Hiring “self-reliant” candidates who “think outside the box”? Beware, your job post might be attracting rule-bending narcissists!

If you have ever scoured job listings on platforms like LinkedIn, you have surely come across posts seeking “ambitious and self-reliant” candidates who can “think outside the box” and “develop creative solutions”. While these buzzwords sound appealing, they may actually attract the wrong kind of candidates—those that display narcissistic tendencies and are more likely to bend the rules than follow them!

A forthcoming study in Management Science, available on the SSRN server, has found that such enticing keywords signify that firms are searching for “rule benders” rather than “rule followers”. Ultimately, this language ends up disproportionately attracting narcissistic applicants, who are more prone to unethical or fraudulent behaviour.

For this study, Nick Seybert, Associate Professor of Accounting at UMD's Robert H. Smith School of Business, along with co-authors Scott Jackson from the University of South Carolina and Jonathan Gay from the University of Mississippi, zeroed in on the accounting field. They chose this sector because narcissists and rule benders in this area can have an immediate and damaging impact.

The study involved testing online participants (college graduates recruited via a research crowdsourcing platform) for narcissism levels and their attraction to rule-bender terms in job descriptions. A similar study was conducted with experienced accounting managers, and factors influencing professional recruiters' language choices were also examined.

The findings revealed that narcissists are more drawn to rule-bender language in job postings, both for general positions and specifically for accounting roles.

Seybert explains that even before a single job seeker clicks 'apply,' the language in a job posting can be too tempting for narcissists to ignore, increasing the likelihood of attracting unethical candidates.

While recruiters often consume advice on how to avoid hiring narcissists, they unwittingly attract them by using such language in job postings, Seybert notes.

Furthermore, the intent behind the recruiters’ language choice can be irrelevant—such job descriptions can even unintentionally attract rule-bending narcissists to firms.

Additionally, the research shows that professional recruiters are more likely to use such rule-bender language in job postings for innovative, high-growth companies, as well as firms that might benefit from manipulating their earnings.

The key takeaway is that 'rule-bender' language can slip into job postings both intentionally and unintentionally, resulting in a much larger percentage of narcissistic candidates in the applicant pool, Seybert concludes.

The findings were recently published on SSRN and can be accessed here.