Dive Brief:

• Nearly 1 in 5 workers (18%) said the job they have now has either changed significantly or is completely different from the role they were hired to fill, according to a report released Sept. 14 from ResumeBuilder.com.
• This bait-and-switch gap can mean employees aren’t sure about what’s expected of them, with 20% saying their daily responsibilities are frequently unclear and can be unpredictable. Another 30% of workers said they felt “undervalued or completely overlooked based on their workplace contributions.”
• In addition, 74% of workers said that conversations about growth and development were inconsistent, put off or only addressed when there was an issue. Only 26% said those conversations happened proactively.

Dive Insight:

When the job they’re doing isn’t the one they signed up for, employees can question their place at the company and may begin to wonder if their present position is aligned with their career goals, the report said.

Less than half (43%) of the more than 1,000 U.S. employees surveyed described their job expectations as “very clear and well-defined,” which can make succeeding at work feel like hitting a moving target, the report added. That kind of unpredictable job definition can mean that workers spend more time trying to meet shifting demands than they do actually doing the job they were hired to do.

That confusion may not be limited to their current role and actually extend to their future prospects at the organization. Notably, workers who say they are getting mixed signals about their current role may also be unclear about development opportunities, the report indicated.

“When conversations about advancement are inconsistent or avoided, employees may feel unsure how they can grow with the organization,” the report said.

These bait-and-switch issues can lead to worker burnout and stress. However, the report said that hiring managers who are able to address these problems early on may be able to help employees get back on track.

“Recognizing these issues early can help workers clarify whether the role can be brought back in line with what was promised or make informed decisions about what comes next,” the report said.

Part of the problem may be that the hiring process has begun to feel increasingly impersonal, according to Monster’s recently released Application Black Box Report. According to that study, 60% of U.S. job seekers said the most exasperating part of their job search was not knowing if their resume has been seen by a person. That lack of clarity led many otherwise interested applicants to report being frustrated by the process, per the study.

On the other hand, some HR leaders are feeling pressured to make hiring decisions more quickly than they’d like, which can lead to less-than-ideal choices, according to a 2025 survey from talent management solution provider Talogy. That study found that 73% of hiring professionals in industries including manufacturing, logistics and engineering felt like they had to make rapid decisions, but later felt the negative consequences of those rushed choices.