Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / Returning to Work as a Compliance Officer After a Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's a stat that keeps coming up in the return to work space: people who step away from the workforce for more than two years are, on average, less likely to land a role that matches their previous seniority. But today's story is about someone who beat that odds — a woman who came back after seven years as a stay-at-home parent, straight into a compliance officer role at a regional bank. Luna: Seven years is a long time. I'm curious how she pulled it off. Lucas: Her name's Meera, and before the gap she'd spent about five years as a banking analyst, mostly doing data reviews and anti-money-laundering checks. Nothing flashy, but she knew the regulatory landscape. When she left to raise twins, she didn't completely unplug — she kept up with industry newsletters, and she did a couple of online courses in financial regulations. Not for a certificate, just to stay fluent. Luna: That fluency thing — it's so easy to let that slide. I've talked to returners who say the hardest part isn't the technical stuff, it's just feeling current again. Lucas: Right, and Meera found that when she started applying, her biggest hurdle wasn't her knowledge — it was the gap itself. She sent out maybe thirty applications, heard back from three, and one of those was a polite 'we went with someone else.' The bank that finally hired her, a mid-sized regional based in the Midwest, took a chance on her because she reframed how she talked about her time off. Luna: How did she frame it? Because 'I was raising kids' doesn't scream compliance. Lucas: She treated it as a management role. She ran the household — budget, scheduling, coordinating with vendors and doctors. She pointed out that she was already doing risk assessment every day. That resonated with the hiring manager, who later told her it was the first time a returner had presented caregiving as relevant to compliance rather than apologizing for it. Luna: That's a smart reframe. So what did she actually do in the first few months on the job? Lucas: She had to hit the ground running. The bank was gearing up for a new consumer lending product, and they needed someone to review the marketing materials against state and federal rules. Meera's first project was a deep dive into the Truth in Lending Act — she had to check every APR disclosure, every fee table. It was tedious, but she loved it. She told me, 'I'm basically proofreading for consumer protection.' Luna: That's a great way to describe it. Compliance is a lot of detail work, but it's detail work with a moral core. Lucas: Exactly. And what helped her succeed was she didn't try to hide the gap. On her resume, she put 'Career break — full-time parent' with a bullet point that said 'Managed household operations and budget.' No apologies, no long explanation. In interviews, she'd say, 'I stepped away to raise my kids, and I used that time to stay current on regulations.' That honesty, combined with her willingness to ramp up quickly, made the difference. Luna: So what's the takeaway for someone who's been out of the workforce for a few years and is looking at compliance or any regulated field? Lucas: First, don't underestimate the value of your prior experience. If you were in banking, finance, or even operations, you have a head start. Second, invest in a refresher — even a free online course can show you're serious. And third, practice telling your story in a way that connects your time away to the job, not in spite of it. Meera's story proves it can work. Lucas: And that's the kind of thing we get to talk about every week on this show. We're lucky to have a platform where we can share these stories without any ads getting in the way. Luna: Yeah, we keep it ad-free on purpose. If our episodes have ever helped you think through a career move, you can support that choice at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's just a simple way to keep this going. Lucas: No pressure, but it does make a difference. Now back to Meera — she also mentioned something that surprised her about the return process. Luna: What was that? Lucas: Networking. She assumed her old contacts had moved on or wouldn't remember her. But she reached out to a former colleague who had become a compliance manager at another bank, and that person gave her a few insider tips on which firms were hiring returners. That's how she found the regional bank opening — it wasn't even posted publicly yet. Luna: So it's not just what you know, it's who you've kept in touch with. Even a casual coffee chat can open doors. Lucas: Exactly. And Meera kept it low-key — no hard ask, just 'Hey, I'm thinking about coming back, what's the landscape like?' That approach made people want to help. Luna: I love that. It's so much better than firing off applications into a void. Lucas: Right. She also took advantage of a return to work program at a different bank — not the one she ended up at, but it gave her access to a mentor and a refresher course on financial regulations. That program wasn't a guarantee of a job, but it rebuilt her confidence and gave her something current to put on her resume. Luna: So for someone listening who's thinking about compliance, what's the first step they should take this week? Lucas: I'd say look up a few compliance jobs on LinkedIn and just read the qualifications. You'll probably find that your past experience covers more than you think. Then pick one skill you're missing — like a specific regulation or a software tool — and find a free crash course. It doesn't have to be a degree; it just has to show you're serious. Luna: That's actionable. And Meera's story is a great reminder that the gap doesn't have to be a red flag—it can be a selling point if you frame it right. Lucas: Absolutely. She's been in the role for six months now, and she says the best part is that her compliance background lets her sleep at night knowing she's protecting consumers. That's a nice way to end a career break.