Leidos Resume Guide: Tips, Keywords & Examples (2026)

What It's Like to Work There

More agile and tech-forward than traditional defense primes. Feels like a large consulting firm with defense contracts. Strong focus on employee development and certifications. Work varies enormously by contract, so your experience depends heavily on which program you're on.

Resume Tips for Leidos

Leidos operates more like an IT services company than a traditional defense manufacturer. Highlight software development, cloud architecture, data analytics, and DevSecOps experience.

Show experience with federal health IT (VA, DHA, CMS) if targeting their health division. Leidos runs some of the largest government health IT programs.

Mention specific contract vehicles or government frameworks you've worked with (FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, RMF). Leidos lives in the federal compliance world.

If you have experience modernizing legacy government systems, emphasize it. Cloud migration and digital transformation for federal agencies is a huge part of their business.

Include certifications like AWS Solutions Architect, CISSP, PMP, or Security+. Leidos values these for contract compliance.

Quantify cost savings, system uptime improvements, or user adoption metrics. Government clients care about mission outcomes.

Hiring Process

Online application, then recruiter screen (often within a week)

Technical phone interview with the hiring manager

Virtual or onsite panel with 2-4 interviews, usually shorter than prime defense contractors

Background check and security clearance processing for most roles

Interview Style

Interviews feel more like tech consulting than defense: cloud architecture discussions, coding assessments for dev roles, and scenario-based questions about federal IT challenges. Behavioral rounds focus on customer management and adaptability.