Interviews are tough sometimes, and its often suggested that outright arrogance and narcissism is a turn off for employers. However, a new study is suggesting that is not the case. Interview performance doesn't depend on how much the interview likes you in the slightest, but just how much you like yourself.
That being said, you'll need to know what you're saying and how you are answering. The research was carried out at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and it suggests that the narcissists' innate tendency to promote themselves manages to get themselves jobs, regardless of whether the interviewers actually liked them. Peter Harms, one of the researchers, explains to Science Daily:
"This is one setting where it's OK to say nice things about yourself and there are no ramifications. In fact, it's expected... Simply put, those who are comfortable doing this tend to do much better than those who aren't."
The study is published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, and it had a sample base of 222 interviewers to rate 72 mock interviewees. The results: It doesn't matter whether employers actually like you, rather, the interviewees tend to get jobs based solely on the amount of self promotion they manage to squeeze in.
"These results show just how hard it is to effectively interview, and how fallible we can be when making interview judgements. We don't necessarily want to hire narcissists, but might end up doing so because they come off as being self-confident and capable."
[Journal of Applied Psychology via Science Daily]
