The fact that people are inventing fake jobs to cover employment gaps is a massive red flag about the hiring industry.

It's honestly wild that we've built a system where a period of unemployment is seen as a character flaw you have to hide. It shouldn't be a black mark on your resume. You shouldn't have to invent a consulting gig just to make your CV look "uninterrupted."

And to the recruiters who see an employment gap and immediately toss the resume, you are so deeply out of touch with reality it's astounding. People get laid off. Life happens. Your inability to grasp that simple fact, from whatever ivory tower you're operating from, makes you part of the problem.