If you’ve been consulting for the past few years or if there’s a gap on your resume, it can feel like a huge hurdle when trying to land your next executive role.

You’re not alone.

Whether the time away was by choice or circumstance, many seasoned leaders end up asking:

• “How do I explain this gap?”

• “Will employers think I’m not relevant anymore?”

• “How do I go from project-based consulting back to a full-time role?”

Let’s break it down.

Here’s what recruiters are really thinking, where most candidates go wrong, and how to position yourself with confidence.

As a former recruiter, I’ve seen this play out again and again.

You open a resume. The last listed job is from 2022. No mention of what they’ve been doing since. No explanation. Just... nothing.

That gap becomes a red flag. Not because of the gap itself, but because the candidate left it open to interpretation.

If you’ve been consulting or taking a break, don’t hide it. Don’t leave the recruiter wondering.

Even a simple one-liner can neutralize doubt: 

Independent Consultant | 2022 to Present

Supporting companies with strategic planning and operational transformation across [industry or function].

This small change tells us you’ve still been in the game.

Here’s where things really fall apart.

If you’ve been consulting, there’s a good chance your resume is describing what you did as a consultant, not what changed because of your work.

Recruiters don’t care about your day-to-day tasks.

They want to know:

• What problems you solved

• What results you delivered

• How your work impacted the client’s business

If your bullets sound like “Advised client on XYZ initiative,” You’re missing the mark.

Instead, reframe your consulting like this:

• Led turnaround strategy that improved warehouse performance by 23%

• Guided post-acquisition integration to stabilize operations across five locations

• Designed executive onboarding process adopted by entire global business unit

You’re not just a consultant. You’re a results-driven operator who happens to work across companies.

Here’s how I help clients who want to move from consulting or a gap into their next executive role:

We start by naming the gap or consulting period in a way that makes sense. Not a long explanation. Just enough to connect the dots.

The key is consistency. If your resume says one thing and your LinkedIn says another, that’s a problem. We align it all.

Together, we rebuild your resume to focus on outcomes, not tasks. We highlight the leadership, influence, and business impact behind every project, using keywords and framing that match the roles you’re targeting.

Consulting shows that you’ve been:

• Solving complex problems across companies

• Leading without formal authority

• Building trust quickly with senior stakeholders

Those are all executive-level skills. We make sure that’s clear.

You don’t need to over-explain. You just need a confident, short explanation that bridges the gap and reinforces your value.

That’s part of what I help my clients craft, so you’re never caught off guard in a conversation.

Lydia came to me after several years consulting across industries. She was ready to get back into an internal leadership role but wasn’t getting traction.

We reworked her positioning, clarified her narrative, and rebuilt her resume and LinkedIn profile to show the depth and dimension of her experience.

The result?

“I finally got an offer with the company that has been my hard goal for SO long.”
—Lydia

It wasn’t about changing who she was. It was about helping the market see her value clearly.

If you’ve been consulting or stepping away and want back in, you can absolutely do it. You just need a better message and a smarter search strategy to break through barriers and land interviews consistently.

That’s exactly what we do together.

→Also read: Switching industries at the VP level? Here’s how to get noticed without starting over.