Every company wants to hire someone “ambitious” who “thinks outside the box,” right? Who “thinks strategically” and “communicates persuasively”? While recruiters may be tempted to pepper job postings with these keywords, which seemingly describe the ideal employee, a new study suggests such “rule-bender” language is apt to attract narcissistic applicants.
What’s more, this type of wording entices narcissists who are more likely to engage in fraudulent or unethical behavior—particularly where accounting positions are concerned—according to researchers at the universities of Maryland, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Their findings have been accepted for publication by the journal Management Science.
“Even before a single job seeker has clicked ‘Apply,’ language contained in a job posting may be too seductive for narcissists to ignore, increasing the chances of attracting unethical applicants to the position,” Nick Seybert, PhD, an associate professor of accounting at UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said in a news release.
Narcissists are no strangers to the workplace. Previous research has shown they not only hamper team performance but also have a knack for landing leadership roles. This latest study, the researchers note, may help explain why self-admiring applicants get hired in the first place; recruiters may unintentionally be using rule-bender rhetoric.
In a series of experiments, Seybert and his colleagues gauged people’s level of narcissism and assessed their attraction to rule-bender language. They used the following rule-bender versus rule-follower language in their research:
- Ambitious and self-reliant vs. Grounded and collaborative
- Thinks outside the box vs. Thinks methodically
- Results-oriented, establishes and strives for goals vs. Process-oriented, establishes and strengthens procedures
- Develops creative and innovative solutions to problems vs. Relies on time-tested solutions to problems
- Flexible and strategic mindset vs. Concrete and practical mindset
- Communicates in a tactical and persuasive manner vs. Communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner
“We show that narcissists are more attracted to rule-bender language in job postings both for general jobs and for accounting positions,” Seybert said. “We then show that professional recruiters are more likely to include rule-bender language in job postings for more innovative and higher-growth companies, as well as for companies that would benefit from manipulating their earnings.”
Seybert added that his team focused on accounting because “it is an area where narcissists and rule-benders may have the most immediate negative impact.”
What is narcissistic personality disorder?
While some people throw around the term “narcissist” to define anyone selfish, charismatic, and successful, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a mental illness. Self-esteem is a critical component of the disorder, but so is how the person treats others. Cleveland Clinic highlights these NPD traits:
- Arrogance
- Behaving in a way that’s snobby or disdainful
- Patronizing behavior
- Talking down or acting condescendingly
- Belief in superiority
- Believing they should associate only with those they see as worthy
- Thinking they’re special or unique
- Entitlement
- Anger when people don’t cater to or appease them
- Expecting favorable treatment (to an unreasonable degree)
- Inflated sense of self-worth
- Frequent envy
- Belittling or diminishing the achievements of others
- Expecting envy from others
- Feeling envious of others, especially when others are successful
- Frequent fantasies about having or deserving:
- Beauty
- Intelligence
- Love
- Power
- Self-fulfillment
- Success
- Grandiose sense of self-importance
- Bragging or exaggerating their achievements
- Overestimating their capabilities or holding themselves to unreasonably high standards
- Lack of empathy
- Not returning kindness or interest that others show
- Saying things that might hurt others
- Seeing the feelings, needs, or desires of others as a sign of weakness
- Need for admiration
- Fishing for compliments
- Fragile self-esteem
- Frequent self-doubt, self-criticism, or emptiness
- Preoccupation with knowing what others think of them
- Willingness to exploit others
- Consciously or unconsciously using others
- Deliberately taking advantage of others for selfish reasons
- Forming friendships or relationships with people who boost their self-esteem or status
Roughly 1% to 2% of people in the U.S. have NPD, estimates the American Psychiatric Association. In addition, NPD commonly manifests alongside other mental illnesses such as depression and substance abuse disorder.
Those with NPD are unlikely to seek treatment on their own, as they often don’t think there’s anything wrong with them. No medications directly treat NPD, according to Cleveland Clinic, but a combination of psychotherapy and adjacent medications such as antidepressants can help.
If you need immediate mental health support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
For more on workplace wellness:
Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up for free today.
