Let’s face it. Work relationships can be just as messy as dating. There’s excitement, disappointment, mixed signals, and sometimes, total silence. People vanish without a trace. Resumes sparkle with half-truths. Interviews feel like auditions for roles that don’t actually exist. Sounds familiar? It should — because career catfishing and ghosting are the workplace equivalents of online dating’s worst habits.
But here’s the twist: these frustrating, even downright rude experiences don’t have to end in bitterness. With the right perspective, you can flip them into opportunities for growth.
We all know the word “catfishing” from the world of dating — when someone pretends to be someone they’re not. Now shift that idea into the professional sphere. Career catfishing happens when someone (a candidate or even a company) presents a misleading picture of themselves.
It could be the applicant who lists “fluent in Spanish” but struggles to order tapas in Madrid. Or the recruiter who promises “amazing growth opportunities” when, in reality, you’re signing up for a dead-end role with more admin than advancement.
For job seekers, career catfishing is maddening. For employers, it’s costly. And for Gen Z — a generation already skeptical of corporate promises — the rise of Gen Z career catfishing feels especially personal. They’ve grown up online, curating identities across social platforms, so they know the difference between authenticity and spin.
If catfishing is the fake profile, ghosting is the disappearing act. And it’s everywhere.
Candidates drop out of hiring pipelines with zero explanation.
Employers stop responding after interviews.
Employees accept offers and then… never show up.
It’s not just annoying. It’s expensive. A recruiter might spend weeks wooing the perfect hire only for them to vanish on day one. That “ghost employee” can leave behind wasted resources, confused managers, and an empty desk no one saw coming.
On the flip side, companies also practice employee ghosting. Ever had an interview that went well, maybe even two, and then radio silence? No rejection email, no call, nothing? That silence feels personal, even though it’s usually just poor process management.
The harsh truth is that ghosting has become normalized — especially in a job market where both sides feel overwhelmed, under pressure, and often disconnected.
Now, let’s zoom out. Sometimes ghosting and catfishing aren’t just irritating — they’re fraudulent. Ghost employee fraud happens when someone creates fake workers on payrolls to siphon off salaries. It’s a scam as old as accounting itself, but in today’s digital-first workplaces, it’s taken new forms.
Companies discover “employees” who don’t exist, contractors who were never hired, or even real staff whose details were cloned and manipulated. The damage? Financial loss, reputational hits, and in some cases, legal battles. It’s proof that dishonesty in the workplace isn’t just an HR headache — it’s a business risk.
Before we go full “shame and blame,” it’s worth asking: why do these behaviors keep popping up?
Fear of Confrontation – It’s easier to ghost than to deliver bad news.
Overwhelm – Both recruiters and candidates juggle multiple processes. Someone slips through the cracks.
Mismatch of Expectations – If a role isn’t what it seemed (hello, catfishing), ghosting feels like an escape hatch.
Lack of Accountability – In digital hiring, it’s easier than ever to vanish. You’re just an email address, after all.
That doesn’t excuse the behavior. But it explains why it’s not going away anytime soon.
Here’s the part that matters: how do you move from frustration to progress? How do you take career catfishing and ghosting — the very things that make people roll their eyes at “professionalism” — and actually benefit from them?
If you’ve been burned by false promises or sketchy candidates, use it as fuel to refine your process. Build in verification steps. Fact-check resumes. Ask situational questions that force people to demonstrate, not just claim, their skills.
For job seekers, that means doing your own due diligence. Research companies. Read employee reviews. Ask blunt questions in interviews: “What happened to the last person in this role?” If a company dodges, consider that your answer.
On a Related Note: How to Beat AI Interview Tools: Tips for Video & ATS Scans
Getting ghosted sucks. No sugarcoating that. But here’s the truth: it rarely reflects your actual worth. Nine times out of ten, ghosting happens because of internal chaos, shifting budgets, or recruiters juggling too many candidates.
Instead of spiraling into self-doubt, reframe it. That silence? A bullet dodged. A clear sign that this company doesn’t prioritize communication — which means you’re better off elsewhere.
The antidote to catfishing is authenticity. If you’re a manager, be clear about your company culture — warts and all. If you’re a candidate, own your skills and your gaps. Authenticity weeds out mismatches early, saving everyone time.
And guess what? The more authentic you are, the less ghosting you’ll encounter. People are less likely to disappear when they feel like they’re dealing with a real human, not just a polished profile.
Every awkward hiring story, every botched interview, every “we’ll be in touch” email that went nowhere — keep track. Not to wallow, but to spot patterns. Maybe you’re consistently ghosted at a certain stage. Maybe candidates catfish on the same skill.
Patterns reveal problems. And problems can be solved.
Online platforms make it easy to vanish. Real-world networks make it harder. If ghosting keeps derailing you, lean into professional communities, alumni groups, or mentorship circles. In these spaces, reputations matter more. People don’t just ghost because they know they’ll see you again.
Here’s the funny thing about these “bad” workplace trends: they highlight what’s missing. Communication. Accountability. Honesty. By shining a light on the problems, they give us the chance to improve.
If you’ve ever been career catfished, you know to double-check before leaping. If you’ve been ghosted, you know the importance of keeping your own promises. If you’ve seen fraud in action, you know the value of stronger systems.
Frustrating as they are, these experiences sharpen us. They remind us that the future of work can’t just be about skills and salaries. It has to be about trust.
Read More: 9 Major Recruitment Trends in 2025 That You Should Know
Career catfishing and ghosting aren’t going away. They’re symptoms of a world that moves fast, hides behind screens, and sometimes chooses convenience over courtesy. But here’s the good news: they don’t have to define your career.
You get to decide whether being catfished leaves you jaded, or simply wiser. You get to choose whether ghosting leaves you bitter, or just more resilient. The trick is to treat every frustration as a nudge toward growth.
In the end, the best response to dishonesty or silence isn’t more of the same — it’s clarity, confidence, and authenticity. That’s how you stand out in a noisy, ghost-filled job market. And that’s how you keep moving forward, no matter who disappears on you.
This content was created by AI