I just got laid off.

[Patiod]

62. People need to learn how to lie

Seriously. You can't say you had a job that you didn't have, because you'll get caught and potentially fired.

But if you're friendly with your former employer (especially if it's a small company or one that went out of business), you can stretch the dates of employment to cover gaps, or claim to have been taking care of a sick family member.

As someone who actually WAS taking care of a sick family member, I've found that people are pretty understanding about that sort of gap, and no one yet ever asked to talk to my dad to confirm that as my situation.

I'm very much against lying in 99% of all situations, but if it's a survival thing, and the hiring companies are holding all the cards and have decided that a gap is a good reason not to hire you, sometimes you have to do what you have to do to put a roof over your head.