Yeah I had just recently had a contract that ended sooner than expected and was unemployed when I started dating the woman I would later marry. A couple of months after we started dating I had a new job and was making far more than anyone she had ever dated in her past (which was still just a modest salary for this crowd).

I can understand someone being hesitant but it's not always a red flag.

Exceptions to every rule right. The rule still sounds solid to me if you’re trying to optimize the quality of your interactions.

My personal one from my days of being single, no “cat people”. I’m a “dog person”. I like cats but the slight personality difference between me identifying as a dog person and the people I’ve known who identify as a “cat person” is enough that it just sounds like a waste of my time.

Yeah same. Nothing wrong with being unemployed.