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EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY 
first step will probably be to find out, either by looking 
at the application blank or by asking the applicant, what 
kind of work he is seeking. If the applicant is seeking 
reemployment in the same capacity in which he served 
at some previous time, the interviewer’s next step will 
be to find out by referring to the candidate’s record what 
his success in that capacity has been. If the candidate’s 
record is one of success, it will be logical to infer that he 
can succeed at the same job again. If his record is one 
of failure, it will be necessary to carry the interview fur 
ther in order to discover the reasons for the failure and 
whether these reasons have been overcome. For instance, 
a former employee, working in the capacity of a drafts 
man, may have failed because his training had not been 
sufficiently thorough to fit him for that work. After leav 
ing his position, he may have taken a correspondence 
or night-school course in drafting which would now fit 
him to follow such work with increased possibilities of 
success, and it may therefore be advisable to reemploy 
him in the capacity in which he originally failed. On 
the other hand, if his experience in the intervening time 
has not been such as to contribute to his development, 
it would be unwise to hire him for the same kind of work 
unless it be in the capacity of a learner or an apprentice. 
The possible variations of this situation are infinite and 
must all be settled largely upon the basis of the candidate’s 
record. However, where this record is lacking, or where 
it is ambiguous and unreliable, or where the immediate 
circumstances are such as to raise any question, the fol 
lowing rule may be laid down as the safest guide: When 
ever any doubt arises about the status of an applicant 
formerly employed, always examine the applicant in the 
same thorough fashion in which an applicant about whose