Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Can Improve Your Interview Skills
Transcript
- Lucas: If we've helped you think through a career move or decision — and you want to keep this show ad-free — the best way is to support it directly. Luna: Yeah. It's a small thing that makes a big difference for us. Lucas: So if today's episode was worth a coffee to you, that link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, no perks — just helping us keep going. Luna: And we mean that. Now let's get back to why a career gap can actually make you a better interviewee. Lucas: So, let's talk about something that sounds almost counterintuitive — that a career gap can actually make you a better interview candidate. Luna: I love this angle, because so many returners walk into the room feeling like they're already behind. Lucas: Right. And there's some data that flips that script. A 2025 study from the Society for Human Resource Management — SHRM — surveyed over 600 hiring managers. They found that returners — people with a gap of a year or more — actually scored higher on things like listening, self-awareness, and structured thinking during behavioral interviews. Luna: That's fascinating. So the gap itself might be training you for the interview? Lucas: Exactly. Think about it. If you've taken time away — whether to raise kids, care for a family member, or recover from burnout — you've probably spent a lot of time reflecting. You've had to make decisions with limited resources. You've learned to prioritize. Luna: And those are exactly the competencies behavioral questions are trying to assess. Lucas: Precisely. So the question isn't 'How do I hide my gap?' It's 'How do I use my gap as evidence of growth?' Let me tell you about Maya. Luna: Love a good case study. Lucas: Maya was a marketing manager at a mid-size CPG company. She left to care for her aging parents — about three years. When she started interviewing again, she was terrified of the gap question. Her first few interviews, she'd apologize for it. She'd rush past it. Luna: Classic defensive posture. I've been there. Lucas: Right. So she worked with a coach who told her: 'Stop explaining the gap. Start narrating the comeback.' She reframed her answer. Instead of saying 'I took time off to care for my parents,' she said 'I managed a complex care situation that taught me stakeholder coordination, budgeting, and crisis management.' Luna: That's the shift. You're not hiding the gap, you're translating it. Lucas: Exactly. And she landed a senior marketing role at an e-commerce company. The hiring manager later told her that her gap story was actually the reason they hired her — because she demonstrated resilience and clarity. Luna: So what's the framework? How do you actually craft that answer? Lucas: I like the star l method. You probably know STAR — Situation, Task, Action, Result. The L stands for Learning. It's specifically designed for gap-related answers. Luna: So you take a key experience from your gap and run it through star l. Lucas: Exactly. Situation: your parent was discharged from the hospital and needed daily care. Task: coordinate appointments, manage medications, handle insurance claims. Action: you set up a schedule, negotiated with providers, learned the insurance system. Result: stable care, reduced costs. Learning: you developed project management and negotiation skills that apply directly to a business role. Luna: That's powerful. And it's honest. You're not pretending the gap didn't happen. Lucas: Right. The other thing returners often do well is listening. When you've been out of the workforce, you're more likely to listen carefully to questions because you're not on autopilot. You're processing every word. Luna: That's a huge advantage. A lot of continuous-career candidates start answering before the question is even finished. Lucas: Hundred percent. And hiring managers notice. In that SHRM study, returners scored 15 percent higher on active listening ratings during interviews. Luna: So the gap basically trains you to be more present. Lucas: It does. And there's one more thing — the question you ask at the end. Most people ask about culture or growth opportunities. Returners often ask a more insightful question, like 'What's the biggest challenge the person in this role will face in the first 90 days?' Luna: That signals you're thinking about impact, not just getting a job. Lucas: Exactly. And it shows you've done the work of preparation. So if you're returning from a gap, lean into your strengths. You've got more to bring than you think. Luna: And if you want to dig deeper into the star l method, we'll put a link in the show notes. For now, just remember: your gap isn't a hole — it's a story.