Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How to Use a Side Project to Re-Enter the Workforce After a Career Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've been out of the workforce for a few years. You're updating your resume and you hit that blank stretch. And the standard advice is volunteer, take a course, network. All good. But there's another path that I think is actually underused: build a side project. Luna: I love that. A side project can do so much more than just fill space. It gives you something concrete to talk about, something you own. Lucas: Exactly. And I want to ground this in a real example. There's a woman named Maria — she was a marketing manager at a mid-size retailer, then she took four years off to be home with her kids. When she started looking again, she realized her old industry had changed completely. Social media algorithms, new tools, new expectations. Luna: Right, and a four-year gap in marketing is basically a generation in tech years. Lucas: Exactly. So she didn't just take a course. She started a local newsletter called 'Maplewood Monday' — a weekly roundup of events, classifieds, and local business spotlights for her town. She built it from zero to about 2,500 subscribers over 18 months. That became the centerpiece of her re-entry resume. Luna: That's smart. She didn't just say 'I have marketing skills.' She showed them — real audience growth, real content strategy, real results. Lucas: And when she interviewed for a senior marketing role at a regional agency, the hiring manager told her later that the newsletter was what sealed it. It proved she understood audience development, email marketing, and local SEO — all current skills. The gap didn't matter anymore because she had something tangible. Luna: So what made her side project so effective? I mean, there are a lot of people who start a blog or a newsletter and it never really goes anywhere. Lucas: That's the key. A side project is only valuable as a re-entry tool if it has three things: a clear audience, measurable outcomes, and transferable skill demonstration. Maria's newsletter had all three. The audience was local residents — specific, definable. The outcome was 2,500 subscribers and an open rate above 45 percent. And the skills were directly transferable: content planning, email segmentation, basic analytics. Luna: Right, and she could point to numbers. 'I grew this thing by X percent over Y months' — that's the language hiring managers understand. Lucas: Exactly. Compare that to someone who just lists 'Volunteer social media for PTA.' That's valuable, but it's harder to quantify. A side project you control gives you cleaner metrics. Luna: So for someone listening who is in the middle of a career gap right now, what's a realistic side project? Not everyone can build a newsletter to 2,500 subscribers. Lucas: Sure. But the principle scales down. Let me give you another example. I talked to a woman named Jenna who was a project coordinator before taking five years off. She didn't build a newsletter. She started a small Etsy shop selling printable planners. It only did maybe 40 sales total, but she used it to demonstrate project management: sourcing materials, managing inventory, customer communication. She framed it as a mini business. Luna: Forty sales is not huge, but the story is. She can say 'I launched a product, handled orders, dealt with a supplier issue' — that's real experience. Lucas: Exactly. The numbers don't have to be massive. They just have to be real. The key is that the project has an external audience — someone besides you who used or bought or read it. That's what makes it legitimate. Luna: So what about the person who is listening and thinking, 'I have no idea what side project to start'? How do they choose something that will actually help? Lucas: I'd say start with your target role. If you want to go into data analysis, build a public dashboard on a topic you care about — local crime stats, school ratings, something. If you want to go into content marketing, start a newsletter or a YouTube channel. The project should mirror the work you want to do. And it should be something you can talk about for five minutes in an interview. Luna: That makes sense. It's not about being impressive on paper. It's about having a story that shows you didn't just sit still. Lucas: Right. And I want to be realistic — this takes time. Maria spent 18 months on her newsletter. Jenna's Etsy shop took about a year to get those 40 sales. But if you're already in a gap period, you have time. The question is how you use it. Luna: And it's also about confidence. When you build something yourself, even small, you walk into an interview differently. You have proof that you can still do the work. Lucas: That is such an important point. The psychological shift is real. You go from 'I've been out of work for three years' to 'I built this thing.' It changes how you present yourself. Luna: And I think this is part of why we keep the show ad-free. We want to offer practical, actionable ideas without any sponsor pressure. If you find value in episodes like this one, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It genuinely helps us keep the focus on real strategies, not selling products. Lucas: Yeah, listener support is what makes this possible. No ads, no fluff. Just concrete advice you can use. So thank you to anyone who contributes. Luna: Now, back to side projects. One thing I want to dig into is how to actually frame a side project on a resume and in an interview. Because it's not always obvious. Lucas: Absolutely. Let's talk about the resume first. The common mistake is to stick the side project in a 'hobbies' section at the bottom. Don't do that. If the project has measurable outcomes, it belongs under 'Professional Experience' or a dedicated 'Projects' section. For Maria, she listed 'Founder & Editor, Maplewood Monday' with bullet points just like a job. Luna: And the bullet points should mirror job language. Not 'Wrote weekly newsletter,' but 'Developed content strategy resulting in 45% open rate and 2,500 subscribers over 18 months.' Lucas: Exactly. Use the same metrics-driven language you'd use for any role. And in the interview, tell the story in three parts: the problem you noticed, what you built, and the result. Keep it tight. Two minutes max. Luna: And if the interviewer asks about the gap, you can pivot. 'I actually used that time to build a project that let me stay current with industry trends. Let me tell you about it.' Lucas: That is the perfect pivot. You're not defensive. You're redirecting to something proactive. And honestly, most hiring managers are more interested in what you did recently than what you did five years ago. Luna: So what if someone has already started a side project but it's not going well? They have a blog with 20 readers. Should they scrap it? Lucas: No, don't scrap it. Iterate. A side project with small numbers can still be reframed. Maybe you pivoted from one topic to another and learned something. Or you can say 'I experimented with different content formats and found that X resonated best.' That shows learning agility, which is a huge selling point for returners. Luna: That's a good reframe. So it's not about perfection, it's about process. And that's actually something returners have in abundance — life experience teaches you to adapt. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing: don't underestimate the networking value of a side project. Maria's newsletter led to her connecting with local business owners, some of whom became references. Jenna's Etsy shop got her into a Facebook group for small sellers where she met someone who knew about a job opening. Luna: So the side project becomes a networking engine too. You're not just building a product, you're building relationships. Lucas: Exactly. And that's often how the real opportunities come. It's not the project itself, it's the people you meet along the way. Luna: So to wrap up, what's the one takeaway for someone listening right now who's in a career gap? Lucas: Pick one small project that mirrors the job you want. Spend 30 minutes a day on it. Track the numbers. And when you're ready to interview, lead with that story. You'll be surprised how far it takes you. Luna: And if you've already built something, don't hide it. Put it front and center. It's your comeback credential. Lucas: Well said. That's all for this episode of The Comeback Career Podcast. We'll be back next week with another practical strategy for your return to work.