Presenter: Tonight we continue talking with Dr Strait. So far we’ve looked at various aspects of staff selection and I think by now you should all be beginning to see how much more there is to it than just putting the applicants through a short interview or asking the ‘right’ questions. So I think you should be ready for today’s talk on ‘matching the person to the job’.

Dr Strait: We’re going to talk today about the importance of choosing that allround ‘right’ person.

Presenter: You mean we have to put ourselves into the role of the manager or supervisor?

Dr Strait: Yes. And then we are going to imagine how different applicants would fit into the team or group they have to work with. So, we’ll look at some examples later.

Presenter: It’s just theoretical at the moment...

Dr Strait: Yes. The point is you can select someone  — even a friend  — who has all the right qualifications... degrees... certificates, whatever. You can also check that they have a lot of experience… that they’ve done the sort of tasks that you want them to do in your office already, in a similar environment. But if they start work and you realize that they just don’t get along with everybody else, that... say they’ve got sharply contrasting views on how something will work… well, with the best intentions you may be backing a loser.

Presenter: Wouldn’t it be just a question of company training though?

Dr Strait: Not always. Particularly in a team situation and I think it’s important to think in terms of that type of working environment. People have to have faith in each other’s ability to carry out the task their boss has set them. They have to trust that everyone will do their part of the job, and you can’t necessarily train people for this.

Presenter: But it’s like trying to find out what someone’s personality is like in a job interview... I mean you can’t just do that. Even if you try, you won’t find out what they are really like until they actually start work.

Dr Strait: Well, in most interviews you usually ask candidates questions about their hobbies and what they like doing in their spare time... that sort of thing... so employers are already involved in the practice of... well, doing part of the task.

Presenter: But it doesn’t tell you anything. It doesn’t tell you if they are easygoing or hate smokers or whatever.

Dr Strait: Well, arguably it does give you information about an applicant’s character, but also... more and more employers around the world are making use of what is called ‘a personality questionnaire’ to help them select new staff and…

Presenter: Sorry, what’s it called? Dr Straight: A Personality Questionnaire. They have to be filled out by the candidates sometime during the selection procedure, often just before an interview. The idea is actually quite old. Apparently they were used by the ancient Chinese for picking out clerks and civil servants, and then later they were used by the military to put people in appropriate areas of work. They’ve gained a lot of ground since then and there are about 80,000 different tests available now and almost two thirds of the large employers use them.

Presenter: Which makes you think that there... (fade out).