EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

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plexity  of  this  problem,  the  hundreds  of  possible  varieties
of  men  and  women,  races  and  creeds,  skill  and  awkwardness, ­
  education  and  ignorance,  trades  and  professions,
represented  at  one  time  or  another  among  the  seekers  for
work  in  an  employment  office.  To  place  ourselves,  therefore, ­
  in  the  position  of  the  typical  applicant,  and  to  acquire ­
  his  point  of  view,  is  a  most  complicated  problem.
For  instead  of  one  applicant  with  one  point  of  view,  we
find  a  heterogeneous  mass  of  applicants  with  a  heterogeneous ­
  mixture  of  points  of  view.  In  short,  there  is  no
typical  applicant.
However,  it  may  be  possible  for  us  to  overlook,  for  the
time  being,  these  innumerable  divergencies,  and  think
only  of  those  fundamental  characteristics  which  are  common ­
  to  all  applicants.  No  doubt,  there  are  such  constant
factors.  We  admit  it  in  our  use  of  the  phrase  human
nature;  for  what  is  human  nature  but  certain  basic  emotions, ­
  desires,  or  instincts  which  are  present  in  all  individuals? ­
  Now,  if  we  attempt  to  arrive  at  these  fundamental
forces,  in  so  far  as  they  are  characteristic  of  the  human
individual  in  search  of  work,  we  may  not  discover  them
all  or  be  infallible  in  those  which  we  do  find.  Nevertheless, ­
  such  an  attempt  will  contribute  something  to  our
success  in  adopting  the  applicant’s  point  of  view,  and
modifying  the  process  of  employment  accordingly.
One  of  the  most  obvious  qualities  of  human  nature
inherent  in  the  applicant  is  the  desire  for  a  square  deal.
The  opportunities  which  the  employment  office  has  of
exercising  or  ignoring  fair  play  are  innumerable.  For
instance,  when  a  number  of  applicants  enter  an  employment ­
  office,  it  usually  takes  some  time  to  interview  them
all  and,  unless  particular  care  is  exercised,  some  who  arrive ­
  first  will  be  interviewed  last  and  some  who  arrive