Initiative · Careers
A gap in a career is common. Talking about it is the hard part.
People who returned to work after a layoff or a career break describe how they did it — what they said about the gap, what they had to relearn, who was willing to hire them — for people who are trying to come back now.
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Losing a job, or stepping away from one, is usually faced alone.
A layoff arrives with a notice period and no instructions. A career break for a child, a parent or one's own health ends with a resume that has a hole in it and a field that has moved. In both cases the practical problem is the same: how to get back in.
The difficulty is rarely ability. It is confidence, a story that explains the gap without apologising for it, and knowing which employers and routes are genuinely open. People who have come back know all three.
This is deliberately practical. It is not counselling, and it does not pretend a gap makes no difference. It is about what works.
Who this is for
- People who have been laid off and are searching
- People returning after a break for caregiving, family or health
- People with a long gap who are unsure how to explain it
- Professionals who came back and are willing to say how
A session may cover
- The first weeks after a layoff: what to do, and in what order
- Explaining a gap honestly and briefly
- Working out what has changed in the field, and what has not
- What to refresh first
- Routes back in: returnships, contract roles and referrals
- The interview questions a gap invites, and answering them
- Money and time: how long a search really takes
- Confidence, from people who lost theirs and got it back
The format
A small group, two or three people who have come back, and time for each participant's own situation. Evening or weekend sessions, in person or online. Free to attend, and nobody is selling a course or a placement service.
Also available on request
7 further topics in this area. Tell us which fit your group and we will find the right person for it.
- The First Weeks After a Layoff
- Explaining a Career Gap
- Returning After a Caregiving Break
- What Changed While You Were Away
- Routes Back In: Returnships, Contract Work and Referrals
- Interviewing After a Gap
- How I Came Back
What you should come away with
- A way to talk about a layoff or a gap that is honest and brief
- A realistic view of what has and has not changed in the field
- A short list of what to refresh first, rather than everything
- Knowledge of the routes back in: returnships, contract work and referrals
- Practice in the interview questions a gap invites
- Contact with people who have come back, and are working
Who runs them
Sessions are run by people who do the work
Practitioners, not trainers. Nobody here is paid to speak.
Scheduled
Nothing scheduled yet
This one is not in the calendar yet
It runs when a college, company or community asks for it. That is usually how the first one gets scheduled.
How GullyFuture works
What each side brings
Most sessions are free for participants. Institutions provide the group and a suitable space. Contributors give their time and experience. GullyFuture shapes the format, coordinates the people and documents what happened.
Bring this to your group
Tell us:
- Who the participants are
- Their current stage
- Approximate group size
- City and institution or organisation
- What you want them to understand or practise
- Preferred timing
Contribute
You do not need to be famous or senior. You need relevant experience, the willingness to speak honestly, and respect for the no-selling rule.
You can contribute as a speaker, mentor, interviewer, reviewer, facilitator, host, partner or volunteer.
Contribute your experienceWhat we record
Counted from what happened, never estimated.
- Sessions completed
- Participants reached
- Contributors involved
- Practice or feedback activities completed
- Participant usefulness feedback
- Follow-up actions and resources provided
- Participants who later return as contributors
Participation is free for students and individual participants unless a programme says otherwise. Speakers may explain their work, but a session is never a sales pitch.
Come as you are, with the gap you have.
Join a Starting Again session.