Inaccurate job descriptions can have unanticipated effects

A job description can be pretty different from the job itself. Sometimes this can be because the hiring organization’s needs are evolving, and they are responding to these changes, write Professor Lisa Cohen and PhD candidate Sara Mahabadi in The Conversation. If an organization becomes aware of their evolving needs during the hiring process, it can help to repost the job ad, so they find the candidates that are best aligned with their actual needs. And it can have negative consequences to hire people for jobs that are substantially different than what they believed they applied for. People who feel misled may leave the position, and people who are unaware that job descriptions can be fluid could be reluctant to apply for jobs that they do not meet all stated qualifications.