252 
EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY 
tralization took place, it was the custom of each shop 
foreman to hire his own men. The shop foreman was at 
least fairly familiar with the jobs in his particular shop, 
and could interview applicants with direct reference to the 
work which he expected them to do. His intimate knowl 
edge of jobs was of inestimable value in selecting the right 
man for the right job. However, the growth of large 
industries, with the consequent centralization of functions, 
has brought with it the centralization of all employment 
functions. Consequently, instead of ten or a hundred 
different shop foremen, each hiring his own men in his own 
way, we have one employment office in which a few men 
do all the hiring for every shop and office in the organiza 
tion and for nearly all of the dozens and often hundreds of 
varieties of jobs which may be found there. 
The advantages of the centralized employment office in 
standardizing rates, records, clerical methods, and in 
making the most economical use of the labor available are 
unquestionable. There is no longer a doubt that a central 
control of all the factors in the relation between an indus 
trial organization and its employees is indispensable. 
However, it is equally certain that in giving up the old 
form of decentralized employment, industry lost also the 
one most valuable feature of the old method. This was 
the firsthand knowledge of the different jobs under his 
control which the foreman of each shop had and which 
he was able to apply in hiring new men. When the func 
tions of hiring were centralized, the knowledge of these 
jobs was to a large extent lost. This is only natural, since 
it is manifestly impossible to maintain a force of inter 
viewers who shall be experts in all of the jobs concerned. 
And for the employment manager or his employment 
clerks to have this knowledge is still further beyond the