, and it’s how I got into the GovCon world.
Later I moved into the proposal world. I was also a program manager for a large-scale Department of Defense program. So I’ve been involved in GovCon from a staffing perspective, strategic program management, proposal work, and active requisition recruiting.
One misconception—often internal—is that recruiters wave a magic wand and 50 ready-to-go candidates appear.
Host (02:27): When you’re recruiting proposal people specifically, what makes them unique compared to other GovCon roles?
Guest (02:36): In the proposal world, it’s almost “hypothetical recruiting,” because you’re recruiting for something that doesn’t exist yet. You’re trying to get someone interested before there’s an active requisition.
In small GovCons, there may not even be a recruiting team—the owner or VP might be recruiting. It takes rapport-building to say: we’re going after this proposal. If we win, would you join?
If the candidate needs education on it, you explain that they can sign an LOI—letter of intent—with multiple companies. There’s nothing preventing that. It’s often to their advantage to sign LOIs with more than one team, unless they don’t see a fit.
Host (03:56): That’s a big risk for a proposal person. If they sign with you and someone else wins, that’s not good for them.
Host (04:17): What feels different in the GovCon recruiting market right now compared to this time last year?
Guest (04:17): AI—how we use AI, or sometimes how AI uses us. In proposals and capture, there are new tools coming out constantly claiming to be the best.
AI has changed the landscape in a huge way, and it’s here to stay. The government is catching up, too. They can use tools to detect whether something is 100% AI-written and toss it.
Host (04:57): Does AI matter in proposal hiring right now? Are hiring managers looking for AI skills?
Guest (05:16): It depends by skill set, but for the majority—yes. You’ll use AI one way or another: market intel, writing an email, workflow automation, ideas to do your job better.
Even government agencies use it. DoD has its own internal “military ChatGPT.” Hiring managers want candidates to have at least basic AI knowledge—not using it like Google, but using it like an advisor to work better.
Host (06:14): That’s interesting. I interviewed a recruiter in the UK looking at Big Four firms like Deloitte, and they weren’t asking about AI at all. GovCon seems a step ahead.
Host (06:54): Are best practices from five years ago still best practices today?
Guest (06:54): In a weird way, things have taken a step back because of AI. Interviewers worry candidates might use deepfakes. People are using ChatGPT to do interviews for them, and it can be hard to tell what’s real.
Instead, use AI to train for interviews: interviewing skills, tips, dress code, and video setup. That’s using AI the right way.
Host (08:08): I can’t imagine being brave enough to do that in an interview.
Guest (09:00): Imagine getting caught. I saw it once. I got on a video call and you could tell—the guy wasn’t moving his neck. It was stiff. Five minutes in, I said, “Was that your dog barking?” They said no, but there was barking. I asked them to look behind them—and they couldn’t, because it was a deepfake.
Host (09:26): When hiring managers interview proposal people, what makes them say yes to one person over another?
Guest (09:43): GovCon is a different game because the government is specific. If a PWS says bachelor’s degree and four years of experience, that’s what they want. No “three and a half years.”
So it’s easier to make decisions because requirements are strict. If two people meet the same baseline, it comes down to industry experience and agency knowledge. If someone understands that agency better, the government will love that.
Host (10:53): If I see a role and don’t meet all criteria, should I skip it or apply anyway?
Guest (11:03): It depends. If you meet the hard requirements and you’re missing some “nice-to-haves,” still apply. Also show where your experience aligns.
For entry to mid-level roles, it can be worth it. For mid-to-senior, requirements tend to be stricter.
Host (11:46): People ask me this all the time: If I’m responding to RFPs or frameworks in civilian agencies and want to move to DoD because it pays better, what do I do?
Guest (12:06): The willingness to “eat trash” for a year or two—Gary Vee says it that way. If you’re at a certain level in civilian but want DoD, you might need to drop to a junior analyst role in a place like the National Guard Bureau—somewhere you can get in without the highest level of experience.
If you’re making $80K, you might drop to $65K for a year or two—but you’re playing the long game.
Host (12:56): It’s hard to take a cut “just in case.”
Guest (12:59): Totally depends on your situation—family bills, etc. But if you’re solo, it can open doors.
Host (14:03): Beyond AI, what skills or experiences push salaries up in GovCon?
Guest (14:07): Number one is security clearance. Also certifications—especially keeping them up to date and gaining new ones. The government loves certifications.
Clearance is harder because you have to be on a program to get it, but that’s where relationships matter. Talk with your GovCon representative and express interest in programs that require clearance. It shows you’re open to shifting for career progression.
Host (15:43): Proposal pros often seem timid about expressing what they want—moving up, changing roles, negotiating. Have you seen that?
Guest (16:04): Yes. A lot of folks stay in roles 10–15+ years and get comfortable. They fear speaking up.
But the culture is changing—especially with younger generations. You see younger GovCon CEOs posting in jeans or even at the beach about contracts and partnerships. That didn’t happen before. Now people are more willing to talk about career progression and make shifts.
Host (17:13): Is there something people think will help them level up—but isn’t actually that useful?
Guest (17:32): Not adapting. Especially refusing AI: “I want the human touch.” That’s great—but your competitor will use AI and likely create a better response, if used correctly.
It’s “adapt or die”—not literally, but you can become a dinosaur in the industry. I was skeptical early on too, but once you open your mind, you realize it’s beneficial.
