“Catfishing” typically describes when an individual lies about their identity to deceive someone into a friendship or romance. But can someone be “catfished” into a job?
According to a Monster report from September, most workers think so: 79% of respondents said they have been deceived into taking a job that didn’t match the recruiter’s description. “For employers, it often looks like overselling company culture, benefits, or role expectations,” Monster researchers said.
More specifically, about half of survey-takers said their on-the-job responsibilities were misrepresented. About 1 in 5 said the workplace culture was different than expected.
A culture of misrepresentation
Similar to career catfishing, ghosting continues to be an issue in recruiting. When job board Greenhouse interviewed talent in the U.K. in 2023, 57% said they had been ghosted by an employer after a job interview.
Later that year, Glassdoor also put out a report stating that instances of ghosting had more than doubled since the pandemic began. And by 2024, the majority of hiring managers confessed to ghosting job-seekers.
Monster researchers highlighted the need for recruiters to treat potential hires with respect.
“Career catfishing is more than just an awkward mismatch — it’s a trust issue that impacts careers and businesses alike,” they said. “By prioritizing transparency and honesty on both sides of the hiring equation, job seekers and employers can create stronger, more successful matches.”
Catfishing goes both ways
Monster also highlighted the fact that job seekers can be prone to “exaggerating skills, education, or past job responsibilities.” More specifically:
- 3% lied about their certifications
- 7% lied about their skills
- 7% lied about their work experience
- 8% lied about their past job responsibilities
Perhaps HR can take heart from this data, which suggests that the majority of workers aren’t stretching the truth on their resume.
Interestingly enough, most employees (67%) believe they work with at least one person who lied about their qualifications.
