The French use of graphology

[pErvinalia]

Alexandre Dumas managed to start writing literature because he landed a job in a minisstry, thanks to his neat handwriting.

But it isn't neatness which is being assessed. Handwriting is 'interpreted' to read the personality of the person. It appears to have no foundation in anything logical or testable and careers can depend on it. I'm surprised people haven't sued.

Recruiters have relied on arbitrary means or wooish methods to trim down pools of candidates for how long?
It's not like graphology was new, or egregiously ludicrouser than other means used.

The last 20 odd years of my career involved regular recruitment. In my experience there were increasingly rigorous attempts to make the process as fair as possible. A points system was used for much of that time. A panel of three or more people would score various sections of the application form. Those scoring above an agreed score would be interviewed. The interview questions were the same for all candidates, though secondary questions were allowed. Each response was scored by each of the interview panel. The person with the highest score got the job. I'm not saying that it was foolproof by any means but at least it was even handed.

It may or may not be fair, but its a horrid way to recruit, it gives the interviewee no way of expressing any individuality. Never forget this public sector job I went for, they asked me 'how do you deal with doing part of a job you don't enjoy'. My answer was you can't expect to enjoy every part of a job but I paid to do everything professionally.

I didn't get the job apparently due to that answer, the 'correct' answer was 'was to discuss with your manager why you don't enjoy it and try to resolve why you are comfortable with it)

With apologies to Bella, this is why I hate HR so much. It's basically a self-justified industry. It's not entirely clear what purpose they now serve, outside of the usual old school purpose of HR.

edit: just to clarify that a bit, my experience of HR is pretty much solely with government and university (which is almost identical, if not worse, than government).

[Rum]

In my experience they moslty managed paperwork and systems and made sure people were operating 'to the rules'. They came into their own when there were disputes in my experience and were very valuable then. And when I was made redundant, along with almost half the people in my 'tier' two years ago, they made sure it was all done as 'fairly' and even handedly as possible. They had a shitty job to do at the time and I didn't envy them one little bit.

It is easy - and of course fashionable - to dismiss bureaucracy as self serving or self justifying. Without it though much of our infrastructure would cease to operate.

[pErvinalia]

It's just the ridiculousness of the selection process. That example from Mr Jonno is a perfect example of HR ascending up it's own arse. I've just applied for a job at Uni last week. TWENTY fucking selection criteria! That place is just getting more and more ridiculous.

Regarding the bit about sacking people, you are right about that. The trend to less and less workers in a lot of businesses as cost saving measures, means HR departments do have a particularly odious job these days.

[Mysturji]

This explains Médecins Sans Frontières:
No doctor could get a job in France, so they went somewhere else.

Given that in France, the classical career plan for a physician is to be self employed and to have his own office, you don't make sense.

That was a joke. It's funny because there's an old joke that all doctors have terrible handwriting.

[Tyrannical]

Poetry writing used to be one of the criteria China used for civil service hiring and promotions.

[Svartalf]

I compose haiku
they are mostly useless
but satisfying.

[JimC]

I would be so useless...

I can't do cursive writing, I print...

And it's fucking awful printing...

[cronus]

Joined up filigree looks nice but consider the French economy today? They want posers because they are French, and pretty handwriting is significant of expressive style if nothing else. And we have tickbox culture which is the other extreme...and the c h i c k e n s are coming home to roost with that too. A tale of two writing forms...

[Jason]

I'd never get a job in France. My v's look like u's and I slur any letter preceding a r together.