He's got several years as a staff writer on a hit TV show, and his magazine publishing experience before that. The gap is real, and obviously important, but what came before is a lot more than "fluff".
He is _MISSING_ fluff. He just needs some job, ANY job that proves that he wasn't wasting his time during the gap.
He clearly has real world working experience. But any resume that is missing out on even a couple of months worth of experience signals a red flag to me.
This is the culture of corporate America. Holes are EXTREMELY bad in your resume. Period.
you were on the run from the Feds living in Argentina
you went to Pakistan to attend a Jihadist training course (BTEC-diploma)
you were kidnapped by aliens and given daily anal probes (that never impresses the interviewers)
you were being trained in cutting-edge industrial espionage techniques by a rival company of the interviewer
you spent the time going through sex-reassignment procedures and changed your name to Gladys
you worked for the NSA
The average interviewer will think all of the above and more in the space of two milliseconds, whether any of these delusional thoughts have any basis in reality.
There is no logic in it. Holes are bad because holes are bad. I'm sure I can make up a reason for you, but IMO, its better to cut out the bullshit and just tell it to you straight.
Holes in a resume are bad because most people who look at resumes think that holes are a bad thing. Its simply the bias that exists in most jobs (that I've come across... anyway)
