The job seemed like a great fit. A passionate individual who wanted to work in supply chain management, I was hoping for an internship with a little more sparkle than a warehouse position. The job description asked for “game-changers” and gave me optimism—I thought I could be one of those game-changers. I interviewed, and I came with intensity, telling my interviewer I wanted to innovate. He responded by painting a picture of how he saw me, as someone who liked to have free rein in a work environment. That depiction of me was inaccurate, and I thought, “Had I lied to paint that picture?” No matter my internal qualms, I got the job. I found a culture of work in which people were passionate or at least acted like it. I, on the other hand, struggled to latch onto that passion; at the end of the day, our company was a middleman for ecommerce companies, especially supplement brands. How did I get into this job for which I was a poor fit?
More and more, employers are asking for passion from their potential hires. I expand passion to include ambitious qualities like initiative and innovation. Research from Harvard Business School indicates that the word “passion” appeared in only 2% of job postings in 2007. In 2019, “passion” was in 16% of job postings [9]. CBS reports that the number one most popular corporate buzzword was “innovative,” with “self-starter” at number seven [4]. Companies are asking for passion, innovation, and initiative out of their applicants, even for roles that don’t match such lofty expectations. Applicants match the job description by exaggerating their work results and selling their hobbies as passion projects. This is what I call the fake hustle. First, they dust off the thesaurus to enhance their internship experience which they mostly passed on Instagram. Then, they dress up the “Personal” section of their resume. On the side, casual volunteering is no longer acceptable. The local basketball coach is now someone who led and inspired disadvantaged youth while implementing an articulate training plan. For evidence that such exaggeration exists, scan a batch of resumes and extrapolate that to reality; poverty still persists despite the fact that resume-boosters are at war with it.
The reality is that employers are asking for passion that many applicants don’t actually have, especially Generation Z. Gallup reports that Gen Z is more likely to get burnt out at work and less likely to be actively engaged in their work [3]. According to ResumeBuilder, 74% of managers and business leaders believe Gen Z is “more difficult to work with than other generations.” This same group reports that Gen Z shows a “lack of effort, motivation and productivity.” [5] It doesn’t take intense research to identify this trend: talk with any young software developer and ask them how much they work. Or, consider that Gen Z’s preference for “working from home” could really be a euphemism for “not working.” A gaping chasm should be obvious: more job descriptions are asking for passion, yet Gen Z is less able to offer it. How is this gap overcome? Lying.
In a ResumeLab survey earlier this year, 70% of participants admitted to lying at least once on their resume with 37% saying they lie frequently. Similarly, 80% had lied during a job interview, with 44% lying frequently. Participants with Master’s or doctoral degrees were more likely to lie [7]. Even if you don’t blatantly lie, career consultants will tell you to embellish your past accomplishments, saying that it’s not dishonest. Our depiction of honesty is inappropriately black and white. The reality is that a broad gray area exists; intentional exaggeration falls in that gray area. While hyperbole in job interviews may not indicate moral bankruptcy, it certainly isn’t virtuous. Well-meaning mentors may soften the moral question by insisting that everyone else exaggerates, and if you don’t, you’ll be left behind. This is a tenuous argument for moral vindication, especially because it has its victims. By exaggerating, you cheat yourself and your employer out of a good fit, and you prevent a more qualified individual from getting the job.
Employers also have a tendency to stretch the truth. Objectively dull jobs are advertised as game-changing, invigorating experiences in which only someone with passion and proactivity can thrive. Look no further than the job title: Subway inflates their rank and file employee to a “Sandwich Artist,” while corporations rebrand the receptionist a “Director of First Impressions.” [8] Applicants exaggerate the truth because their employers show such a strong appetite for it. Moreover, machine-driven hiring processes reward meaningless exaggeration—your application may get turned down if your resume doesn’t have the desired keywords [2].
No matter who is at fault, we would all benefit from more honesty on both sides. I make that claim as a reformed fake-hustler. I too have overstated my passion for work and my desire to innovate. I even pursued a passion project, a road-bike ride from California to Virginia. Alongside other motives, I thought the trip would make for a unique line on my resume and a strong talking point in an interview. In a cruel twist of irony, I returned from that bike ride unemployed and unmotivated to work. My passion to seriously pursue any job was lacking, and I was unwilling to lie about my passion to get a job. Instead, I started a moving business which has been successful and provides internal satisfaction I didn’t have in other recent jobs. Curiously, I found passion in work when I chose not to lie about it.
American author Robert Brault stated, "Every lie is two lies, the lie we tell others and the lie we tell ourselves to justify it" [6]. In this case, the justifying lie is that we need to exaggerate to keep up and get ahead. Employers may think that they need to embellish a job to attract top talent. Research suggests that honesty yields other benefits: giving a realistic job preview reduces turnover and improves employee satisfaction [2]. Anyways, a company like Subway should question if they really need artists making sandwiches. On an individual level, my prescription for the lying problem is simple: don’t do it. Hyperbole is not needed to get ahead, and if someone feels the need to exaggerate their passion for a certain job, they ought to question if the job is actually the right fit. If we stop lying on both sides, companies will find better matches with employees, and employees will have better experiences. It’s understandable that people want to reach for the top job and employers for the top talent. Regardless, honesty is still the best policy.
