Latest / The Career Mentor Podcast with Fexingo: Finding Mentors, Sponsors, and Career Advisors / How to Find a Mentor When You Have a Career Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: So here's a number that stopped me this week: roughly one in three professionals will have a career gap of six months or longer at some point in their working life. Not by choice — layoff, health issue, caregiving, whatever. And yet, if you ask most people how to find a mentor when you have that gap on your resume, they freeze. Luna: Because the gap itself feels like a disqualifier. Like you've been out of the game and you've lost your edge. Lucas: Exactly. And the conventional advice — 'just network more' — doesn't help because the gap creates a confidence problem before it's even a skills problem. So today I want to talk about one specific tactic I've seen work really well: what I call the bridge narrative. Luna: Bridge narrative. I love that. So it's not about hiding the gap, it's about framing it as part of a coherent story? Lucas: Right. The standard resume format — chronological, month-year to month-year — is designed to highlight continuity. It punishes gaps. So you have to abandon that frame entirely and lead with what you can do, not when you did it. Luna: I think of it as a skills-based resume with a narrative overlay. You're basically saying, 'Here's what I bring, and here's why the gap actually made me better at it.' Lucas: Exactly. Let me give you a concrete example. A listener named Priya reached out after our episode on mid-career professionals. She's a project manager who took 14 months off to care for her mother after a stroke. She was terrified that the gap would scare off hiring managers. Luna: And what did she do? Lucas: She built a bridge narrative around 'complex logistics under emotional pressure.' She framed her caregiving as project management — coordinating home health aides, managing medications, budgeting for unexpected costs, communicating with doctors. She didn't say 'I was a caregiver.' She said 'I managed a high-stakes, resource-constrained project for a family member.' Luna: That's powerful because it's honest but reframed. It also signals resilience, which is exactly what you want in a mentor's eyes. Lucas: And that's the key: she didn't just apply cold. She found a mentor who had taken a career break herself — a senior PM at a healthcare tech company who had spent two years abroad with her kids. That mentor didn't see the gap as a red flag. She saw it as relatable. Luna: So how do you find that specific kind of mentor? I mean, you can't exactly search LinkedIn for 'people who took a break.' Lucas: You can actually get close. Use the 'about' section and look for phrases like 'returned to work after,' 'career break,' or 'sabbatical.' Also, join return to work groups — there are several on LinkedIn and Slack. Priya found hers through a group called 'Women Back to Work.' Luna: I've seen a similar strategy work for a friend of mine who took a two-year sabbatical to travel. She was worried that would be seen as frivolous. But she framed it as 'global project management' — she had planned a multi-country itinerary, managed budgets, coordinated with local partners. Lucas: That's exactly the same muscle. The bridge narrative works because it gives the mentor a way to see the gap as additive, not subtractive. And the mentor, in turn, can advocate for you internally because they have a story to tell. Luna: But what if you don't have a 'positive' gap story? What if it was a layoff and you spent six months unemployed and anxious? Lucas: That's actually more common than the caregiving or travel narrative. And the bridge narrative still works — you just have to be honest without over-explaining. Something like: 'I was laid off in a restructuring. I took that time to recalibrate my focus and upskill in X and Y. I'm now ready to apply those skills in a role where I can deliver Z.' Luna: That's concise. No apology, no over-sharing. Lucas: Right. And the mentor's job is not to judge your timeline — it's to help you navigate the next step. So when you approach a potential mentor, lead with the narrative, not the gap. Say, 'I'm a project manager with experience in healthcare logistics. I took a break to handle a family situation, and now I'm looking to re-enter the field. Could you help me think about which companies might value my background?' Luna: That's a specific ask. It's not 'help me get a job,' it's 'help me think about where I fit.' Lucas: Exactly. And that's much easier for a mentor to say yes to. Priya used that exact phrasing. She landed a contract role within two months, and within six she was hired full-time at the same company. Luna: So the bridge narrative is more than a resume trick — it's a mindset shift. You're reframing the gap from a liability into a story of adaptability. Lucas: Absolutely. And the mentor you choose should be someone who gets that. If they can't see past the gap, they're not the right mentor anyway. You want someone who values what you learned during the break, not just the dates on your resume. Luna: I also think there's a timing element. The best time to start looking for a mentor is actually before you're ready to apply. Give yourself a few months to build relationships and refine your narrative. Lucas: Great point. And that leads to another tactic: consider a 'returnship' — a formal return to work program. Companies like Amazon, IBM, and Goldman Sachs have them. They're essentially internships for people who've been out for two or more years. And they often come with a built-in mentor. Luna: Returnships are great because they lower the stakes. You're not committing to a full-time role, and the company is explicitly saying, 'We know you have a gap, and we're okay with it.' Lucas: And they often lead to full-time offers. According to a study by iRelaunch, about 60 percent of returnship participants get a permanent job at the same company. So it's a low-risk, high-reward entry point. Luna: That's a much better number than I would have guessed. I thought it was maybe 40 percent. Lucas: It varies by company, but the trend is upward. More employers are recognizing that career gaps don't correlate with poor performance. In fact, many find that returners are more focused and loyal. Luna: So let's say someone is listening right now with a gap on their resume. What's the one thing you'd want them to do today? Lucas: Write your bridge narrative. Take fifteen minutes. Start with your skills — not your timeline. Then connect those skills to a specific result you achieved, even if it wasn't in a paid job. Practice saying it out loud. Then reach out to one person who's been through something similar. That's it. Luna: And if that feels too hard, start even smaller. Just write down three things you learned during your gap. That alone shifts your mindset from 'what I lost' to 'what I gained.' Lucas: Exactly. And honestly, if this conversation helped you think about your own career gap in a new way, that's the kind of thing we hope for. If it was worth a coffee to you, there's a link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep this show free and ad-free for everyone. Luna: Yeah, we don't have sponsors, so listener support genuinely makes a difference. It's a small way to say 'this mattered.' Lucas: Right. And back to the bridge narrative — one more thing I'd add: don't wait until you feel ready. You will never feel ready. The gap creates a kind of paralysis. But the mentor you're looking for? They didn't feel ready either. They just started with one conversation. Luna: And that first conversation is often the hardest. But once you have a bridge narrative, you have something to stand on. Lucas: Exactly. So write it, practice it, and then go find your person. They're out there, and they're probably looking for someone just like you to mentor.