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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  further ­
  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  draftsman, ­
  may  have  failed  because  his  training  had  not  been
sufficiently  thorough  to  fit  him  for  that  work.  After  leaving ­
  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  following ­
  rule  may  be  laid  down  as  the  safest  guide:  Whenever ­
  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