Strange - Handwriting Analysis for Job Application
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Try this one, is free http://www.fontcapture.com/
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
I'm curious, you didn't ask them why they wan tyou to submit a handwriting sample? I'd be curious to see what purpose they think this is going to serve. As someone else mentioned, if they responded "Well, it helps us find the bad people," I'd progress very cautiously. If that's the level of logic they use to run their busienss, it can't be too stable a place.
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
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I wonder what they would say if the sample was entirely in "text message speak" :laugh:
Steve _________________ I C(++) therefore I am
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
Odd yes, however this could be a way to test your psychological makeup.. Handwriting can be used as an estimate of your attention to detail, creativity, personality querks :omg: and the like. I know that the last time my handwriting was analyzed(not by a professional.. but at a seminar) I was told I am creative, devilishly good looking and well endowed.. *dramatic pause*.... mentally :-\ it is very similar in essence to the credit check that you would get in the US, missing a payment or two should have no bearing on how well one can complete a line of code. yet for some this is a apparently important.:confused:
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Odd yes, however this could be a way to test your psychological makeup.. Handwriting can be used as an estimate of your attention to detail, creativity, personality querks :omg: and the like. I know that the last time my handwriting was analyzed(not by a professional.. but at a seminar) I was told I am creative, devilishly good looking and well endowed.. *dramatic pause*.... mentally :-\ it is very similar in essence to the credit check that you would get in the US, missing a payment or two should have no bearing on how well one can complete a line of code. yet for some this is a apparently important.:confused:
A credit check, I can understand. It's a measure of how responsible you are. What I cannot understand is something like you would possibly encounter in Japan where (for some reason) you might be asked to provide your blood-type (as a measure of your intelligence/ability).
Fletcher Glenn
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
You should ask them for a sample of their handwriting for analysis.
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
I had a friend who interviewed at a place where they wanted his exact birth date, time and location so they could "accurately" do his horoscope.
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
Brady Kelly wrote:
they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
It is ridiculous for any type of job. Just as psychological tests are as well. The "science", if any, behind all such tests are created by the industry pushing the tests as a service. However excluding employement laws that may preclude it, all you can do it subject yourself to the random chance which they do represent and hope you "pass".
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Thats rather a strange request. I can understand a form of comprehension test to ensure that a candidate can follow instructions but hand writing? I know my handwriting suffers badly but I also only ever use it to sign pretty much.
Mario Luis wrote:
I can understand a form of comprehension test to ensure that a candidate can follow instructions but hand writing?
It is a scam masquerading as science in which ill-informed individuals buy into the idea that they can discover information about your personality by doing this. The purported benefits are usually along the lines of finding someone who meshes better with the company mind-set or even that it can exclude those that are lazy or criminal. Psychological tests of any sort are the same.
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I'm not sure where you are based but in some countries this is quite common. Less now than it used to be because most people submit their CV/Resume by email these days but when you had to send it by post with a cover letter it wasn't unusual (in some European countries) to have your hand writing analysed. Not sure if it's very scientific or not but it can tell if you're shy or not etc so basically they can get an idea of your personality without even having met you yet.
AnthonyLondon wrote:
Not sure if it's very scientific or not but it can tell if you're shy or not etc so basically they can get an idea of your personality without even having met you yet.
If that was true then it would in fact be scientific because one could correlate shyness with some aspect of handwriting. But it isn't true. No more so than horoscopes or voodoo have any basis in science. One might as well be told that the HR director will pray over your resume and get back to you with the deity's answer the next day.
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Odd yes, however this could be a way to test your psychological makeup.. Handwriting can be used as an estimate of your attention to detail, creativity, personality querks :omg: and the like. I know that the last time my handwriting was analyzed(not by a professional.. but at a seminar) I was told I am creative, devilishly good looking and well endowed.. *dramatic pause*.... mentally :-\ it is very similar in essence to the credit check that you would get in the US, missing a payment or two should have no bearing on how well one can complete a line of code. yet for some this is a apparently important.:confused:
ely_bob wrote:
Odd yes, however this could be a way to test your psychological makeup.. Handwriting can be used as an estimate of your attention to detail, creativity, personality querks and the like. I know that the last time my handwriting was analyzed(not by a professional.. but at a seminar) I was told I am creative, devilishly good looking and well endowed.. *dramatic pause*.... mentally it is very similar in essence to the credit check that you would get in the US, missing a payment or two should have no bearing on how well one can complete a line of code.
Except of course that missing a payment is part of a physical objective reality. While claiming that personality is exposed via handwriting has nothing to do with physical objective reality. You might as well be asked to submit a "feng shui" arrangement of office furniture to determine your suitability.
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I had a friend who interviewed at a place where they wanted his exact birth date, time and location so they could "accurately" do his horoscope.
Wasserspeier wrote:
had a friend who interviewed at a place where they wanted his exact birth date, time and location so they could "accurately" do his horoscope.
At least they were honest about what they were going to do with it. If a voodoo witch doctor wants me to write code for him/her I have no problem submitting to some (depending on actual physical impact on me) tests designed to test some spiritual aspect that fits into that particular profession. But a place of business whose business is not specifically in the spiritual business should not be consulting with the spirits and being dishonest about it.
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Last week I had quite a successful telephonic interview with a company. They want me back to meet the technical directory as soon as I'm back in Johannesburg, but meanwhile they have asked me to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. I have no issue with this, I just find it kind of strange. especially for a development job.
Red flag! I think you just wrote the first line of a daily WTF article...
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Reminds me of Dilbert at the firing range :laugh:
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ely_bob wrote:
Odd yes, however this could be a way to test your psychological makeup.. Handwriting can be used as an estimate of your attention to detail, creativity, personality querks and the like. I know that the last time my handwriting was analyzed(not by a professional.. but at a seminar) I was told I am creative, devilishly good looking and well endowed.. *dramatic pause*.... mentally it is very similar in essence to the credit check that you would get in the US, missing a payment or two should have no bearing on how well one can complete a line of code.
Except of course that missing a payment is part of a physical objective reality. While claiming that personality is exposed via handwriting has nothing to do with physical objective reality. You might as well be asked to submit a "feng shui" arrangement of office furniture to determine your suitability.
jschell wrote:
physical objective reality
meta-physical subjective perspective of reality... reasons to miss a payment: (all of which fall into the Unforeseen category) A: Auto repair. B: Medical Expense ( even if you have coverage you probably don't have 100% coverage) C: A client Backs out. D: The Economy goes into Recession, and revenue slips. E: You Loose your job F: After college you fail to get a job immediately. G: You're Robbed. H: any combination of the above. So If none of these things has ever happened to you .. just wait they will... Does any of the above tell an employer that you are not a valid candidate? the answer is unequivocally NO, it says your human. --- coincidently the FBI/CIA..etc.. use handwriting analysis to determine the physical and mental nature/stability of applicants, terrorists, and serial killers.... I'm guessing that is just a waste of the tax payers money then? ;P
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jschell wrote:
physical objective reality
meta-physical subjective perspective of reality... reasons to miss a payment: (all of which fall into the Unforeseen category) A: Auto repair. B: Medical Expense ( even if you have coverage you probably don't have 100% coverage) C: A client Backs out. D: The Economy goes into Recession, and revenue slips. E: You Loose your job F: After college you fail to get a job immediately. G: You're Robbed. H: any combination of the above. So If none of these things has ever happened to you .. just wait they will... Does any of the above tell an employer that you are not a valid candidate? the answer is unequivocally NO, it says your human. --- coincidently the FBI/CIA..etc.. use handwriting analysis to determine the physical and mental nature/stability of applicants, terrorists, and serial killers.... I'm guessing that is just a waste of the tax payers money then? ;P
ely_bob wrote:
meta-physical subjective perspective of reality... reasons to miss a payment: (all of which fall into the Unforeseen category) A: Auto repair. B: Medical Expense ( even if you have coverage you probably don't have 100% coverage) C: A client Backs out. D: The Economy goes into Recession, and revenue slips. E: You Loose your job F: After college you fail to get a job immediately. G: You're Robbed. H: any combination of the above. So If none of these things has ever happened to you .. just wait they will... Does any of the above tell an employer that you are not a valid candidate? the answer is unequivocally NO, it says your human.
I didn't claim that is was a reasonable measure of apptitude - what I said was that it was measurable.
ely_bob wrote:
--- coincidently the FBI/CIA..etc.. use handwriting analysis to determine the physical and mental nature/stability of applicants, terrorists, and serial killers.... I'm guessing that is just a waste of the tax payers money then?
Provide a source that says that either of those agencies have used that tool recently to profile the personality of an individual. That process of course is distinct from comparing samples to determine who authored a particular document. And I am certain that those agencies use it to determine authorship.
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ely_bob wrote:
meta-physical subjective perspective of reality... reasons to miss a payment: (all of which fall into the Unforeseen category) A: Auto repair. B: Medical Expense ( even if you have coverage you probably don't have 100% coverage) C: A client Backs out. D: The Economy goes into Recession, and revenue slips. E: You Loose your job F: After college you fail to get a job immediately. G: You're Robbed. H: any combination of the above. So If none of these things has ever happened to you .. just wait they will... Does any of the above tell an employer that you are not a valid candidate? the answer is unequivocally NO, it says your human.
I didn't claim that is was a reasonable measure of apptitude - what I said was that it was measurable.
ely_bob wrote:
--- coincidently the FBI/CIA..etc.. use handwriting analysis to determine the physical and mental nature/stability of applicants, terrorists, and serial killers.... I'm guessing that is just a waste of the tax payers money then?
Provide a source that says that either of those agencies have used that tool recently to profile the personality of an individual. That process of course is distinct from comparing samples to determine who authored a particular document. And I am certain that those agencies use it to determine authorship.
jschell wrote:
Provide a source that says that either of those agencies have used that tool recently to profile the personality of an individual. That process of course is distinct from comparing samples to determine who authored a particular document. And I am certain that those agencies use it to determine authorship.
hmm. apparently not quite so "public knowledge" as one might think... A proposal: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol3no3/html/v03i3a03p_0001.htm Here is A book about it... Allegedly. I'm still looking.....
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jschell wrote:
Provide a source that says that either of those agencies have used that tool recently to profile the personality of an individual. That process of course is distinct from comparing samples to determine who authored a particular document. And I am certain that those agencies use it to determine authorship.
hmm. apparently not quite so "public knowledge" as one might think... A proposal: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol3no3/html/v03i3a03p_0001.htm Here is A book about it... Allegedly. I'm still looking.....
ely_bob wrote:
hmm. apparently not quite so "public knowledge" as one might think... A proposal: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol3no3/html/v03i3a03p\_0001.htm
Interesting in that it is a proposal to actually validate whether there is any objective way to use it. I wouldn't have been surprised in that period if they had just jumped on board with less than formal trials.
ely_bob wrote:
Here is A book about it... Allegedly.
The review, just the first part quoted in that link, probably encapsulates the book entirely.