A PRACTICAL COMBINATION OF EMPLOYMENT METHODS 351
Examples of such tests and the situations in which they
may be given have already been discussed in the chapter
on the vocational value of tests. When, for instance, a
man applies for the work of assembling, work which may
be learned by a man or woman who has had no experience
at assembling whatsoever, it is nevertheless desirable to
know whether the applicant possesses the necessary manual
dexterity, and that degree of mechanical ingenuity
which goes far in enabling a novice to become an expert.
The same thing applies to the work of clerks of many
kinds, inspectors, automatic-machine operators, machinetool
specialists, salesmen and saleswomen, packers, and
the unlimited number of workers who, without previous
training, can acquire the necessary skill and experience
in a comparatively short time. Even the untrained
worker who applies for a position as helper or apprentice
in which he will have to serve years as a learner, can be
selected more intelligently by the application of the appropriate
tests, as has been shown in the chapter on tests
for apprentices. When an applicant’s preference is fixed
so that he will take only the one kind of work, there is
no course left but to reject him if his record in the tests
is decisively below the standard. However, if his record
is quite close to standard, it is advisable, provided there
are no other hindrances, that the applicant be recommended
for a trial; for it frequently happens that genuine
determination on the part of a worker will enable him to
overcome very substantial initial handicaps. On the
other hand, when the preferences of a worker are not
absolutely fixed and he fails in the tests for a certain
kind of work, it is well to give him some further tests
in order to discover, if possible, another kind of work
for which he is suited. It frequently happens that appli-
