Are you accidentally recruiting narcissistic employees to your practice?

Wording in job postings matter: ©Inezbazdar – stock.adobe.com

Practices might be unintentionally recruiting narcissistic employees through the language used in job postings, according to a new study published in Management Science. The research suggests that phrases such as “results-oriented,” “ambitious,” and “persuasive” tend to appeal to individuals with higher levels of narcissism—traits associated with a greater willingness to engage in unethical behavior to achieve results.

Jonathan Gay, an assistant professor of accountancy instruction and the study’s lead author, said, “That's what you would expect a narcissist to do—be willing to bend the rules, at least for themselves. And it starts with your job posting. Who are you attracting with your job postings?”

The risks of narcissistic hires

Narcissists have been found to make poor leaders in many contexts, particularly in industries such as accounting, where ethics and transparency are critical. Narcissistic employees are more likely to engage in earnings management—legally questionable practices that can misrepresent a company's performance—or outright fraud.

“Narcissism, for whatever reason, has proven to be the dominant personality trait that is associated with earnings management, fraud, and manipulation,” said Scott Jackson, professor of accounting at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. “A narcissist would be more likely to get entangled in serious accounting infractions than someone who doesn’t have that personality trait.”

However, the study also points out that narcissists might be assets in certain roles. “If you want salesmen that are going to go be innovative and sell a bunch of your goods, you may want a narcissist for that,” Gay said. “It’s been shown that executives are typically high in narcissism.”

The distinction lies in the job's nature and the behaviors that are rewarded. Creative thinking and assertiveness may benefit sales or leadership roles but prove harmful in fields like accounting, where accuracy and ethics are paramount.

For the study, researchers analyzed the preferences of 248 participants using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 test, a widely accepted tool for measuring nonclinical narcissistic tendencies. Participants then chose job postings they found most appealing, which were analyzed for language correlated with higher narcissism scores.

The findings confirmed that certain terms—“thinking outside the box,” “creative,” and “self-reliant”—align with narcissistic tendencies.

“Calling someone a ‘creative accountant’ is kind of a euphemism for someone who tells accounting fibs,” Jackson said. “When you see a creative accountant, that wouldn’t be a compliment.”

Tailoring language to the role

The study underscores the importance of crafting job postings with care. Practices must decide whether the traits they’re attracting align with the role’s demands.

“So, if you want somebody who is going to be ambitious and self-reliant and maybe a little narcissistic, then include this language,” Gay said. “But if you want somebody that's going to report the most accurate representation of your financial statements, not the most favorable representation, then you might want to be cautious about using some of these rule-bender terms in your job listings.”