The Growing Epidemic of “Profiles” — What’s the End Game?

It feels like we’re in the middle of a new epidemic in our industry — not one of talent shortage, but of inflated profiles.

Every week, we see candidates with “8+ years” of experience in a product that’s only been on the market for four. Resumes that read like AI wrote them — polished, keyword-heavy, and too good to be true. Some even come with certificates and client names that don’t quite line up when you start asking the right questions.

And the problem isn’t just the profiles themselves. It’s the broken cycle they create.

A vendor pushes for quick submittals. A recruiter wants to meet a client’s deadline. A hiring manager — under pressure to staff a project — has to take a chance. And what happens next?

A candidate walks in on day one and can’t perform. The team scrambles. The client loses trust. And everyone involved — the real professionals, the delivery teams, the recruiters who do their homework — pay the price.

The truth is, this epidemic hurts everyone.

• It drives down confidence in the consultant market.
• It slows down project delivery.
• It wastes client dollars.
• And most importantly, it discourages the real experts who’ve put in the years learning these systems from the ground up.

So it makes me wonder — what’s the end game?

If this continues, do we end up with projects staffed by people who can’t execute the basics? Or will clients start building walls so high around their selection process that even genuine talent struggles to get through?

I’d love to hear your thoughts — especially from hiring managers, program leads, and consultants who’ve seen this firsthand.

👉 Where does this trend end? And how do we start fixing it before “profile engineering” becomes the new normal?

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