Are US employees being catfished? Here’s what the survey says about new deception in American workplaces

Promises sparkle in job postings; words like “collaborative,” “dynamic,” and “growth-oriented” beckon eager applicants with the promise of purpose. Yet, for many American workers, that glitter fades too soon.

The office they step into often bears little resemblance to the one painted by recruiters’ words. Welcome to the new deception of the digital age: Career catfishing.A recent Monster Career Catfishing Poll (2025) lays bare an unsettling truth: 79% of US workers claim they have been lured into roles that were nothing like what they were sold. From glorified titles masking mundane tasks to “inclusive” cultures that turn out to be toxic, the illusion of the perfect job has never been stronger or more fragile.

False advertising at work

Recruitment, once a process built on clarity and communication, now often resembles a marketplace of embellished promises. Nearly half of surveyed workers, 49%, said their responsibilities didn’t align with what they were told during hiring. Another 21% admitted the company culture had been sugarcoated, while 9% found that even pay and benefits had been overstated.The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has long cautioned that early attrition is often rooted in one thing: Unmet expectations.

And the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) adds data to the distress; in 2024, America’s average monthly quit rate stood at 2.1%, proof that disillusionment isn’t rare; it’s routine. Workers are walking out not because they can’t do the job, but because the job isn’t what they were promised.

A game played by both sides

But deception doesn’t end with recruiters. Thirteen percent of workers, according to Monster’s findings, admitted to catfishing their way into jobs, inflating résumés, fabricating skills, or polishing credentials to outshine the competition.Eight percent confessed to exaggerating their responsibilities; seven percent overstated technical expertise, while three percent admitted to falsifying educational details. Both sides, it seems, are staging performances, one to secure a hire, the other to secure employment. The result? A professional standoff where truth becomes the first casualty.

The cost of mistrust

Career catfishing is not a harmless white lie; it’s a betrayal that echoes through boardrooms and cubicles alike.

Employees who find themselves misled quickly spiral into frustration, burnout, and premature exits. Employers who hire based on false claims pay the price in lost productivity, morale, and credibility.As the Harvard Business Review notes, perks and pay can no longer mask a hollow experience. Employees today seek meaning and growth, not manipulation wrapped in corporate branding. When trust fractures, even the best talent disengages.

Restoring truth in hiring

There is, however, a path back to honesty, and it starts with transparency. For job seekers, that means asking pointed questions about daily duties, growth prospects, and company expectations. Researching reviews, verifying benefits in writing, and probing for clarity can strip away illusion before it takes root.For employers, the answer lies in accountability. Skills-based assessments, clear job postings, and verified background checks can separate authenticity from artifice.

In an era when talent is currency, integrity may well be the most valuable asset a company can hold.

The trust crisis of the modern workplace

Beneath the numbers lies a deeper malaise, a quiet erosion of faith in the professional pact. What began as a few exaggerated résumés and romanticized job ads has evolved into a systemic trust crisis. The modern hiring process, it seems, has become less about truth and more about presentation.Career catfishing exposes that dysfunction with brutal clarity.

It reveals a culture obsessed with looking perfect, even if it means being dishonest. It reminds us that the real challenge isn’t finding the best candidate or the most prestigious role; it’s finding honesty amid the noise.The final reckoningAuthenticity has become the new scarcity in American employment. Workers crave it. Employers preach it. Yet both too often sacrifice it for short-term gain. The data from Monster’s 2025 poll doesn’t just indict hiring practices; it calls for a reckoning.If trust is the foundation of work, then deception is its slow undoing. And as both sides continue to embellish, the question grows louder: In America’s battle for talent, are we hiring skill or selling illusions?Because when the masks fall, only the truth will decide who stays and who walks away.