# U. S. companies use handwriting analysis when hiring? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 18, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545 "2003-04-18T14:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/1 "2003-04-18T14:22:51Z")
[Is handwriting analysis legit science?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030418.html) > [@](#): > > In France, an estimated 70 percent of companies use graphology when making hiring decisions. (Between 5 and 10 percent of U.S. and UK companies do so.) I find this pretty hard to believe, unless it just means that employers discount applicants because of sloppy penmanship. Has anybody here experienced this first hand? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/2 "2003-04-18T15:07:44Z")
That sentence gave me pause, too, although the ‘estimated’ gives some wiggle room, down to say, .0001%. I have personally never experienced it. Of course, a company probably wouldn’t tell you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never had to give any handwritten anything to a company as part of the appication process. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/3 "2003-04-18T16:29:56Z")
5 to 10 percent is a low percentage. I would guess 5 to 10 percent of companies do a bunch of other silly things like giving personality tests to perspective employees. It is the 70% for France that really give me pause. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/4 "2003-04-18T18:24:43Z")
Back in the early '90’s, I know the Olsten corporation did it for management applicants. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/5 "2003-04-18T18:48:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bup \* > Of course, a company probably wouldn’t tell you, This makes a certain amount of sense, but Cecil had to get his number from _somewhere_. I am curious who said it. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/6 "2003-04-19T21:43:23Z")
Some companies did use “graphology” tests to try to judge a person’s honesty, reliability, etc. based on handwriting. I’m not sure if any companies do it any more, since it’s pretty much known to be bullshi-- ah, unreliable. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/7 "2003-04-19T21:49:17Z")
Okay, **C K Dexter Haven** , I think you said pretty much the same thing that Cecil did, so do _you_ have a cite? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/8 "2003-04-20T19:48:12Z")
From _Managing Human Resources_ by Wayne F. Cascio (McGraw Hill Irwin, 6th edition, 2003) on page 249: > [@](#): > > Handwriting analysis (graphology) is used as a hiring tool by 85 percent of French companies[sup]37[/sup]. … Its use is clearly not as widespread in the United States, although sources estimate that more than 3,000 U.S. firms retain handwriting analysts as employment consultants. Such firms generally require job applicants to provide a one-page writing sample. … In one study involving the prediction of sales success…there was no evidence for the validity of the graphologists’ predictions.[sup]39[/sup] In short, there is little to recommend the use of handwriting analysis as a predictor of job performance. > > * * * > > [sup]37[/sup] Levy, L. (1979) Handwriting and hiring. _Dun’s Review, 113,_ 72-79. > [sup]39[/sup]Rafaeli, A., & Klimoski, R.J. (1983). Predicting sales success through handwriting analysis: An evaluation of the effects of training and handwriting sample content. _Journal of Applied Psychology, 68,_ 212-217. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/9 "2003-04-20T20:04:59Z")
I have been asked to submit handwriting samples twice - once in the mid-70’s for a grocery store, and once in the mid-90’s for Olsten - and I was not management. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/10 "2003-04-20T21:24:04Z")
Oooh, good cite, Dex. The business world will never cease to amaze me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/11 "2003-04-20T22:10:27Z")
I prolly shoulda said that the Cascio text is one of the outstanding textbooks on Human Resources, used in many of business schools. He’s pretty reliable on business practices, and footnotes most of his statements pretty extensively. ---
**Author:** ![monterey86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@monterey86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monterey86)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/12 "2003-04-21T15:58:29Z")
I can attest that the French are fairly obsessive about penmanship and have a fetish for expensive pens. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/13 "2003-04-21T16:52:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gazpacho \* > \*\*5 to 10 percent is a low percentage. I would guess 5 to 10 percent of companies do a bunch of other silly things like giving personality tests to perspective employees. It is the 70% for France that really give me pause. \*\* This figure wouldn’t surprise me. It’s well known in France that a lot of companies use graphology to sort out the applicants. Very few people here are in any way aware that graphology is junk science. All employers request a _hand-written_ letter of application (though not necessarily all of them use graphology). On the overall it’s a rather standard procedure. I think though that 70% is a bit too much, since many companies (and particulary little employers) probably won’t/can’t hire a graphologist. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/14 "2003-04-21T20:52:39Z")
Certainly- graphology is a worthwhile hiring tool- assuming for some reason you need some dude with neat penmanship. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/15 "2003-04-21T22:52:31Z")
A further interesting statistic. There have been thousands of studies done on the prediction of job performance, and F. L. Schmidt and J. E. Hunter, writing “The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theortical implications of 85 years of research findings” in _Psychological Bulletin, 124_, (1998), on p. 265, show a table that shows the validity of job predictors. Validity is expressed as a coefficient of corelation (“R” to statisticians), ranging from -1 to 1. A coefficient of +1 would mean there was 100% correlation; a coefficient of 0 would mean there was no correlation. A few selections from the top and bottom of that table: General mental ability tests: .51 Work sample test: .54 Integrity tests: .41 Structured employment interviews: .51 Unstructured employment interviews: .38 Job knowledge tests: .48 Etc… Reference checks: .18 Years of education: .10 Graphology: .02 Age: -.01 Point made? ---
**Author:** ![I\_am\_not\_a\_jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@I\_am\_not\_a\_jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_am_not_a_jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545/16 "2003-04-24T02:45:53Z")
Above, CKDH cites a book that cites Levy (1979, Dun’s Review). I googled and found a second document that cites Levy: [http://www.dbe-online.com/files/psychological\_bulletin.doc](http://www.dbe-online.com/files/psychological_bulletin.doc) But after a cursory 30-second search, I did not find Levy’s 1979 article in Dun’s Review; where did he come up with France and 85%? Yes, the French are goofy, but this goofy??