Hiring the wrong person is one of the most common recruitment mistakes, and it can have disastrous consequences for an organisation. And this isn’t about someone with the wrong skills, but about someone with the wrong attitude and values that don’t fit the rest of the team.
Employees showing dark triad traits – narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy – are particularly dangerous. At first glance they may often seem competent, charismatic and self-confident, but in the longer term their actions can have a destructive effect on the team and the work culture.
Why are they destructive for the organisation?
The narcissist: Focuses on their own image and successes, ignoring the needs of the team. May take credit for others’ work while avoiding responsibility for mistakes. It is hard to build cohesive teams with narcissists.
The Machiavellian: Manipulates, stirs up conflict and acts solely in their own interest, destroying trust in the team. Trust is the foundation and the basic currency of teamwork.
The psychopath: Acts without empathy, makes impulsive decisions and often exploits others without regard for their well-being. Generates chaos and conflict. They aren’t interested in anyone else’s interest, only their own.
Hiring such a person comes with huge costs:
Lower team morale: Toxic behaviour leads to frustration and falling employee engagement. At first it goes unnoticed. The decline in morale is like boiling a frog – it happens slowly.
More conflict: Manipulation and a lack of cooperation create tension in the team, which can escalate into serious interpersonal problems. These are also often conflicts in which it is hard to get to the real cause.
High staff turnover: Employees leave a toxic environment, generating costs for recruiting and onboarding new people. An attitude of “no point fighting it” develops – avoiding constructive confrontation.
Financial and reputational losses: Low team effectiveness and errors resulting from chaotic action can lower the company’s business results, and internal conflicts can affect its image on the market.
Avoiding hiring toxic employees is a key part of building a healthy work environment. The right tools and strategies in the recruitment process make it possible to minimise this risk and invest in people who will genuinely contribute to the organisation’s success. But how do you spot that someone with such wonderful results in previous jobs might be toxic?
Characteristic features of toxic candidates:
The narcissist
Characteristics: Candidates with narcissistic traits focus mainly on themselves. They often show excessive self-confidence and like to emphasise their achievements, ignoring or downplaying the importance of teamwork. Narcissists may also overreact to criticism.
Examples of behaviour during a job interview:
Taking full credit for the team’s successes: The candidate says: “That project was entirely my work. It wouldn’t have succeeded without my vision.”
Ignoring questions about cooperation: The candidate avoids topics related to the team, focusing solely on their own achievements.
Reaction to questions about weaknesses: The candidate claims that they “have no weaknesses” or that their biggest flaw is “being too committed”.
It’s worth remembering that candidates sometimes learn how to answer questions about weaknesses – either they come up with it themselves or an inept adviser suggests it. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are a narcissist. It’s worth digging deeper and looking at the context of the answers and the story the candidate starts telling.
How to check whether a candidate has narcissistic traits?
A situational question: “Tell me about a project in which the team’s success depended on your cooperation with others. What role did you play in the team?”
What to watch for: Does the candidate highlight others’ contributions? Can they talk about their role in the context of cooperation? A narcissist will focus solely on themselves.
A question about reacting to criticism: “Has there been a time when someone disagreed with your approach? How did you react?”
What to watch for: The candidate may avoid answering or minimise such situations, suggesting that “others didn’t understand their vision”.
The Machiavellian
Characteristics: People with Machiavellian traits are excellent manipulators. They often feign charisma and commitment, but their aim is to use others for their own benefit. They may also tend to introduce conflict into the team.
Examples of behaviour during a job interview:
Answers that are too perfect: The candidate says what the recruiter wants to hear, but their statements may seem artificial and rehearsed.
Avoiding specifics: They answer questions about details with generalities, hiding their real approach or contribution.
Using others’ mistakes as their own strengths: The candidate talks about successes that came from “managing” the team’s mistakes.
It’s worth remembering that candidates can learn to answer a recruiter’s questions, especially if the recruiter isn’t professional and asks hackneyed questions like “what are your strengths and weaknesses?”. A smart job interview doesn’t look like an interrogation using questions available on the internet.
How to check whether a candidate has Machiavellian traits?
A question about conflict: “Tell me about a situation in which you had to resolve a conflict in the team. What steps did you take?”
What to watch for: Does the candidate stress that the conflict resulted from others’ mistakes? Do they describe their actions in manipulative terms (“I convinced them to do what I wanted”)? A Machiavellian usually doesn’t talk about compromise.
