Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Helped One Parent Land a Contract Role
Transcript
- Lucas: So we get a lot of questions from parents who've been out of the workforce for a few years and feel like the only path back is a full-time salaried role. And I think that's a real blind spot. Luna: Yeah, because there is this whole other lane that's really well suited to the situation — contract or project-based work. Lucas: Exactly. And I want to anchor today on a specific case. A woman named Priya — former marketing manager at a midsize B2B SaaS company. She took three years off after her second kid. When she started looking to return, she applied to maybe thirty full-time roles over four months. Not a single interview. Luna: Ouch. That's brutal. And super common. Lucas: Right. So she pivoted. She started going after six-month contract roles. Within three weeks she had two offers. She took one with a Series B SaaS company doing product marketing. Six months later they converted her to full-time. Luna: I love that. And I think the reason it worked is that the hiring bar for a contract role is just different. Companies are willing to take more of a chance. Lucas: Absolutely. When you hire a full-time employee, you're making a long-term bet. You're committing to salary, benefits, severance risk — the whole package. But a contract role? They're buying a specific outcome. They care less about your linear career path and more about 'can you do this project right now?' Luna: And for a parent re-entering, that lower risk threshold is a huge advantage. Your gap matters a lot less when the scope is limited. Lucas: Priya told me something that stuck with me. She said in her full-time interviews, she kept getting asked about the three-year gap. Like, it was this elephant in the room. But in the contract interviews, not a single person brought it up. They asked about her experience with campaign launches and analytics tools. Luna: That makes sense. The hiring manager for a contract role is often a team lead who just needs someone to execute. They're less invested in the whole 'career narrative' thing. Lucas: Exactly. So let's talk about the practical side. How do you find these roles? Priya used three channels: LinkedIn — but she filtered by 'contract' and 'temporary' — a staffing agency that specializes in marketing, and a Slack community for women in SaaS. Luna: Oh the Slack community piece is smart. I know a lot of these industry-specific communities have job boards or #hiring channels. And the signal is so much better than a cold application. Lucas: Right. In fact, Priya's actual offer came through a referral in that Slack group. Someone posted 'need a product marketing contractor for six months, starting next week.' She DM'd them within an hour. Luna: That speed matters too. Contract roles often have a shorter hiring cycle. Companies need someone now, not in three months after four rounds of interviews. Lucas: Exactly. And that plays to the strength of a parent who's been out. You're probably more flexible on start date. You're not giving notice at a current job. You can say 'I can start Monday.' Luna: That's such a good point. Full-time candidates often have a two-week notice period. A returning parent can just say 'I'm ready.' Lucas: Okay, so let's talk about the resume and interview strategy. How do you present yourself for a contract role specifically? Priya made two changes. First, she reframed her three-year gap not as a gap but as a period of freelance consulting. She had done a couple of small projects for friends — a website copy refresh, a social media audit — and she listed that as 'Marketing Consultant, Self-Employed.' Luna: That's a classic move, and it works because it's honest. She wasn't fabricating anything. She just presented it professionally. Lucas: Right. The second change was that she led with her project portfolio. She created a one-page PDF with three case studies from her pre-gap job. Campaign results, metrics, before and after. That became the centerpiece of her application. Luna: And for contract roles, that's gold. They want to see that you can deliver a specific outcome. A portfolio does that way better than a chronological resume. Lucas: Yeah. So if you're a parent listening and you're thinking about re-entering, I'd say start by identifying your most transferable skill — the thing you did best before the gap. Then look for contract roles that specifically need that skill. Don't try to be a generalist. Luna: That's really good advice. And there are platforms that make this easier. Upwork, Toptal, even LinkedIn's project marketplace. But I think the best opportunities come through people. Lucas: Absolutely. And that brings me to something I want to underline. If today's episode was useful to you, especially if you're actively thinking about your return — one way to make sure we keep doing episodes like this, ad-free, is listener support. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to say 'this helped' and keep the conversation going. Luna: Yeah, we love making the show and hearing from people who've used these tips. So if you're able, that's the place. Lucas: Alright, back to contract strategies. Another thing Priya did that I think is underused: she proactively reached out to the hiring managers on LinkedIn — not with a generic connection request, but with a short note saying she was available for contract work and attached her portfolio. Luna: Did she get responses? Lucas: Yeah, about one in five. Some said they weren't hiring, but a couple said 'we don't have a role right now but I'll keep you in mind.' One of those turned into a referral six months later. Luna: That's a numbers game, but it works. And it's so much more efficient than just applying online. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing about rates. Priya initially undervalued herself. She thought since she'd been out for three years, she should charge less. But her first contract paid her the equivalent of a full-time salary — about ninety-five thousand annualized — because the company was paying for speed and expertise, not for her recent employment history. Luna: I think that's a key takeaway. Don't discount yourself. The market rate for a contract role is often higher than a salaried equivalent because you're covering your own benefits and taxes. So if anything, you should charge a premium. Lucas: Right. And if you're nervous about negotiating, remember that the company has already budgeted for this contract. They're not going to lowball you the same way they might with a full-time hire. The range is usually set. Luna: So let's talk about the conversion — because that's the endgame for a lot of people. How do you turn a contract into a full-time offer? Lucas: Priya's story again. She went in with the mindset of 'I'm going to prove I'm indispensable.' She overdelivered on the first project, documented everything, and made sure her manager knew she was open to staying. About four months in, her manager said the team was expanding and asked if she wanted to convert. Luna: And that's the beauty of the contract route. You get a try before you buy period. The company gets to see your work without committing. And you get to see if you actually like the culture. Lucas: Exactly. It de-risks the whole process for both sides. And for a returning parent, that's huge. You're not walking into a black box. You get to test the waters. Luna: One thing I'd add: if conversion is your goal, make sure you're clear about that from the start. Not in a pushy way, but you can say 'I'm open to extending if things go well.' Lucas: Good point. Priya actually mentioned it in her interview. She said 'I'm looking to get back in the game, and if this is a good fit, I'd love to explore a longer-term arrangement.' That set the expectation. Luna: Alright, so let's say someone's listening and they're ready to start. What's the first step they should take this week? Lucas: Two things. One: update your LinkedIn headline to include 'available for contract work' and your core skill. Two: reach out to three former colleagues or managers — people who know your work — and ask if they know anyone hiring for contract roles. That's it. Do that this week. Luna: I'd add a third: look at five job descriptions for contract roles in your field and note the skills they ask for. If there's a gap, there are tons of free or cheap courses to fill it. Lucas: Great advice. And remember, the gap on your resume is not a liability. It's a story about priorities and timing. Companies that hire contractors care about what you can do now, not what you were doing three years ago. Luna: Exactly. So if you're a parent ready to return, don't overlook the contract route. It might be the fastest, lowest-stress way back in. Lucas: And if you've used this approach and have a story to share, we'd love to hear it. That's it for today. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. See you next time.