Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Can Help You Build a Better LinkedIn Profile
Transcript
- Lucas: So, you take a few years off — maybe to raise kids, care for a parent, recover from burnout — and now you're ready to come back. You open LinkedIn, and that blank space in your work history feels like a blinking red warning sign. But what if your career gap could actually make your profile stronger? Luna: I love that framing, because the default is to see it as a liability. But I've seen people turn it into an asset. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a great example I came across recently. Maria — she was a marketing manager at a mid-size CPG company, took a three-year gap to care for her aging parents. When she came back, she didn't just fill in the dates. She rebuilt her entire profile around the narrative of intentionality. Luna: Intentionality — that's a key word. So she didn't just say 'career break' and leave it blank? Lucas: Right. Her headline went from 'Marketing Manager at X' to 'Marketing Strategist | Returned from Intentional Career Pause with Renewed Focus.' That alone signals confidence, not apology. And she added three volunteer consulting projects she did during the gap — one for a local nonprofit, one for a friend's startup, one pro bono for an art gallery. Luna: So she kept her skills active and documented it. That's smart because a gap doesn't mean you stopped learning. Lucas: Exactly. And she used LinkedIn's 'featured' section to pin a case study from the nonprofit project — a full slide deck showing how she helped them increase donor retention by 22 percent. That's concrete proof of value. Luna: I want to push back a little though. What if someone didn't do any volunteer work? Is it still okay to just leave the gap unexplained? Lucas: That's the question. And the data says no. I've seen research from LinkedIn's own talent insights — profiles that include a brief narrative explanation for a gap get roughly 40 percent more recruiter views than those with just dates and silence. Luna: Forty percent is huge. So what does that narrative look like if you don't have a volunteer project? Lucas: It can be as simple as a one-line entry under 'Career Break' that says 'Full-time caregiver for family member, 2023-2026. Developed project management, crisis communication, and budget planning skills.' You're reframing the gap as a learning experience. Luna: And that's honest. Recruiters are human — they understand life happens. The problem is when they see a black hole and have to guess. Lucas: Now, Maria went a step further. She asked the executive director of the nonprofit to write her a LinkedIn recommendation. That recommendation specifically mentioned her ability to pivot quickly and manage multiple stakeholders — exactly the skills she needed for her next role. Luna: Did it work? Did she get the job? Lucas: She did — a senior marketing manager role at a top digital agency. She told me the recruiter specifically mentioned that her profile told a story, not just a timeline. The gap became a conversation starter instead of an obstacle. Luna: That's the dream outcome. And it ties into something we've talked about before — that a gap can actually make you a better storyteller in interviews. Lucas: Totally. And I think LinkedIn is the perfect place to practice that story. You have 2,600 characters in your summary — use them. Don't just list skills. Write a short paragraph about why you took the gap, what you learned, and how it makes you a stronger candidate now. Luna: Let's get specific. What are the do's and don'ts? I feel like people overthink the 'open to work' banner, for example. Lucas: Yeah, the green banner. Some people say it makes you look desperate. But in 2026, it's so common — especially for people re-entering — that it's almost expected. The trick is to use the private setting where only recruiters see it. Luna: That's smart. So you get the signal out without broadcasting to your whole network. Lucas: Exactly. And Maria did that. She also updated her 'about' section to include a line like 'After a three-year career pause to care for family, I am energized and ready to bring my marketing expertise to a new challenge.' That's aspirational, not apologetic. Luna: I think that's the biggest shift in mindset — from 'I have a gap' to 'I had a purposeful break and I'm back.' And LinkedIn is the place to broadcast that. Lucas: Now, one thing Maria didn't do was lie about dates or try to hide the gap by listing it as a freelance period when it wasn't. Recruiters verify that stuff. Background checks will catch it. Luna: Yeah, honesty is non-negotiable. But you can be honest and strategic. Lucas: Right. And I want to mention one more tactic she used — she joined a few LinkedIn groups related to her industry and started commenting thoughtfully on posts. That kept her visible and showed she was engaged even before she officially started applying. Luna: So networking from within the gap. That's a good point. You don't have to wait until you're ready to apply. Lucas: Exactly. And this is where I think the conversation naturally connects to something we believe strongly in here at Fexingo — the value of community and shared learning. Luna: Yeah, and we've heard from so many listeners that this show has helped them rethink their career gaps. If you find value in what we do, and you want to help us keep making episodes like this without ads, consider supporting the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: It's a small gesture that goes a long way in keeping the conversation going. And we truly appreciate every bit of support. Luna: So, back to LinkedIn. One thing I want to ask — what about the 'featured' section? Maria used a case study, but what if you don't have a fancy slide deck? Lucas: You can feature a blog post you wrote during the gap, a certification you earned, or even a well-written recommendation. The point is to have something there that's not just your work history. It shows you're proactive. Luna: Certifications are a great point. A lot of people use a gap to take online courses. That's perfect for the 'licenses and certifications' section. Lucas: Exactly. And you can even add a short description of what you learned. For example, 'Google Data Analytics Certificate — completed during career break to build quantitative skills.' That turns a gap into a learning period. Luna: I think the key takeaway is that a career gap doesn't have to be a red flag. It's how you frame it. Lucas: Right. And LinkedIn gives you the tools to control that narrative. So if you're listening and you're about to update your profile after a gap, start with the headline. Make it intentional. Then fill in the summary with your story. And add at least one piece of evidence — a project, a cert, a recommendation. Luna: And don't forget to set your 'open to work' to private if you're not ready to broadcast. It's a small setting that can make a big difference. Lucas: One last thing — Maria also reached out to former colleagues for quick 'skill endorsements' on the skills she wanted to highlight. It's a low-effort way to add social proof. Luna: I like that. It's like a mini-recommendation without the time commitment. Lucas: Exactly. So to summarize: your career gap is not a blank space — it's an opportunity to show resilience, intentionality, and growth. And LinkedIn is the canvas. Luna: And if you want to dive deeper into any of these tactics, we'll include links in the show notes. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.