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Every company wants to hire someone \u201cambitious\u201d who \u201cthinks outside the box,\u201d right? Who \u201cthinks strategically\u201d and \u201ccommunicates persuasively\u201d? While recruiters may be tempted to pepper job postings with these keywords, which seemingly describe the ideal employee, a new study suggests such \u201crule-bender\u201d language is apt to attract narcissistic <\/a>applicants.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, this type of wording entices narcissists who are more likely to engage in fraudulent or unethical behavior\u2014particularly where accounting positions are concerned\u2014according to researchers at the universities of Maryland<\/a>, Mississippi<\/a>, and South Carolina<\/a>. Their findings have been accepted for publication<\/a> by the journal Management Science<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEven before a single job seeker has clicked \u2018Apply,\u2019 language contained in a job posting may be too seductive for narcissists to ignore, increasing the chances of attracting unethical applicants to the position,\u201d Nick Seybert, PhD<\/a>, an associate professor of accounting at UMD\u2019s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said in a news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n Narcissists are no strangers to the workplace<\/a>. Previous research has shown they not only hamper team performance<\/a> but also have a knack for landing leadership roles<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n In a series of experiments, Seybert and his colleagues gauged people\u2019s level of narcissism and assessed their attraction to rule-bender language. They used the following rule-bender versus rule-follower language in their research:<\/p>\n \u201cWe show that narcissists are more attracted to rule-bender language in job postings both for general jobs and for accounting positions<\/a>,\u201d Seybert said. \u201cWe then show that professional recruiters<\/a> 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Seybert added that his team focused on accounting because \u201cit is an area where narcissists and rule-benders may have the most immediate negative impact.\u201d<\/p>\n While some people throw around the term \u201cnarcissist\u201d to define anyone selfish, charismatic, and successful<\/a>, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a mental illness<\/a>. Self-esteem is a critical component of the disorder, but so is how the person treats others. Cleveland Clinic<\/a> highlights these NPD traits:<\/p>\n Roughly 1 to 2% of people<\/a> in the U.S. have NPD, estimates the American Psychiatric Association<\/a>. In addition, NPD commonly manifests alongside other mental illnesses<\/a> such as depression<\/a> and substance abuse disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those with NPD are unlikely to seek treatment on their own<\/a>, as they often don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with them. No medications directly treat NPD, according to Cleveland Clinic<\/a>, but a combination of psychotherapy and adjacent medications such as antidepressants can help.<\/p>\n If you need immediate mental health support, contact the <\/em>988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n For more on workplace wellness:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. <\/span>Sign up<\/span><\/a> for free today.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
What is narcissistic personality disorder?<\/h2>\n
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