resume inflation

Definition

The academic version of grade inflation where institutional pressure leads to padding CVs with dubious achievements, minor roles elevated to major contributions, and every coffee chat counted as professional development. Everybody does it; nobody admits it.

Example Usage

His CV lists 'conference participant' under presentations—that's some serious resume inflation.

Origin

Academic hiring and promotion discourse, parallel to corporate resume practices

Fun Fact

Academic resume inflation has created an arms race where legitimate accomplishments get lost amid bloated CVs running 20+ pages.

Source: Academic career development and hiring practices

Related Terms

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