Three-year employment gap from caregiving, dozens of rejections, and a question that gets asked more than anyone admits: Do you just lie?

A post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell talked about someone who has been out of formal employment for three years. They explained that most of that time was spent caregiving for a family member. They added that they also volunteered in digital marketing, which was their professional field, throughout that period, and completed continuous online education. They have been actively job hunting for over a year, have reached final rounds, and keep hearing there is always someone better.

Their conclusion: the gap is scaring people off. Their question: is fabricating jobs to fill it the only practical solution?

They were candid about their ethical calculus. “I technically don’t have any ethical qualms with lying because employers lie all the time.”

What Reddit said

The thread produced a notably useful answer that sidesteps the fabrication question entirely.

One commenter pointed to independent consulting as the reframe that actually works: “Last time I struggled with this I turned my gaps into ‘independent consulting.’ [It] instantly made a difference.”

Another took it further with practical advice: “Depending on your industry, this is where private consultancy can come in. And now you’re just looking for something more consistent. Depending on where you live, it can also be pretty easy to legitimise this by paying $50 and filing for an LLC business license based out of your home.”

One commenter warned against the fabrication route on practical grounds: “It’s not 1987. They can verify your employment in about 14 seconds. Even if the place is out of business, they can verify it.”

And one offered a bleaker view: “It’s a vicious cycle once it starts.” Unfortunately, a gap would lead to a longer gap, which then produces a bigger red flag. This would then lead to more rejections and more gap.