Of course, the loudest ad might not be the most accurate. A recent report from job site Monster suggests nearly 8 in 10 workers — 79 percent — say they’ve accepted a job that didn’t match what was promised during the hiring process.
Because this phenomenon is so widespread, even the term “career catfishing” was, at some point, adapted from the online dating world to describe situations in which either employers or candidates misrepresent themselves through misleading job descriptions, overstated company culture, or exaggerated résumés.
The report, based on a survey of more than 1,400 American workers across various industries and experience levels, highlights that for many of them, the reality of a new job fails to live up to the hype leading up to the offer.
Nearly half of those surveyed said the responsibilities of their role differed from what was described. More than one in five felt the company culture was misrepresented, and 9 percent reported that their pay or benefits were not what had been promised.
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Workers who feel misled often report dissatisfaction, burnout, and early resignations. Research underscores the importance of meaningful work and growth opportunities, suggesting that surface-level perks or inflated promises can’t compensate for deeper disconnects between expectations and reality.
But interestingly, 13 percent of respondents admitted to misleading employers during the hiring process, most often by exaggerating job responsibilities, skills, work experience, or education.
Even more telling, 67 percent of workers believe someone they currently work with misrepresented their qualifications to get the job, but then again, every team has its weak link.
I guess the risk goes both ways.
Experiencing a bait-and-switch during a job search is one of the breakdowns in the system that today’s workforce is worried about, says Jon Stross, president and co-founder of hiring platform Greenhouse.
“What frequently happens is, in the rush to get going with hiring, [companies] just grab a job description from a past job, or maybe they go online and they find a job at a different company and they copy it,” Stross explains.
As far as confronting the experience as a job candidate, Stross says your best defense is to ask plenty of questions throughout the hiring process.
“Get clarification about what the job is,” he recommends. “If you ask, ‘What does it look like to really succeed in this job?’ it’s a good question that both shows your interest and also helps you get clarification.”
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