Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / Returning as a Financial Advisor After a Career Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: You know, we've covered a lot of career comebacks on this show, but I don't think we've done one that involved a seven-year gap and then landing a job as a financial advisor. So let's talk about Priya Sharma. Luna: Priya. Yeah, I remember her story from a networking event we did last spring. She told me she'd been a stay-at-home mom for seven years, and now she's advising clients at a regional wealth management firm. Lucas: Right. And the thing that struck me wasn't just that she got back in, but how she did it. She didn't just dust off her resume and hit apply. She treated her comeback like a strategic project, and she used a handful of very concrete moves. Luna: Like what? I mean, the obvious hurdle is the gap itself. How do you even get past the resume screen? Lucas: Well, first, she reframed the gap. Instead of 'career break,' she described her caregiving years as 'family operations management' on her LinkedIn profile. But more importantly, she didn't let that be the headline. She led with her credentials and a recent certification. Luna: The CFP? She told me she passed the CFP exam during her second year at home. That takes serious discipline. Lucas: Exactly. She had a background in finance before the kids, but she knew that a seven-year gap meant she needed to prove her skills were current. So she studied for the Certified Financial Planner exam while her kids were in preschool. That's a massive commitment. And it gave her a credential that's respected and, frankly, rare among advisors. Luna: So she had the paper. But how did she actually land the job? I remember she told me she used a returnship program, but I didn't get the details. Lucas: That's the second move. She applied to a structured returnship at a mid-size firm, not just a regular job posting. These are programs designed specifically for people re-entering the workforce after a long break. They're like internships for experienced professionals, usually six to twelve months, with a possible permanent role at the end. Luna: And they're becoming more common in finance, right? I've seen them at big banks and a few advisory firms. Lucas: Yeah, and that's a trend worth noting. A lot of firms realized they were losing talented women—and some men—to caregiving, and returnships are a low-risk way to bring that experience back. Priya found one at a regional firm that was specifically looking for advisors with life experience. They actually saw her gap as an asset. Luna: How so? I mean, I guess older clients might relate to her, but it seems like a stretch. Lucas: Well, think about it. Her clients are mostly retirees and pre-retirees, many of whom are parents and grandparents. Priya had spent seven years managing a household budget, coordinating schedules, dealing with contractors, even navigating her father-in-law's long-term care. That's not nothing. In fact, it's a lot like what her clients deal with. She told me that during her returnship, she'd often be the one who understood the practical side of a client's cash flow problems, because she'd lived it. Luna: That's a good point. And it's not just soft skills. She had to learn new regulations and tech, though. How did she handle that? Lucas: She was honest with herself about what she didn't know. The returnship included a crash course on the firm's software and compliance procedures, but she also did her own homework. She took a couple of online courses on the latest tax law changes and the new fiduciary rules. She told me she spent about ten hours a week in the months before the returnship started just getting up to speed. Luna: So she walked in on day one feeling prepared, not like she was playing catch-up. Lucas: Exactly. And that confidence showed. By the end of the six-month returnship, she had a small book of clients and a job offer. But here's where it gets interesting—the salary negotiation. Luna: Oh, I love a good negotiation story. What happened? Lucas: The initial offer was for a full-time role at a salary that was about ten percent below what she'd been making before her gap, adjusted for inflation. But Priya didn't just accept it. She went back and made a counteroffer based on three things: the CFP credential, the fact that she'd already built client relationships during the returnship, and her willingness to work a four-day week. Luna: A four-day week? That's bold. Did they go for it? Lucas: They did, and this is the key part. She proposed a four-day week at 80 percent of a full-time salary, but she argued that she could produce 90 percent of the output in those four days because she'd be more focused. She had data to back it up from her returnship performance. The firm agreed to a pilot for six months. And when the pilot ended, they offered her a permanent four-day week at 85 percent of full-time salary, which actually worked out to be about fifteen percent above the original offer on a per-day basis. Luna: So she got a better rate, and the firm got a happy, productive advisor. That's a win-win. But it wasn't just about the negotiation, right? She had to network too. Lucas: Right. She didn't rely on the returnship alone. She also rekindled relationships with former colleagues and professors. She attended local financial planning association meetings, and she even volunteered to do a few pro-bono financial literacy workshops at her kids' school. That got her face in front of the community and showed she was serious about the profession. Luna: It's like she built a comeback strategy that was equal parts credential, program, and networking. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the blueprint we can talk about today. Whether you're in finance or any other field, there are three pillars: refresh your skills, find a structured pathway or at least create your own, and don't be afraid to negotiate for the schedule you want. Luna: Before we go deeper into that, I have to say something about this show. You know, we've done a hundred and fifty-five episodes now, and we've never run a single ad. That's a deliberate choice. We want these conversations to be as useful as possible, without any sponsor pushing a product in the middle. Lucas: Yeah, and that means we rely on listeners who find value in what we do. If you've ever gotten something out of an episode, or shared it with a friend who was struggling with their own career decision, that's exactly why we keep going. And if you want to support that, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep this thing ad-free. Luna: Yeah, and no pressure at all. But it does help us keep the lights on, so to speak. Lucas: Alright, back to Priya. So the three pillars. Let's break down the first one: refreshing your skills. What does that actually look like for someone who's been out of the game for a few years? Luna: I think it's about identifying the one or two credentials or skills that are non-negotiable in your field, and going after them hard. Like Priya did with the CFP. But it's also about staying current with industry news, maybe taking a LinkedIn Learning course, or even just reading the trade publications. Lucas: Right. And it's not just about the hard skills. It's about confidence. When you've been out of the workforce for a while, you can feel like you're behind. But if you've invested in a certification, you walk into an interview with proof that you're serious. Luna: And that leads to the second pillar: finding a structured pathway. Returnships are great, but not every industry has them. What do you do if you're in a field where they don't exist? Lucas: You create your own. Priya could have just applied to jobs, but she researched the firm and found that they had a diversity initiative that included returnships. She pitched them on why they should start one, and she was their first returner. That's a bold move, but it worked. You can also look for internships, volunteer work, or freelance gigs that give you a foot in the door. Luna: So it's about showing initiative and not waiting for the perfect opportunity to appear. Lucas: Exactly. And the third pillar is the negotiation. Priya didn't just accept the first offer. She knew her worth and she made a case based on data. That's something anyone can do, whether you're asking for a different schedule, a higher salary, or more remote work. Luna: I think the four-day week is a great example. She didn't ask for a favor; she made a business case. That's the difference between a negotiation and a request. Lucas: Right. And that kind of approach is especially important for people returning after a gap, because there can be a tendency to feel grateful just to have an offer. But if you undersell yourself, you're not doing anyone any favors, least of all your future self. Luna: So, for someone listening who's thinking about their own comeback, what's the first step? Should they sign up for a certification or start networking? Lucas: I'd say start by taking an honest inventory of your skills and your goals. Identify that one credential or skill that would make you undeniably current in your field, and then make a plan to get it. In parallel, start reconnecting with people in your industry. You don't have to ask for a job right away. Just ask for informational interviews. That's how Priya found out about the returnship in the first place. Luna: And don't underestimate the power of telling your story in a way that's honest but also highlights the transferable skills you gained during your break. Priya didn't hide the gap; she owned it and reframed it. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing: be patient. Priya's comeback took almost a year from the time she decided to go back to work until she started the returnship. It's a marathon, not a sprint. But with the right strategy, it's absolutely doable. Luna: And if you want to hear more about returnships or specific certification paths, we can dig into that in a future episode. But for now, I think the takeaway is clear. Lucas: Yeah. Reframe, refresh, find a pathway, and negotiate. That's how you make a comeback.