HR specialists’ perceptions of the desirability of psychopathic traits in job candidates

Abstract

Abstract The study of psychopathy in organizational settings is still in its incipient stage, but scholars have already proven that the prevalence of psychopathic features in the corporate environment, especially in senior positions, is higher than in the general population (3% compared with 1% in general population) and that employees with psychopathic tendencies have a negative impact on the sustainability of organizations. It has been argued that human resources specialists have to become astute at identifying employees with psychopathic features in order to be able to manage their careers in a way that would not affect the organization’s wellbeing. However, research has also proved that there are several psychopathic traits which make job candidates likelier to obtain a job, due to the positive impression that they create during the job interview. The study tested the desirability of psychopathic traits in job candidates from the perspective of human resources specialists and, based on a survey of a sample of 68 Romanian human resources specialists, found that candidates displaying an ability to remain calm under pressure, self-confidence and persuasiveness are more likely to be hired. Moreover, the study concluded that Romanian human resources professionals are somewhat aware of the threat posed by psychopathic employees and that most of the employers they represent use selection methods able to filter out potential psychopaths. The findings open up new avenues of research on the ways in which selection strategies can be employed in order to enable human resources specialists to effectively identify candidates with psychopathic tendencies.