Catch-22
Etymology
Coined by Joseph Heller in his 1961 novel "Catch-22": a wartime pilot can be excused from combat only if declared insane, but requesting to be excused proves he is sane enough to fear death — so no one can ever be grounded. The circular rule gave English a name for any such paradoxical trap. People often misuse it for a mere dilemma; the essence is the self-cancelling rule.
noun · /KACH twen-tee-TOO/
A no-win situation created by self-contradictory rules that trap you either way.
What it names
The precise term for a bind where the only escape is blocked by the very condition you are trying to escape.
Example
You need experience to get the job, but you can only get experience by having the job — a perfect Catch-22.
Related idea
A dilemma forces a choice between two bad options; a Catch-22 rigs the rules so no valid option exists at all — a hard choice versus a logically sealed trap.