Seductive Language for Narcissists in Job Postings

Jonathan Gay (), Scott B. Jackson () and Nicholas Seybert ()
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Jonathan Gay: Patterson School of Accountancy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi 37677
Scott B. Jackson: Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
Nicholas Seybert: Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742

Management Science, 2025, vol. 71, issue 5, 4433-4452

Abstract: Prior research indicates that narcissistic executives engage in earnings management and other negative organizational behaviors, and many studies ponder why firms hire such individuals, especially into corporate accounting positions. Utilizing a selection of terms from real-world job postings that we characterize as describing either a “Rule-Bender” or “Rule-Follower” candidate, we first conduct several validation studies which reveal that these terms vary predictably across types of job postings, that people generally agree with our categorization of these terms, and that Rule-Benders are viewed as possessing worse managerial skills but a higher proclivity for unethical behavior. We then demonstrate that narcissistic job seekers are more attracted to job postings that describe the ideal candidate using Rule-Bender terms for both general positions (Experiment 1) and senior accounting positions (Experiment 2). Finally, we examine firm characteristics that might lead professional recruiters to incorporate Rule-Bender language into Chief Accounting Officer job postings and find that Rule-Bender terms are preferred for higher-growth, higher-innovation firms (Experiment 3), and when more aggressive reporting would benefit the firm (Experiment 4). Our results suggest that recruiters’ language choices can attract Rule-Bending narcissists to firms, perhaps even in unintended circumstances.

Keywords: narcissism; job postings; earnings management; accounting; financial officers; bending rules; executive recruitment; recruiters; hiring practices; language (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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