Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How to Use AI Tools to Bridge a Career Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've been out of the workforce for a few years, and you're ready to get back in. One of the biggest worries I hear from people in that boat is that their skills have gone stale. And the conventional advice is to take a course, get a certification, maybe volunteer — all good stuff. But there's a tool that a lot of returning professionals are sleeping on, and it's right there on their laptop. Luna: Let me guess — we're talking about AI. Lucas: Exactly. And I don't mean 'learn AI' as in become a machine learning engineer. I mean using AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or even the free versions of Copilot to actively practice the skills you already have and learn new ones on the fly. Think of it as a personal tutor that never judges you for asking a dumb question. Luna: I love that framing. Because the fear of being rusty is real. You might have been a great marketing manager five years ago, but now you're not sure if you can still write a campaign brief. Lucas: Right. So here's a concrete example. I talked to a woman named Priya — former marketing manager, took six years off to raise twins. When she decided to go back, she was terrified of the interview. She hadn't touched digital advertising in half a decade. So she spent two weeks using ChatGPT to generate mock campaign briefs. She'd say, 'Pretend I'm launching a sustainable sneaker brand. Give me a Facebook ad campaign with three audience segments and a budget of fifty thousand dollars.' And the AI would spit something out. She'd critique it, refine it, ask for alternatives. Luna: That's brilliant. She's not just passively reading — she's actively practicing the muscle of strategic thinking. Lucas: And when she got into the actual interview, she could talk about campaign structures, audience targeting, budget allocation — all in present tense. She wasn't referencing something she did in 2019. She was demonstrating skills she used last week. That's a huge confidence boost. Luna: And it's completely free. The basic version of ChatGPT costs nothing. You don't need to sign up for a five-hundred-dollar course to get that practice. Lucas: That's the key. A lot of returning professionals think they need to spend money to prove they're serious. But the barrier to entry for AI tools is basically zero. You just need curiosity and a bit of time. Luna: Okay, so let's talk about skill-building more broadly. Say you were in a completely non-technical field — like HR or teaching — and now you want to pivot into something with more data. Can AI help you learn from scratch? Lucas: Absolutely. There's a growing library of AI tutoring tools. For example, Khan Academy's Khanmigo — that's an AI tutor that walks you through concepts step by step. Or you can use ChatGPT to learn basic Python by asking it to explain a concept, then give you a tiny exercise, then check your answer. It's like having a patient friend who's always available. Luna: And you can go at your own pace, which is huge for someone who's juggling childcare or a part-time job while trying to re-enter. Lucas: Exactly. I spoke to a dad named Tom who took five years off to be a primary caregiver. He wanted to move from administrative work into data analytics. He used a combination of free YouTube tutorials and ChatGPT to learn SQL. He'd ask the AI to generate practice datasets and quiz him on queries. Within three months he was confident enough to put 'intermediate SQL' on his resume. And he got a job as a data analyst at a nonprofit. Luna: Three months from zero to hire. That's faster than most certificate programs. Lucas: And it cost him exactly zero dollars. The certificates can help, don't get me wrong. But if you're on a tight budget — which many returners are — AI is a legitimate path. Luna: Let's talk about resume optimization. A lot of returners struggle to frame their gap years. How can AI help there? Lucas: One of the simplest things is to paste your old resume into ChatGPT and say, 'Rewrite this for a return to work candidate. Highlight transferable skills from caregiving or volunteering. Use action verbs and quantify results where possible.' The AI will give you three or four versions. You pick the best parts and blend them. It's like having a career coach on demand. Luna: And you can also ask it to tailor your resume to a specific job description. That's a huge time-saver. Lucas: Exactly. You copy the job description in, paste your resume, and say, 'Identify gaps and suggest edits to make me a stronger candidate for this role.' The AI will flag keywords you're missing and suggest ways to reframe your experience. It's not magic — you still need to do the work — but it speeds up the process enormously. Luna: I want to push back a little, though. Some people worry that using AI for job applications is cheating or that it will make them look inauthentic. Lucas: That's a fair concern. But here's how I think about it: AI is a tool, like a spell-checker or a calculator. Nobody says using a spell-checker makes you a bad writer. The key is to use it for drafts and ideas, not to copy-paste something you haven't even read. You should always customize the output to reflect your actual experience and voice. Luna: So it's a starting point, not a final product. Lucas: Right. And honestly, if you're returning after a gap, you need every advantage you can get. The job market is competitive. Using AI to level the playing field is smart, not shady. Luna: Let's pivot to interview prep. How can someone use AI to practice for interviews? Lucas: There are dedicated tools like Yoodli or Interview Warmup by Google, but even