Group simulations (if used): Watch whether the candidate tries to impose their opinion while minimising others’ contributions. A Machiavellian often uses subtle manipulation to gain an advantage.
The psychopath
Characteristics: Candidates with psychopathic traits are characterised by a lack of empathy, impulsiveness and a tendency to take risks. They are often charismatic, but their decisions can be destructive for the organisation.
Examples of behaviour during a job interview:
Lack of emotional involvement: The candidate talks about difficult situations, such as redundancies or conflicts, in a cold and unemotional way.
Excessive confidence in taking risky decisions: The candidate stresses that they “like working under pressure” and “aren’t afraid to take risks”.
Focus on quick results: The candidate talks about their achievements but leaves out their long-term consequences.
You should also check whether the job advertisement said “work under pressure” – if so, it’s no surprise that the candidate has learned to answer this dispassionately.
How to check whether a candidate has psychopathic traits?
A question about empathy: “Tell me about a situation in which you had to support a colleague at a difficult moment. How did you do it?”
What to watch for: A candidate with psychopathic traits may avoid answering, minimise the importance of relationships or show a lack of interest in others’ emotions.
A question about risk: “Have you ever made a very risky decision? What were the consequences?”
What to watch for: A psychopath may talk about risky actions in an excessively positive way, ignoring their potential negative effects.
Why do managers “fall for the charm” and hire people with dark triad traits?
People with dark triad traits – narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy – often have skills that at first glance seem desirable in the workplace. Their charisma, self-confidence and ability to cope in difficult situations can make managers see them as ideal candidates. But the same traits that seem advantageous may be nothing more than a façade masking toxic behaviour.
Advantages that can mislead managers:
Charisma and self-confidence
People with narcissistic and psychopathic traits can make an excellent first impression. Their self-confidence in a job interview can be seen as a sign of competence and strong leadership skills.
Why is this misleading? Self-confidence doesn’t always go hand in hand with real skills. Narcissists often overestimate their abilities, and psychopaths use charisma as a tool for manipulation.
Stress resistance
Psychopaths and Machiavellians seem unshaken in difficult situations. In a dynamic work environment, their lack of emotion can be seen as an advantage, especially in positions that require fast decisions.
Why is this misleading? A lack of empathy and emotion can lead to impulsive or risky decisions without considering their long-term effects on the organisation.
Ability to manipulate as a “negotiating talent”
Machiavellians are masters of manipulation and can win people over to their point of view. Their ability to “sell themselves” can be seen as a capacity for negotiation and achieving business goals.
Why is this misleading? Manipulation instead of cooperation builds a toxic work environment, which in the longer term leads to conflict and lower team effectiveness.
Ambition and determination
Narcissists and Machiavellians are extremely determined to achieve their goals. Their ambition and drive for success can be seen as ideal traits in candidates for leadership or key positions.
Why is this misleading? Their determination often comes from a need for personal gain rather than the good of the team or organisation.
Short-term successes
People with dark triad traits can deliver results quickly, especially in crisis situations, which may impress managers.
Why is this misleading? These successes are usually achieved at the expense of others – through manipulation, ignoring rules or putting pressure on the team. In the long term, this approach can harm the organisation.
Why do smart managers make the wrong decisions despite knowing all this?
Time pressure
When a key position has to be filled quickly, managers may miss the red flags. A candidate with dark triad traits easily exploits this pressure, presenting themselves as the ideal solution to the problem.
Lack of suitable assessment tools
Standard job interviews are often not enough to detect toxic traits. People with dark triad traits are excellent manipulators who can hide their true intentions. The more senior the position, or the more it involves working with others, the more often it is worth using tools such as an assessment centre and comparing candidates.
A focus on results, not values
In organisational cultures focused on achieving results, people with dark triad traits may be seen as “effective” because of their ability to act quickly.
The illusion of competence
The charisma and self-confidence of candidates with dark triad traits can give the impression of high competence. Managers may be less inclined to analyse their skills critically.
Managers often “fall for the charm” of candidates with dark triad traits, because their characteristics may at first glance seem desirable in business. But short-term benefits rarely outweigh the long-term losses that these people’s toxic behaviour brings to the organisation. The key to avoiding such mistakes is conscious, well-thought-out recruitment based on the right assessment tools and an in-depth analysis of candidates’ behaviour.
