Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations GregLocock on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Physical Profiling of Employment Candidates

Status
Not open for further replies.

plasgears

Mechanical
Dec 11, 2002
1,075
During a meeting given by an FAA medical type many years ago, he mentioned physical profiling of flight candidates. Is there a similar thing in HR? I need a good book on the subject.

I heard a story of a recent hire in the service industry that went terribly wrong. A professional physical profiling of this candidate would have brought the interview to a screeching halt.(He had an accident with head injury, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.)
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

ornerynorsk,

Chivalry is from days gone by. It exists whenever people of those days are together.

When I am in the company of my peers, and the generations before me, I practice the social graces I was taught, because it pertains.

When I am in the conmpany of my child's peers, and the generations that are close to them, I practice the social graces that they were taught, because it pertains.

I do not expect my children to behave towards their peers the way I behave towards mine. Social norms change, that I am aware. What the new social norm is, I am not always sure.

I do not expect females of my generation to participate in contact sports with men - although I am sure some do, and that is perfectly valid.

I more expect females of my children's generation to participate in contact sports with men - although I am sure some do not, and that is also perfectly valid.

What do you think?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
 
I do not believe that chivalry is dead, I believe it just more of an integrity issue now. Contact sports with women is more a sign of respect than of profiling. There is nothing wrong with a girl wanting to play football or hockey, please do not misunderstand me.
All I am saying is that I agree with Norsk and it is like chivalry, or more like a sign of respect to women that would make it sound "absurd" for a woman to want to play contact sports with men.

Mike
Green Mountain Window and Door Co.

My opinions are my own and in no way reflect the opinions of my coworkers and company
 
GMWindow said:
All I am saying is that I agree with Norsk and it is like chivalry, or more like a sign of respect to women that would make it sound "absurd" for a woman to want to play contact sports with men.

Huh??? [banghead]

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
 
I miss the handball games with the girls in the highschool.
This is a game (I don't think that in US they play it) that involves a lot of contact. For many, was the first real contact with a girl.
ahahaha. Good times...
 
A postman in the UK was just prosecuted for dumping the post he was supposed to deliver in the surrounding countryside.
He was dyslexic and found it very difficult to complete his rounds. He got off lightly because he had put that he was dyslexic in his application and the Post Office decided it would be discrimination to reject him on these grounds.

What a crazy world... I can just about begin to understand the post office concern in this increasingly American style litigious society, but what made the guy apply for the job in the first place?

PS another postman sued the post office because he hurt his back emptying a post box that was more full than usual and the post office, in turn, sued the one man (woman) company for using the post box for her mailshot..... you can bet reason went out of the window and stayed out in thse cases wen they came to court.



JMW
 
Thanks to all who responded.

To clarify what I was looking for:
A reference in physical profiling would reveal intelligence indicators, probity indicators (tendency to lie), mental aberrations, well-rounded characteristics, leadership indicators, quick thinking indicators, etc.

From what I see today the interview process is mostly subjective without good indicators for the information that really counts.
 
I would put forward my opinion that the reason most interview process are subjective is because there is no way to do it objectively.

Many large corporations, IBM, P&G, DuPont to name a couple that I have interviewed with, are really looking hard into objective indicators. And, they have tried many different "physical profiling" techniques that have been touted in the past, and I am sure, currently.

In the end, it is still a "crap shoot".

The best predictor of a interviewee's success at the company is the referece of one of your current employee. At the 3 companies that I have worked at, nepotism was encouraged. Because it works better than the rest.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
 
I would say that the best indicator of a potential employee's future performance would be a solid record of past performance (with particular effective behavior patterns). There are companies that specialize in training interviewers to look for this information.
 
plasgears,

I don't see how any physical indicators could possibly predict the factors you wish to measure. There are correlations, for example most CEO's are taller than average, but I think you'll get your pants sued off if you start rejecting new hires because they're "too short".

Perhaps you are referring to IQ, personality, and other psychological tests. These have uses, but you have to know what you're doing. If you're asking about it here, you need to get in touch with an expert.

-b
 
What am I doing stuck in the Enginnering Department?
I should be CEO, I am the tallest of my company!!!
 
You also need management hair, black hair that gradually turns silver between 40 and 60 yrs. (Dilbert)


 
Real management hair stays black forever, except for a half inch above the collar. ;-)



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor