Tips on How to Spot Jerks Before They’re Hired

Published: Feb 26, 2015
Updated: May 12, 2021
1 minute read

Tips on How to Spot a Jerk Before They’re Hired

Conflicting Chemistry

Conflicting Chemistry

83% of IT professionals surveyed said they’ve worked with a jerk within the last five years.

Most Common Types of Jerks in IT

Most Common Types of Jerks in IT

The know-it-all: 30%, The bully: 26%, The complainer: 21%

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Sinking Spirits

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Sinking Spirits

59% of surveyed IT workers said working with a jerk results in low employee morale.

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Siloed Effort

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Siloed Effort

42% said working with this kind of colleague results in workers taking on a lone-wolf mentality, as they prefer to work alone.

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Quality Control

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Quality Control

40% said this situation results in decreased work quality.

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Dysfunction Junction

Consequences of Working With Jerks: Dysfunction Junction

34% said it results in the inability to get work done.

Lesser of Two Evils, Part I

Lesser of Two Evils, Part I

48% of tech employees would rather sit in a middle seat on an international flight than work with a jerk.

Lesser of Two Evils, Part II

Lesser of Two Evils, Part II

20% would rather get a root canal than work with a jerk, and the same percentage said they’d prefer to take a lower position in another department than work with this sort of person.

Top Workforce Satisfaction Drivers

Top Workforce Satisfaction Drivers

Positive relationships among colleagues: 43%, Office location: 27%, Culture: 15%

Personal Confession

Personal Confession

One out of five tech pros admit that they’ve been an office jerk themselves.

Dennis McCafferty

Dennis McCafferty

Content Writer

Dennis McCafferty, a writer for eWeek, Baseline and CIO Insight, has more than 20 years of experience as a writer. He has covered a variety of technology and business topics for a number of publications, including those of Ziff Davis. Dennis was also an editorial staffer for USA Weekend, the nation’s second-largest magazine, with more than 22 million readers.

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