Jobs are always evolving, particularly in the age of artificial intelligence. But if the work you’re doing bears little resemblance to the role you were promised, and especially if no one has explained or discussed the change with you, you might be experiencing a career “bait-and-switch.”
When ResumeBuilder surveyed 1,000 U.S. employees, nearly one in five said their role had changed significantly or was completely different from what they were hired to do. Additionally, 30% felt undervalued or overlooked, according to the survey report, and 74% found conversations about career growth inconsistent, delayed, or addressed only after an issue arose.
It’s very unlikely someone will be in exactly the same role for their entire career. But what distinguishes normal changes in responsibilities from something more worrisome is clear communication and expectations, says Stacie Haller, ResumeBuilder’s chief career advisor.
“Normal changes build on the skills you were hired for, come with a conversation, and move you forward,” she says. “It’s cause for concern when the job you’re doing barely resembles the one you interviewed for, when you’ve quietly absorbed the work of two people without a new title or a raise, or when your priorities shift overnight with no explanation.”
If you’re spending more time adapting to shifting demands than doing the work you were hired for, she adds, that’s a big sign something is wrong.
A changing role can become a poor fit for the person performing it, says Anthony Belluccia, an industrial and organizational psychologist at the talent optimization platform The Predictive Index. Being capable of handling new responsibilities doesn’t necessarily mean they suit your strengths or professional needs.
“People can only ‘flex’ into a mismatched role for so long,” he tells Fast Company. “Drifting roles wear people down even when they’re capable of doing the work.”
Get clear on what your job is now
Sometimes employers may fail to update a role as the business changes, which adds to the confusion.
“Restructuring, understaffing, and AI all stack new tasks onto a role, and unless someone redefines what success looks like, the person in the seat absorbs the difference,” Belluccia says.
Before you decide what to do next, ask your manager to explain how your responsibilities have changed and what you are now being assessed against. That’s the recommendation of Lisa Leath, chief people officer at the community management platform Vantaca.
“I think much of the time employees have no idea what they’re accountable for,” she tells Fast Company.
At Vantaca, Leath says, the role of an engineer changed significantly when it became more focused on AI. Changes like these put the responsibility on managers to explain how employees can now do their job well.
“As jobs change, we owe it, in a manager role or a leader role, to be explicit in how people can be successful,” she says.
Another thing: Suddenly doing a substantially different role can take you away from the experience you hoped to gain. A mismatch between your title and responsibilities can make it harder to explain your experience to your next employer.
“If you took a job to build specific skills or reach a certain goal and you’re now doing something else entirely, that’s time and momentum you don’t get back,” says Haller at ResumeBuilder.
Haller recommends considering other opportunities if you have raised your concerns and nothing changes within a few months, or if the role has become so misaligned with your career goals it will hinder your progress.
“Looking while you’re still employed gives you more control over your next move, rather than forcing you to make a decision under pressure,” she says.
Look for red flags during the interview
The warning signs an employer is inconsistent may become apparent even before you take the job, so go into your next job search with your eyes open, Haller says.
“Be cautious if the job description is vague, if different interviewers describe the role in different ways, or if no one can clearly explain what success looks like,” she says. “Pressure to accept an offer quickly, or evasive answers about why the position is open, are also red flags.”
María José Lorenzo, VP of talent acquisition at Hire With Near, a recruitment agency that helps U.S. companies hire remote talent in Latin America, tells Fast Company that a career bait-and-switch is probably not done on purpose most of the time.
“It starts with a role that was never fully defined,” she says. “When a company comes to us, we spend a lot of the kickoff call making sure we understand what the person will be doing day-to-day, not only the title and the list of requirements.”
If that step is rushed, the job description can end up describing the role the company wishes it had, not the one it’s actually offering. “The person finds out about the real one after they start,” Lorenzo says. So be aware of poorly defined job descriptions before you apply.
“My advice for candidates is to ask in the interview: What would success look like in my first month? And in my first three months? Who will I be working with day-to-day?” she adds.
“If the hiring manager can’t answer, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bait-and-switch,” she says. “But it tells you the role may change once you’re in it.”