basic ChatGPT works. You can say, 'Act as a hiring manager for a project manager role at a tech company. Ask me five behavioral interview questions and then give me feedback on my answers.' Then you actually speak your answers out loud — not just type them — because verbal delivery matters. Luna: That's a great tip. A lot of returners haven't been in a formal interview setting in years. Just the practice of articulating your thoughts under pressure can make a huge difference. Lucas: And the AI won't judge you if you stumble. You can restart as many times as you want. It's low-stakes practice that builds real confidence. Luna: I also want to mention that AI can help with the 'elephant in the room' — explaining the gap itself. A lot of returners freeze when asked, 'So what have you been doing?' Lucas: Yes! You can ask ChatGPT to help you craft a concise, positive narrative. Say, 'I took five years off to care for my aging parents. Help me write a one-sentence explanation that focuses on the skills I developed, like time management, advocacy, and problem-solving.' The AI will generate a few options. You choose the one that feels most comfortable and natural to you. Luna: And you can practice saying it out loud to the AI. That's something a lot of people overlook — the power of repetition. Lucas: Exactly. By the time you're in the real interview, you've said that line twenty times. It comes out smooth and confident, not rehearsed. Luna: Okay, so we've covered skill-building, resume, interviews. Is there anything else AI can help with for returners? Lucas: Networking. I know it's not the same as a real conversation, but you can use AI to draft outreach messages. Say you want to connect with someone on LinkedIn. You can paste their profile into ChatGPT and say, 'Write a polite, concise message asking for a fifteen-minute informational interview. Mention that I admire their career transition from finance to nonprofit.' The AI generates a draft, you tweak it, and you send it. It lowers the activation energy. Luna: I can see how that would help someone who's anxious about reaching out. It gives you a template to start from. Lucas: And you can even ask the AI to suggest which people to target based on your background. It's not perfect, but it's a way to get unstuck. Luna: One concern I hear a lot is that AI is going to replace jobs, especially in fields like writing or customer service. Does it make sense for returners to invest time in AI if the technology itself might eliminate the roles they're aiming for? Lucas: That's a smart question. The short answer is that AI is more likely to augment jobs than replace them entirely — at least in the near term. And the people who thrive will be the ones who know how to use AI as a tool. So learning to work with AI is actually a hedge against being displaced. It's like learning to use spreadsheets in the 1990s. Luna: So you're saying that AI literacy is becoming a baseline skill, not a differentiator. Lucas: Exactly. Employers are already starting to expect that candidates can use AI to be more productive. If you can say in an interview, 'I used AI tools to streamline my workflow in my previous role,' that's a plus. And if you're returning after a gap, that shows you're proactive and current. Luna: I want to bring up one more angle — the emotional side. A lot of returners struggle with imposter syndrome. They feel like they're behind. Does AI help with that? Lucas: It can, if you use it right. When Priya — the marketing manager — started using ChatGPT to generate campaign briefs, she said it made her feel like she was back in the game. The AI didn't know she'd been away. It treated her like a professional. That might sound trivial, but for someone who's been out of the workforce for years, it's incredibly validating. Luna: It's like a low-stakes way to prove to yourself that you still have the skills. Lucas: Exactly. And that confidence carries into every part of the job search. So if you're listening and you're thinking about returning to work, I'd say: pick one AI tool, spend fifteen minutes a day on it, and see where it takes you. Luna: Before we wrap up, I want to say something about the show itself. You know, we keep this podcast ad-free, and we do that because we want it to be a resource that anyone can access, especially people who are in transition and might not have a lot of extra money. If you've found this episode helpful, or any of our previous episodes, and you'd like to support the show, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep this going for others. Lucas: And we really appreciate it. It's listener support that keeps us independent and focused on practical advice, not sponsors. So thank you if you've ever chipped in. Luna: Alright, let's get back to it. One last question, Lucas: what's the single biggest mistake you see returners make when it comes to AI? Lucas: Thinking that AI will do the work for them. You still have to put in the effort. The AI is a collaborator, not a substitute. If you just copy-paste without thinking, it shows. But if you use it as a springboard for your own ideas, it's incredibly powerful. Luna: So treat it like a brainstorming partner, not a ghostwriter. Lucas: Exactly. And start small. You don't need to master every tool. Pick one — ChatGPT is the most accessible — and use it for just one thing, like rewriting a resume bullet point. Once you see how easy it is, you'll be motivated to try more. Luna: Good advice. For anyone listening, we've linked a few free resources in the show notes, including a prompt guide for returners. Thanks for joining us. Lucas: Yeah, thanks for being here. And remember — your gap doesn't define you. It's just a chapter. The next one is yours to write.