EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

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ships,  when  long  continued,  depend  on  such  a  large  number ­
  and  variety  of  subtleties,  that  it  is  reckless  to  call  a
man  a  good  mixer  simply  because  he  has  a  bluff  and
hearty  manner.  Many  men  can  mix  well  with  others
during  the  first  few  hours,  but  very  poorly  as  soon  as  the
first  impression  they  make  has  been  supplemented  by  a
more  prolonged  acquaintance.
In  all  these  instances,  it  is  apparent  that  observation
relies  upon  signs,  and  that  in  order  to  form  an  estimate
of  a  man,  the  interviewer  must  be  able  to  read  the  proper
meaning  into  the  signs  which  are  revealed  to  him.  Here
lies  the  crux  of  the  weakness  of  this  method.  This  weakness ­
  is  implied  by  the  single  word  interpretation.  Before
the  observer  can  arrive  at  an  estimate  of  an  individual,  he
must  first  interpret  the  signs  which  this  individual  reveals.
But  how  is  he  to  interpret  them?  What  standard  or  rule
or  system  is  there  which  will  guide  him  in  his  interpretation? ­
  There  is  none.  It  is  entirely  a  matter  of  judgment
or  knack  on  the  part  of  the  interviewer.  And,  as  a  consequence ­
  of  this  fact,  all  the  objections  which  were  raised
in  the  introduction  against  the  unscientific  method  and
against  any  method  which  is  open  to  the  variables  of  the
human  equation,  can  be  raised  against  the  observational
method.  In  the  absence  of  any  plan  or  standard  of
interpretation,  each  interviewer  must  be  his  own  standard, ­
  and  the  manner  in  which  he  interprets  the  signs  he
sees  will  depend  entirely  upon  the  kind  of  man  he  is.  The
observer  will  be  guided  by  his  previous  experience,  by  the
mood  he  happens  to  be  in,  by  his  racial  and  social  prejudices, ­
  and  by  the  hundred  and  one  other  factors  which
unconsciously  go  to  make  up  his  attitude.  Moreover,
when  one  interviewer  in  an  employment  office  is  replaced
by  another,  he  brings  with  him  a  new  and  probably  en-