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.
