XXV

THE  APPLICANT’S  POINT  OF  VIEW
No  study  of  employment  psychology  would  be  complete
without  a  discussion  of  the  applicant’s  point  of  view.
The  consideration  of  this  topic  will  be  particularly  apt
at  this  time  if,  in  the  minds  of  some  readers,  the  foregoing ­
  chapters  have  dealt  with  the  applicant  in  a  somewhat ­
  artificial  manner.  It  is  very  easy  to  talk  about  an
applicant  as  though  he  were  a  mere  bit  of  mechanism,  an
inanimate  pawn  in  the  game  of  industry.  In  order  to
counteract  this  tendency,  let  us  imagine  ourselves  for  the
time  being  in  the  position  of  an  applicant  entering  an
employment  office.  Let  us  attempt  to  adopt  the  actual
feelings  and  mental  processes  of  the  individual  in  search
of  a  job.  The  question  which  now  suggests  itself  is:  What
kind  of  applicant  shall  we  be?  Shall  we  apply  as  expert
mechanics,  draftsmen,  or  accountants,  or  shall  we  apply
for  the  work  of  ordinary  laborers,  work  which  requires
neither  skill  nor  education?  Shall  we  apply  as  Americans,
fluent  in  the  English  language  and  at  home  in  American
customs  and  manners,  or  shall  we  be  Italian  or  Russian
applicants,  unable  to  speak  any  but  the  most  broken
English  and  still  more  helpless  in  writing  the  language?
Shall  we  apply  as  men  or  as  women?  Shall  we  be  applicants ­
  for  factory  jobs  or  office  positions?  These  questions
could  be  continued  indefinitely;  but  the  few  characters
which  we  have  suggested  will  indicate  at  once  the  com-361