Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Can Help You Land a Government Job
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, when people think about re-entering the workforce after a career gap, they usually picture corporate jobs — tech, finance, consulting. But there's a whole other universe of employers that are often more welcoming of gaps, more structured in their hiring, and more mission-driven. Luna: You're talking about government, aren't you? Federal, state, local. Lucas: Exactly. And I think it's under-discussed. A 2025 report from the Partnership for Public Service found that 68 percent of federal agencies now explicitly say they value 'life experience' when evaluating mid-career applicants. That's up from 42 percent just five years ago. Luna: That's a huge shift. And it makes sense — government work often requires judgment, not just technical speed. But isn't the hiring process notoriously slow and confusing? Lucas: It used to be. And it still can be. But there's been real modernization. The same report showed that agencies using the new digital application platform — USA Staffing — cut their average screening time by 40 percent. We're talking from 80 days down to 48. Still not fast, but a lot more manageable. Luna: So what's the actual pathway for someone with a two-year or five-year gap? Where do they start? Lucas: Let me give you a concrete example. A woman named Jenna — I interviewed her for this — she'd been a stay-at-home parent for six years. Before that, she had a bachelor's in political science and three years in a nonprofit. She wanted back in, but tech and consulting were rejecting her outright. Luna: Classic story. Overqualified on paper, but the gap makes recruiters nervous. Lucas: Right. So she applied for a part-time internship with her city council — in Austin, Texas. It paid twenty dollars an hour, fifteen hours a week. She did policy research, attended public hearings, wrote memos. After eight months, a full-time policy analyst position opened up in the same office. She applied, and because she already knew the work and the people, she got it. Total time from application to offer: about fourteen months. Luna: That's not instant, but it's a real path. And she wasn't starting from zero — she had that internship bridge. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a formal mechanism for this at the federal level too. It's called Schedule A — it's a hiring authority that allows agencies to bypass the standard competitive process for certain applicants, including people with disabilities AND career changers who can demonstrate relevant life experience. It's not a secret handshake; it's literally a checkbox on USAJOBS. Luna: So a listener could go to USAJOBS and filter for positions that accept Schedule A applicants? Lucas: Yes. And here's the key: when you apply, you write a cover letter that explicitly addresses your career gap as a strength. Not apologetic. You frame it: 'During my six years away from full-time employment, I developed project management skills running household logistics, volunteer coordination for my kids' school, and budget management for a community garden.' That's real. Luna: I love that. It's not a gap — it's a different kind of work. And government hiring managers are trained to evaluate competencies, not just chronological resumes. Lucas: Exactly. The federal government uses something called competency-based interviewing. They ask behavioral questions about specific skills — communication, problem-solving, stakeholder management. They don't care if you learned those skills at a desk or in a PTA. They care that you can demonstrate them. Luna: So what about state and local? Jenna's story is a city council internship. Are there more formal programs? Lucas: Yes. California launched a 'returnship' pilot in 2024 for state agencies. It's a paid, 12-week program for people with career gaps of two years or more. They partnered with a nonprofit called Path Forward, which runs returnships in the private sector. The first cohort had 30 participants. 23 of them got full-time state jobs afterward. Luna: That's a 77 percent conversion rate. That's better than most corporate return to work programs I've seen. Lucas: And Texas started something similar in early 2026 — the 'Lone Star Returnship' — focused on health and human services roles. It's still small, but the model is spreading. There's also a growing number of 'mid-career internship' programs at the county level, especially in urban areas like King County in Washington and Cook County in Illinois. Luna: So what's the one thing a listener should do this week if they're intrigued by the government path? Lucas: Three things, actually. First, go to USAJOBS and search for the keywords 'career gap' or 'return to work' in the job description field. You'll be surprised — some agencies are now explicitly saying they welcome gap applicants. Second, find your local city or county government website and look for 'internship' or 'fellowship' opportunities for adults — they're often listed under 'human resources' or 'careers.' And third, reach out to one person who works in a government role you'd want. Do an informational interview. Ask them about the culture around career gaps. Government is a connected world — one conversation can open doors. Luna: And that informational interview is free. No application fee, no resume required upfront. Just a coffee chat. Lucas: Speaking of coffee — and I don't want to break the flow here — but this feels like a good moment to mention that the reason we can do episodes like this without ads or paywalls is that listeners who find value sometimes choose to support the show. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. If we've helped you think through a career move or decision, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's that simple, and it makes a real difference for us to keep doing this work. Luna: Yeah, and it's totally optional. We're not going anywhere either way. But it does help us invest in research and guest interviews, like the ones Lucas did for today's episode. Lucas: Right. Back to the practical stuff. So once you've done those three steps, I'd also suggest you tailor your federal resume differently than a corporate one. Government resumes can be longer — two to five pages — and they value detail. List specific accomplishments with numbers. For that community garden budget, write 'managed a $15,000 annual budget, coordinated 12 volunteers, and increased garden yield by 30 percent year-over-year.' Luna: That's the kind of concrete example that a competency-based interviewer would latch onto. So the process is different, but in some ways it's more fair for gap candidates. Lucas: I think that's the real takeaway. The private sector has made progress on returnships, but government has a structural advantage: its hiring is designed to evaluate potential, not just pedigree. And for someone with a career gap, that can be a huge opportunity. Luna: I'd love to see more data on how many people actually land government jobs through these pathways. But for now, it's a clear, actionable option that too few people consider. Lucas: Agreed. And it's not just a fallback. It can be a first choice — mission-driven work, job security, good benefits, and a culture that increasingly says, 'We want your experience, gap and all.'