Host (18:52): Let’s say I’m employed, I’ve been in my role a while, and I feel underpaid or underleveled. What smart moves can I make?
Guest (19:21): Be vocal—but also be open-minded. Consider going corporate.
I lived this: I was a program manager on a DoD program, then went back to corporate. That gave me insight into what the agency wanted, the relationships, and the customer challenges. That knowledge helped us win a recompete.
If you’ve been on site, you can move into corporate BD, capture, proposal management, or writing, and bring real customer insight—not guessing.
Host (20:54): People in corporate fear GovCon, and GovCon fears corporate. But the skills transfer.
Guest (21:00): It’s fear of the unknown. But if you stay open, it can accelerate your career. I started as a low-level analyst and moved to project manager in three months, program manager in six months. Being willing to take a step down temporarily can open doors.
Host (21:39): You see thousands of resumes and LinkedIn profiles. What makes hiring managers or recruiters not want to put someone forward?
Guest (21:55): I try not to judge too much off LinkedIn alone. But personal branding is huge right now. If your profile has only your name and a title, no context, it’s harder—though I still look at the resume.
There are exceptions, like someone with a high-level clearance—maybe they shouldn’t post much. But for most people without that constraint, being visible matters. Hiring managers and even the government look at social profiles, company LinkedIn pages, websites—everything.
Host (23:12): Are there mistakes that turn people off?
Guest (23:26): Two big ones:
Posting things that aren’t appropriate for LinkedIn
Not keeping your profile up to date—especially when the resume says one thing and LinkedIn says another
The #1 mistake I see is outdated profiles.
Host (24:11): For people actively job hunting, what questions should they ask to avoid landing in a bad situation?
Guest (24:12): Candidates should ask questions. Three that help:
What’s the hiring timeline? (Shows urgency and helps you plan.)
How do I line up with the requirements? How do you view me against what you need? (A good hiring manager/recruiter should answer transparently.)
How do you see this role evolving over the next two to three years? (In GovCon, contracts shift often, so this reveals whether it’s long-term or short-term.)
Host (25:38): What questions should I ask as a hiring manager to make sure I hire someone who will succeed?
Guest (25:49): Behavioral interviewing matters, in addition to technical questions.
Sell the good—but also share the bad and the ugly: long commute, on site four days a week, 25% travel, etc. Then let the candidate “sell themselves” back in or out. Watch their reactions and listen carefully.
Also, follow up. Don’t ask a question, get an answer, and move on. Listen and dig in.
Host (27:08): Nothing’s worse than hiring someone who hates one part of the role that could have been disclosed.
Guest (27:17): Exactly. They leave 30–60 days in because of one detail missed in the interview.
Host (27:28): Are there capture or proposal roles that will be hard to hire for—or skill sets that will be tougher in the next couple years?
Guest (27:53): Some roles won’t go away, but responsibilities may diminish depending on how we use AI.
Proposal writers won’t disappear. AI can generate a whole proposal, but government can detect 100% AI-written responses. The role evolves: using AI to assist writing, not replacing you.
More human-centric roles—BD, relationship-building, capture—aren’t going away. Relationships still matter.
Host (29:10): If I’m a writer worried about my job, how can I position myself now?
Guest (29:25): Don’t fear the technology. AI won’t take your job unless you let it by not adapting.
Look for AI certifications: AI ethics, prompt engineering, writing-focused AI. Understand how it works. The human makes AI work, not the other way around.
Use AI like an assistant writer—an intern handling mundane tasks—so you can focus on higher-value work.
Host (30:31): Any blanket advice for hiring managers and proposal folks looking for their next role?
Guest (30:40): Open-mindedness. Learn the technology and use it to your advantage. That’s true for any role going forward.
Host (31:35): Even 10 minutes a day helps—get a newsletter, track the changes, understand how models are evolving.
Guest (31:41): Exactly. Learn tools beyond ChatGPT—like Perplexity—and understand what each does well.
Host (32:02): If I’m a hiring manager or a proposal person looking for a role, how can I get in touch?
Guest (32:15):
LinkedIn is the easiest way. I check my messages and respond.
Host (32:33): We’ll have that linked below. Thank you so much—this was a wonderful conversation.
Guest (33:01): Very interesting time in GovCon—fascinating.
Host (33:06): I feel like I can’t keep up, and I’m trying to.
Guest (33:08): Same—I check multiple websites and newsletters. You’ve got to look broadly and make an educated guess.
Host (33:23): Thank you again for being on the podcast.
Guest (33:26): Awesome—thank you too. I appreciate you.
Host (33:32): That was a wrap for our conversation with Al. If you’re hiring for these roles, reach out to him. If you’re looking for a new role, reach out—he can help you find the right company.
If you found this valuable, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone else in GovCon who’s looking for their next role. I’ll see you next week with a new conversation. Speak soon, everybody.
Want more episodes like this?
Listen to the full audio/video version of the podcast, and join the community for weekly GovCon career and proposal insights.
✸ Website (shortlist tools + vendor profiles): https://stargazy.io/ ✸ Community to join the conversation: https://stargazy.circle.so/join?invitation_token=0856b517503bca21eecbae1d058313543675481b-28d54c10-c886-4708-8b3b-ffd62cd3c935 ✸ Newsletter: https://the-stargazy-brief.beehiiv.com/ ✸ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stargazyproposals/
✸ Al Vega on LinkedIn: / vegarecruits