Looking for an employee who’s ambitious, self-reliant and thinks outside the box? You might be fishing for a narcissist.
A study by behavioral researchers looked at the corporate speak used in job postings and found that certain turns of phrase are catnip for those with, as a researcher puts it, “a grand view of self.”
After noticing how often executives seemed to show narcissistic tendencies — associated with a sense of superiority, an extreme drive “to be admired and succeed” and a willingness to “do what it takes to achieve that” — Jonathan Gay, an assistant professor at the Patterson School of Accountancy at the University of Mississippi, decided to investigate.
Photo: AFP
“We were thinking about it as: what’s the earliest stage in which these people with more narcissistic traits get lined up with these companies?” he says.
In the study, Gay and his colleagues Scott Jackson and Nick Seybert divided language used in job ads into two categories: phrases that might attract “rule-followers” and phrases that might appeal to “rule-benders.”
Postings seeking an applicant who is “grounded and collaborative,” “thinks methodically” and “communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner” went in the “rule-follower” category. Phrases like “ambitious and self-reliant,” “thinks outside the box” and “communicates in a tactical and persuasive manner” were filed under “rule-bender.”
The team then gave study subjects fake job ads with either “rule-bender” or “rule-follower” language, and asked the subjects to evaluate how well-suited they’d be to the fictional roles — both of which were written to be appealing.
Separately, the researchers assessed narcissistic traits by asking subjects to choose between statements such as “I always know what I am doing” versus “sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing,” or “people always like my stories” versus “people sometimes like my stories.” (You can probably guess which options raised a red flag.)
The researchers found that “rule-bending” language drew in those with higher levels of narcissism, who often fancy themselves persuasive and creative, as Gay recently wrote in the study, which was published in September in the journal Management Science.
The takeaway for companies: use phrases like “results-oriented,” “creative and innovative,” or “flexible and strategic” at your peril. Who wants to work with a narcissist? Beyond the annoyance factor, studies also suggest they may be more likely to engage in unethical or illegal behavior. (Cue biting political joke about current US president.)
“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,” Seybert, associate professor of accounting at the University of Maryland’s Robert H Smith School of Business, told university media.
On the other hand, as the researchers point out, there are some jobs in which this mindset can be helpful — narcissistic people, they say, can be great at sales. You just might not want them as accountants balancing your books, bending the rules to hit earnings targets. To advertise those jobs, it might be better to seek a person who “relies on time-tested solutions” and has a “concrete and practical mindset.”
Indeed, while narcissists are often manipulative, Gay says, they’re not necessarily always “bad people.”
“They feel like they should succeed because they feel like they’re more creative and capable than everybody,” he says, but “they’re not always domineering or remorseless.”
Those traits are more associated with machiavellianism, which can overlap in a “dark triad” with narcissism and psychopathy.
Another caveat: just because you find “rule-bending language” appealing, or consider yourself creative and ambitious, it does not mean you are a narcissist, Gay says. Some who have commented on the study online have worried about this — but the researchers simply found that those with higher scores on narcissistic traits also preferred such language.
So what does all this mean for those of us who don’t write job ads? Well, it may offer some insight into why we see narcissists in positions of executive power — as well as some guidance to anyone involved anywhere in the hiring process: if you’re looking for a more down-to-earth type, choose your language carefully.
Perhaps it also goes some way to explaining why the “move fast and break things” crowd is so insufferable. Narcissist-friendly language is common “in job postings for more innovative and higher-growth companies,” Seybert wrote.
Outside the workplace, it might also have powerful implications for dating profiles: swipe left on anyone who thinks outside the box. Stay away from flexible and strategic types who develop creative and innovative solutions to problems. Grounded and collaborative is the new hot.
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
RSS