Read the seeking employment section of the Standards of Conduct before you starting looking for a job outside the government. This section lets you know whether or not you can continue to work on your government assignments while you look for a job. If you are not careful, you can break the rules and the law.  So, it is wise to know the rules before you begin your job search.  Of course, your ethics official is always there to help you understand the rules.   

5 C.F.R. § 2635.601 states:

[The seeking employment] subpart contains a disqualification requirement that applies to employees when seeking employment with persons whose financial interests would be directly and predictably affected by particular matters in which the employees participate personally and substantially. Specifically, it addresses the requirement of 18 U.S.C. 208(a) that an employee disqualify himself from participation in any particular matter that will have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of a person “with whom he is negotiating or has any arrangement concerning prospective employment.”… Beyond this statutory requirement, [the seeking employment subpart] also addresses the issues of lack of impartiality that require disqualification from particular matters affecting the financial interests of a prospective employer when an employee's actions in seeking employment fall short of actual employment negotiations.