Gaps Don’t Define You: Real Hiring Advice for Returners

This week’s Power Hour featured Brandon Gottlieb, Director of Talent Acquisition at New York’s largest nonprofit health plan and career coach for Cancer and Careers. His story blends caregiving, loss, and recruiting expertise. His core message to returners: your gap does not define your value, your experience does.

Brandon’s Story: Caregiving and Career Paths

Brandon started in psychology as an undergraduate. He went to grad school to pursue a degree in organization psychology and took an internship in recruiting and then never looked back. His life changed when his daughter Ava was diagnosed with medulloblastoma at age six. For four years, he balanced hospitals, caregiving, and flexible recruiting work.

After Ava’s passing in 2018, Brandon began volunteering with Cancer and Careers, and organization that supports people who are managing a health crisis while trying to work or look for a new job.

Current Hiring Landscape and Opportunities

Brandon shared that the market is still shifting, and returners should expect a slower, more cautious hiring environment. Fully remote roles are less common than they were in 2021–2022, with hybrid now the default for many employers. Hiring timelines are longer, with more interviews and pauses between stages, even for strong candidates.

He also noted that many employers, especially in healthcare, are feeling uncertain about budgets and policy changes, which makes them more selective about headcount. That can feel discouraging, but it also means they value candidates who clearly connect their past experience to current business needs. For returners, this is where resume customization and strong STAR stories become a real advantage, not just a nice to have.

Resume Customization: Connect the Dots for Recruiters

Brandon emphasized that resumes must do the work of translating your experience for recruiters who spend seconds scanning. Generic resumes get ignored; customized ones stand out.
He recommends treating every resume as unique to the role:

Study the job description closely and pull out 4-6 key phrases or responsibilities
Map your past accomplishments directly to those needs, even from different industries
Use action verbs and quantify impact (e.g., reduced costs by 20%, managed team of 8, delivered project 2 weeks early)
Rearrange sections so your most relevant experience appears first, regardless of chronology
Keep dates accurate to match background checks, but focus narrative on readiness now
The goal is to make recruiters think, “This person solves our exact problems,” not “Interesting background, but does it fit?”

STAR Method: Answer Behavioral Questions with Confidence

Brandon stressed mastering the STAR method for behavioral interviews, where 80% of questions test how you handled real situations. Recruiters want evidence of your thinking, not perfect outcomes.

S – Situation: Set the scene briefly (2-3 sentences max). “In my last role managing operations for a 50-person team…”
T – Task: Clarify your specific responsibility. “…we faced a sudden 30% supply shortage during peak season.”
A – Action: Detail 3-4 specific steps you took. “I renegotiated with three suppliers, shifted 20% of inventory to alternatives, trained temp staff overnight, and communicated daily updates to stakeholders.”
R – Result: Quantify the outcome. “We maintained 98% on-time delivery and saved $45K in rush fees.”

Practice 5-7 stories covering leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. Tailor them to the role. Speak conversationally, not scripted. This method shows self-awareness and impact, exactly what hiring managers seek from returners.

At WBW we believe your experience and story still matter. You are not starting over.
Ready to bridge your career gap with real support? Reach out to us today.