I recently encountered a frustrating situation during my job search that I never expected. After four years of working at a small medical supply distributor, which unfortunately closed down in 2024, I was excited to reach the reference check stage for an inventory coordinator position I applied for. My former supervisor, who knows my work well, agreed to be my reference, but then I hit a major roadblock. The third-party reference system rejected her personal email address because it ends in @gmail.com, insisting they need a verified company email. I tried explaining to the recruiter that the company no longer exists and that all email accounts were shut down two years ago. She suggested using my supervisor's work email from when we were employed, but I had to inform her that those accounts were also gone. I even reached out to the recruiter about contacting the company's HR department, but there isn't one—there's no company at all anymore. I have pay stubs, tax documents, and a signed recommendation letter to prove my employment, and my former supervisor is willing to discuss my work over the phone. However, the verification process seems stuck because the system won't accept her email address. I've been searching for a job for seven months, and this was the first time I got this far in an interview process. Now, I feel exhausted and anxious about losing this opportunity due to a technicality regarding a business that has permanently closed. Has anyone else faced a similar issue with employment verification when the company no longer exists? I really hope I can find a way to resolve this.