Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How to Turn Volunteer Roles Into Career Re-Entry Wins
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've been out of the workforce for a year, maybe two, maybe longer. You're ready to go back, but your resume has this stretch of time where the last thing you did was change diapers or care for a parent, not manage a budget or lead a team. Luna: And the classic advice is 'just spin it as a sabbatical' or 'focus on transferable skills.' But that only goes so far when the interviewer wants to see something recent, something concrete. Lucas: Right. So today I want to talk about a strategy that's underused but incredibly effective: using volunteer and pro-bono roles as a bridge back to paid work. Not just as a line on a resume, but as a way to generate recent accomplishments, references, and even leadership experience. Luna: I love this angle because it's actionable. Can we start with a specific example? Lucas: Absolutely. Let me tell you about a woman named Sarah. Before her career break, she was a marketing manager at a mid-size retail company. She stepped away for 18 months to be a stay-at-home parent. When she wanted to return, she realized her most recent marketing work was from 2020 — basically ancient in digital marketing terms. Luna: So she needed to show she hadn't lost her touch. What did she do? Lucas: She joined the board of a local food bank as their treasurer. Now, she'd never been a treasurer before. But she had managed budgets in her marketing role, so she leaned into that. She also offered to handle the food bank's social media pro bono. Over six months, she ran a campaign that increased their donor engagement by 40 percent. That's a concrete, quantifiable result she could put on her resume. Luna: Forty percent — that's a number any hiring manager would want to hear. And it's recent, it's from 2025 or 2026, not from five years ago. Lucas: Exactly. When she applied for a marketing director role at a health tech company, she led with that story. She framed it as 'I took a deliberate career break, but I stayed engaged in strategic marketing and nonprofit governance.' She got the job. Luna: So the key is picking volunteer work that mirrors the responsibilities of the role you want, not just any volunteer gig. Lucas: Precisely. If you're a former accountant, don't just stuff envelopes at a charity gala. Join the finance committee. If you were a project manager, offer to run a capital campaign timeline. The goal is to produce a work sample and a reference that speaks to your professional capability, not just your generosity. Luna: And I think a lot of people underestimate how much nonprofit boards need that expertise. They often have plenty of passion but not enough people who know how to read a P&L or run a CRM. Lucas: That's the sweet spot. You're filling a genuine need, which means your contribution is valued and you'll get a strong reference. Plus, board service looks great on a resume because it signals leadership, strategic thinking, and community engagement. Luna: What about people who can't commit to a board role? Maybe they need something more flexible while job hunting. Lucas: Great point. Pro-bono projects are a lighter lift. For example, a friend of mine — a graphic designer who took two years off — reached out to a local arts nonprofit and offered to redesign their website. It took her about 40 hours over a month. She ended up with a portfolio piece, a testimonial from the executive director, and a case study she could present in interviews. That's low commitment, high return. Luna: Forty hours — that's basically one work week. Compared to the months of unemployment or underemployment, that's a smart investment. Lucas: Let's talk about how to frame this on a resume. You don't want it to look like you were just keeping busy. You want it to read as professional experience. So instead of listing it under 'Volunteer' at the bottom, put it under 'Professional Experience' or 'Relevant Experience' with the organization name and your title, like 'Board Treasurer' or 'Pro-Bono Marketing Consultant.' Then bullet points with numbers — 'managed $500,000 annual budget,' 'increased social media engagement by 40 percent,' 'led a team of five volunteers.' Luna: And when the interviewer asks about the gap, your answer is built in: 'I took time away from paid work but stayed professionally active through volunteer leadership roles.' Lucas: Exactly. You're not apologizing for the gap. You're showing that you used that time strategically. Now, there's a nuance here — if the volunteer work is in a completely different field, it might not help. You want alignment. A former teacher who volunteers as a tutor? That's fine, but it doesn't signal a pivot to, say, corporate training. Better to find a nonprofit that needs curriculum design for adult learners. Luna: So the listener should ask: what is the skill I most need to demonstrate, and where can I apply that skill for free, right now? Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty is that the barrier to entry is low. Nonprofits are almost always desperate for skilled volunteers. You can start with a simple email or a call to your local United Way or VolunteerMatch. And if you're targeting a specific industry, look for professional associations that have pro-bono committees. Luna: You know, this conversation reminds me of why we keep this show ad-free. We want to give practical, unsponsored advice like this without any corporate angle. If you find value in episodes like this and want to support that independence, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep these episodes free for everyone. Lucas: Yeah, it's a deliberate choice. No ads means we can focus entirely on what helps you, not what sells. So if that matters to you, that link is there. Now, back to the strategy — let's talk about how to find the right opportunity. Luna: Because not all volunteer gigs are created equal. Some are just busywork. Lucas: Right. You want a role where you can own a project from start to finish. That's what gives you a story. For example, I talked to a woman who volunteered to run a nonprofit's annual fundraising gala. She had zero event experience, but she was a former operations manager. She applied her project management skills, organized 200 attendees, raised $80,000. That became the centerpiece of her interview for a program manager role. Luna: Eighty thousand dollars — that's serious. And it's a whole lot more impressive than 'assisted with mailings.' Lucas: Exactly. So when you're looking, ask yourself: can I get a measurable outcome from this? Can I get a reference who will say 'she turned our social media around' or 'he saved us $10,000 by renegotiating our vendor contract'? Luna: And what about timing? Should you start volunteering before you start applying, or can you do both simultaneously? Lucas: Ideally, start a few months before you begin applying in earnest. That way you have something to show. But if you're already in the job hunt, it's never too late. Even a one-month project can yield a bullet point and a reference. The key is to be upfront with the nonprofit about your timeline — they'll appreciate the honesty. Luna: One concern I've heard from returners is that volunteer work might make them look 'desperate' or like they couldn't get a paid job. How do you counter that? Lucas: That's a stigma we need to kill. In my experience, hiring managers see volunteer leadership as a sign of initiative, not desperation. In fact, many employers actively look for candidates with nonprofit board experience because it shows they can manage stakeholders without formal authority. It's a leadership signal. Luna: And it's especially powerful for someone re-entering because it answers the 'what have you been doing' question before it's even asked. Lucas: Yes. So let me give you a framework. Step one: identify the top three skills required for your target role. Step two: find a nonprofit or community organization that needs exactly those skills. Step three: propose a specific project with a clear deliverable and timeline. Step four: deliver, document, and ask for a reference. Luna: And the deliverable could be a report, a campaign, a database, a training program — something tangible. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing — don't be afraid to use your volunteer experience in your LinkedIn profile. Create a section called 'Volunteer Leadership' or 'Pro-Bono Consulting' and put it right under your work experience. Use the same language you'd use for a paid role. Luna: I think a lot of people undervalue this because they think it's 'just volunteering.' But the data shows that employers value it. A 2024 LinkedIn survey found that 41 percent of hiring managers considered volunteer experience as valuable as paid work when evaluating candidates with career gaps. Lucas: That's a great stat. So if you're on the fence, take that as permission. Pick up a pro-bono project or join a board. It could be the bridge that gets you back. Luna: And you don't have to wait until you have everything figured out. Start with one email this week. Lucas: Perfect. Next episode, we'll talk about how to handle the 'why did you leave your last job' question when the reason was something personal, not performance-related. There's a right way and a wrong way to answer. Luna: Looking forward to it. Thanks for being here.