Study Finds Most Workers Feel They Have To Hide Who They Are To Get A Job, Including Changing Their Names
Job hunting is competitive, and workers are just trying to get the upper hand.
Prostock-studio / Shutterstock When we're searching for a new job, we always want to show the best sides of ourselves to a potential employer. We spruce up our resumes, put on our nicest clothes, and walk into an interview ready to show everything that we have to offer.
However, performative professionalism in the modern workplace may be forcing workers to hide who they really are, especially when job hunting. One study found that many professionals feel that, to be perceived a certain way, they have to change key parts of themselves, even including their name.
A recent study found that the majority of workers conceal parts of their identity or background to appear more professional.
Researchers at Aurora University surveyed 1,000 American professionals about how they present themselves at work, and uncovered some surprising results. Fifty-two percent of participants claimed that they have hidden certain things about themselves in order to come across as more "professional" to others.
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Many workers are afraid of being judged for their age (49%), gender (49%), or personality (47%), and don't feel comfortable self-promoting in a professional space. Others are simply worried about being perceived as arrogant if they promote themselves, causing 49% to hold themselves back from doing so.
Almost one in five professionals (18%) said they feel pressured to maintain a curated and inauthentic version of themselves, both online and in real life. Workers often take to multiple online platforms to create their professional identity, but 38% of participants reported that keeping up with this personal brand feels like having a second job.
Sadly, however, curating an inauthentic persona in the workplace doesn't exactly promote productivity. In fact, according to a 2014 Harvard Business Review piece by Dorie Clark and Christie Smith, “Help Your Employees Be Themselves at Work,” all that time hiding takes a whole lot of effort. The authors wrote, “Enabling employees to feel comfortable being themselves could unlock dramatic performance gains because they can focus their attention on work, rather than hiding parts of themselves.”
Well-developed personal branding can contribute to career success.
While having a good resume is important to landing a job, workplace trends are shifting to value identity over experience. The survey discovered that half of the participants (50%) believe that a strong personal brand matters more than a strong resume in 2025. This is definitely dependent on the specific industry, but developing a brand in any field can't hurt your chances.
Most often, professionals turn to LinkedIn to share their personal brand, according to 64% of participants. Public-facing social media (34%), personal websites or portfolios (29%), and strategic bios (27%) were also effective choices for those looking to shape their identity online.
Though personal branding has helped professionals build networks (34%), secure interviews (27%), and land new jobs (22%), it can be costly if used poorly. Twenty percent of professionals say they have missed out on something because their online identity didn't match their professional brand.
There are several reasons why a professional might choose to update or change their brand.
Having a solid professional identity is a powerful tool that helps you align with new goals or supports a change in your life. Around 32% of participants shared that, at the time of the survey, they were actively reworking their personal brand to reach a new stage in their career.
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Some were looking for a greater feeling of purpose in their work life (27%), while others were attempting to remedy a career plateau (20%) or fighting burnout (17%). Rebranding can also be beneficial for someone looking to enter graduate school or a leadership role.
Curating a personal brand has undeniably become a necessary part of the modern workforce. Honesty is always the best policy, but crafting a specific professional image can change how others perceive you and the work you do, and open up the potential to bring new opportunities into your life.
Just remember: Don't stray too far from who you are at your core. Playing the role of someone else isn't just deceitful, it's exhausting. Chances are, you are pretty amazing just as you are.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
