Handwriting Analysis

Choose the right employees with handwriting analysis for business

Handwriting analysis for business is becoming a popular employment screening tool, used in conjunction with more traditional methods. From an applicant's resume, you can learn if they have the job experience or education you're looking for. From their in-person interview, you can judge how they perform under pressure. But what if you could also evaluate how well they work with others, or spot deception - before you hire them? That's the goal of forensic handwriting analysis, which uses the subtle differences in handwriting to identify an individual's emotional, intellectual and social characteristics.

How can your company benefit from simple handwriting analysis?

1. Increase retention with more accurate placement of workers.
2. Reduce the risk of workplace conflict by spotting potentially troublesome employees through handwriting analysis.
   
3. Improve productivity and morale by hiring "team players."
4. Enhance everything from client relations to company image with information on handwriting analysis.

 

Use handwriting analysis to screen potential employees

Handwriting experts say you can use handwriting analysis to uncover hidden personality traits, such as immaturity, selfishness or indecisiveness. By analyzing handwriting, they say, you can determine if a potential employee is a team player, has a bad attitude or is manipulative, for example.
Try: Written Inc. offers a Candidate Insight Report, designed specifically to help employers "weed out" problem employees before they hire them. Ocampa offers pre-employment handwriting analysis screening.

Test the accuracy of handwriting analysis services--on your own handwriting

Maybe you're skeptical about how much you can really learn about people from their handwriting. Why not test the process on yourself? Many handwriting analysis experts offer free instant analysis or demos on their websites.
Try: Take a handwriting self-evaluation at The Hand Behind the Word, The Handwriting Wizard, or The Handwriting Center. Or, take a free handwriting analysis course at Handwriting Insights.

Purchase handwriting analysis software

If you decide to use handwriting analysis regularly, handwriting analysis software can make the process quicker and easier, and eliminate the need for repeatedly hiring a handwriting expert. Software may not provide the depth or individualized analysis of an expert opinion, but can be useful as a preliminary screening tool.
Try: With Handwriting Analyst, you can analyze just a signature or a longer writing sample, and obtain either a brief or detailed report. The Handwriting Analyzer generates a report of up to three pages, along with graphs and a job and personality matching feature.

 

• Handwriting analysis samples can vary from just a person's signature to four or five lines of text, and can consist of anything, but should be spontaneous--not copied from a book, for example. The sample should be written in ink and on unlined paper, and should be dated.
• Handwriting analysis probably won't ever replace resumes and interviews, but it may provide another dimension to the evaluation of an applicant's potential. Job applicants may "pad" their resumes, and background checks aren't always reliable, but a person's handwriting is automatic, and may reveal more about their personality than other methods.

Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

---