When You’re Dealing with a Career Gap

It happens to all of us: mid-life and mid-career. Things feel different. All of a sudden, you find yourself re-evaluating your life and your direction.

Often, it’s a sense of discomfort or a loss of momentum. You start to question your direction and feel like you’ve lost the sense of meaning and purpose that got you to this point. On the Gap to Gig podcast, host Michael Jacobs and I explore this trigger and its aftermath, and in the process, we lay out some pathways and protocols for his audience of dads coming back to the workforce after a gap.

My number one recommendation: don’t think that by“fitting in” and being what you think they want you to be, that you’re going to get any traction. The opposite is true. The only way to compete with candidates coming from other jobs is so stand out.

Double down on the unique perspective, focus, and deliverables that characterize your work and your professional experience. Don’t try to be all things to all employers. Dare to define the specific package of strengths and solutions that you bring to the table.

Then market the hell out of that value proposition. The clearer and more specific you can be in your profile, the easier it will be for employers and recruiters to a) discover you and b) determine that you’re the right fit for what they need.