EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY 
362 
plexity of this problem, the hundreds of possible varieties 
of men and women, races and creeds, skill and awkward 
ness, education and ignorance, trades and professions, 
represented at one time or another among the seekers for 
work in an employment office. To place ourselves, there 
fore, in the position of the typical applicant, and to ac 
quire 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 heteroge 
neous 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 com 
mon 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 emo 
tions, desires, or instincts which are present in all individ 
uals? 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. Neverthe 
less, 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 employ 
ment office, it usually takes some time to interview them 
all and, unless particular care is exercised, some who ar 
rive first will be interviewed last and some who arrive