Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Helped One Parent Return to Consulting
Transcript
- Lucas: So I was talking to a former colleague last week — she left Deloitte in 2019 to have twins, planned to be back in eighteen months, and then the pandemic hit, childcare fell apart, and suddenly five years had gone by. Luna: I know that story. It's almost cliché at this point — the gap that was supposed to be short and just stretched. Lucas: Right. And she was terrified to go back into consulting. She thought the industry had moved on without her. The frameworks, the software tools, the client expectations — all changed. Luna: But she did go back, didn't she? I think I saw a LinkedIn notification — she joined a boutique firm. Lucas: She did. And she landed a role that pays more than she made at Deloitte, with more flexibility. So I wanted to unpack exactly how she did it, because I think a lot of listeners sit in that same anxiety. Luna: Let's start with the resume. I've heard people say you should list the gap as 'career break' or 'parental leave' — does that actually work for consulting? Lucas: She did something smarter. On her resume, she listed the period as 'Client-Side Immersion: Independent Research & Advisory'. And she framed the gap as a time when she was living the problems her clients face — managing a household budget, navigating healthcare systems, optimising logistics for two kids. It's not a stretch. Luna: That's clever. It reframes the gap as relevant experience rather than dead time. Did she have any actual work during that period, like freelance or projects? Lucas: She did a tiny bit — maybe 50 hours of pro bono strategy work for a local nonprofit across the five years. But she didn't overstate it. The real pivot was in how she talked about the gap itself. Luna: So the resume was step one. What about networking? Consulting is so relationship-driven. Lucas: She went back to her Deloitte alumni network. Not cold — she targeted people she'd worked with directly and who had moved to boutique firms. She sent a very specific email: 'I've been out for five years, I'm looking to return, would you be open to a 20-minute call to help me understand what the market looks like?'. Luna: That's the informational interview playbook. Did she get pushback? Lucas: One person said, 'I'm not sure you're current enough.' That stung. But she used that feedback to target firms that explicitly value 'diverse life experience' — there are a handful of boutiques that market themselves as second-career friendly. Luna: Name one? Lucas: She ended up at a firm called Cadence Strategy — about 40 consultants, based in Chicago. Their website actually says 'we believe lived experience is a consulting asset.' So she wasn't fighting the current, she was finding the current that flowed her way. Luna: That's a huge lesson: don't try to convince a firm that doesn't value gaps. Find the ones that do. What about the interview itself? Did she get grilled on technical skills? Lucas: She did. They asked about financial modelling, Excel shortcuts, slide deck design. Her answer was honest: 'I'm rusty on some tools, but I've been doing the math in my head for five years — budgeting, trade-offs, scenario planning. Give me two weeks and I'll be faster than your analysts.' Luna: Did they buy it? Lucas: They gave her a small case study to do over a weekend. She used YouTube to refresh on Excel pivot tables and sent back a deck that was a bit clunky visually but had solid analysis. They hired her with a 90-day ramp period. Luna: So she negotiated a ramp. That's smart. A lot of people are afraid to ask for that. Lucas: She was very direct: 'I'm probably a 7 out of 10 on day one, but I'll be a 9 by month three. Can we structure the first quarter with lower billable expectations?' And they agreed. It's easier to ask for that when you're in the final stages and they've already decided they like you. Luna: What about the time management question? Consultants are famous for brutal hours, and she has two young kids. Lucas: She was upfront about that too. She said, 'I can't do the all-nighter anymore. But I can be more efficient than anyone on your team during working hours because I have to be.' And she backed it up with a plan: she'd block her calendar from 5 to 8 PM for family, then log back on if needed. The firm was fine with it. Luna: So the key is transparency. Not apologising, just stating the terms. Lucas: Exactly. And she did one more thing that I think made a real difference: she got a recommendation from a former Deloitte partner who had seen her work before the gap. That partner called the hiring manager and said, 'She was one of my best analysts. The gap doesn't change that.' Luna: That's the power of a strong reference. So for anyone listening who's on a gap and thinking about consulting, the playbook is: reframe the gap as relevant experience, target gap-friendly firms, do a few refresher tutorials, negotiate a ramp, and get a former boss to vouch for you. Lucas: You summed it up perfectly. And I'll add one more: don't wait until you feel ready. Sarah told me she felt underqualified until the day she got the offer. The anxiety doesn't go away — you just take the leap anyway. Luna: That's actually a good note to end on. But before we wrap — and this ties in — if you've been sitting on a career move because you don't feel ready, this podcast is here to help you think through it. We keep it ad-free, and it stays that way thanks to listeners who support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, even a small contribution goes a long way in keeping these conversations going. We really appreciate it. Luna: So, back to Sarah — one thing I forgot to ask: did she experience any salary penalty for the gap? Lucas: Surprisingly, no. She negotiated a base salary that was 15% higher than her Deloitte exit salary, adjusted for inflation. The firm said they were paying for her judgment and client-relationship skills, not her recent hours in Excel. Luna: That's encouraging. So the gap didn't hurt her earning potential. Lucas: It didn't. And in her case, it may have even helped — because she came in with a perspective that someone who never left wouldn't have. She understands what it's like to be a client who is overwhelmed, distracted, and time-poor. That's a real asset in consulting. Luna: Alright, I think that's a solid episode. Anyone listening who's on a gap and thinking about consulting — you've got a roadmap now. Lucas: Next episode, we'll look at how a career gap can help you land a role in the nonprofit sector. See you then.