Bosses: Beware of what you wish for.
While on paper, “ambitious,” “self-reliant,” and “result-oriented” workers sound like the hallmarks of a high-performer.
Behavioural researchers analysed real-life job postings and separated the corporate clichés that frequently popped up into two categories: Those that are more likely to attract a rule-bending candidate or a “rule follower”.
Terms like grounded, collaborative and process-oriented, went in the “rule-follower” category. Meanwhile, phrases like “thinks outside the box” were filed under “rule-bender”. They then put out fake job ads with these terms and assessed how narcissistic its applicaticant were.
The results? The job ads littered with the “rule-bending” phrase enticed, as a researcher puts it, candidates with “a grand view of self”.
These are the “rule-follower” words to use instead
Gay added that recruiters were most likely to use rule-bender terms when hiring for “highly innovative, high-growth companies”—but that it’s unclear whether they’re intentionally trying to attract narcissists, after all, they can at times be beneficial for business.
“While narcissistic traits can lead to negative outcomes, we aren’t saying that companies should avoid attracting narcissistic applicants altogether,” he explained. “A firm can benefit from a salesperson who is persuasive, who ‘thinks outside the box’ and is results-oriented.”
Gay pointed out that on the one hand, narcissistic employees can be more innovative and willing to take risks to achieve success, but they’re also “more likely to behave unethically, potentially leading to legal consequences.”
For companies that are actively concerned about hiring narcissists, Gay recommended clearly “communicating their ethical values” in job ads, or simply avoiding rule-bender language entirely.
