Hiring the right candidate for the company is one of the biggest challenges that managers face. Today also many companies focus on age-old hiring methods. But to survive the competition and create a strong brand, companies need to focus on other effective hiring techniques. One such technique is graphology. Handwriting analysis proves exceptionally beneficial to both employers and job seekers. 

But how does by simply looking at the handwriting you can tell so much about the candidate?

This article will discuss graphology meaning, its uses and limitations, and how it helps select the right candidate.

Graphology Meaning

Graphology analyzes your personality through your handwriting. A trained graphologist studies the strokes and patterns present in your writing to make you aware of your personality traits, problems, the reasons associated with them, and how to transform yourself. 

It is the science and art of reading your subconscious mind. Your handwriting sample can reveal several personality traits, such as your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, emotionalism, confidence level, leadership qualities, ability to plan, concentration level, ability to handle finances, and many other traits. Your personality profile report is like a mental photograph of your thoughts that originated in your mind while writing. 

Based on your personality analysis report, a graphotherapist designs a customized therapy to guide you on making essential changes in your handwriting strokes to improve your personality further. It is a cost-effective, fast, and accurate technique.

Uses of Graphology 

A few people still consider graphology as a pseudoscience. But this is not the case. With time graphology has evolved and is being widely used in several sectors to analyze the thinking pattern and behavior and the reasons for them. 

Here are a few important uses of graphology:

Employment

The new applicant's compatibility within the existing company culture or the post he is being hired for is analyzed. A detailed, unbiased graphological personality report is submitted to the hiring manager, and this, along with several other recruiting parameters, helps organizations select the most appropriate applicant.

Corporate Training

An expert graphologist helps companies analyze their staff’s strengths and weaknesses and suggest a bespoke therapy for each employee to eradicate personality-related problems.

Personality Profiling

All human beings are different. Handwriting analysis makes you aware of what you think, why you act in a particular way, and what impact your behavior has on society. It is essential to know yourself for overall personality development and to understand others.

Marital Compatibility

Successful marriage’s foundation is based upon mutual understanding, tolerance, and accepting the differences between you and your partner. Graphologists analyze the difference and similarities in the handwriting of both partners and suggest an appropriate therapy. This technique is highly beneficial in the case of an arranged marriage.

Historical Profiling

It helps to study more about the personality traits of people who have died and their family history.

What Graphology Cannot Analyze

Graphology has limitations, too, i.e., what it cannot analyze. You must know what a study cannot do along with what it can do.

Here are a few things that the handwriting sample cannot reveal:

Age of a Person: Graphology is the study of thoughts and defines the maturity of your mind, not age. 

Sex of a Person: Handwriting analysis cannot detect your gender. Both males and females can possess similar traits. 

Right or Left Handed: Handwriting reflects your mental state and does not depend on the writing medium. So it is almost impossible to detect whether you are left or right-handed.

Nationality of a Person: Some countries follow a particular writing style. But it is not enough to provide a clue about your origin as anyone in the world can learn the same handwriting style. 

Future of a Person: Graphology is different from astrology. It studies your present behavior pattern and cannot predict what happened in your past and might happen in the future.

Caste, Creed, and Religion: Your caste, religion, and physical appearances, like skin color, the shape of eyes, or hair color, cannot be identified.

Importance of Graphology in Employee Selection

Hiring managers use several screening tools, such as background checks, personality assessment questionnaires, and various other pre-employment selection tests to select the most appropriate candidate for the job.

Sometimes, even after choosing a candidate after a series of pre-assessment tests, he does not add much value to the company’s growth.

Still, most hiring managers overlook handwriting analysis, one of the most powerful methods to assess a job applicant.

Candidates can manipulate the answers, their outward appearance, and interview questions but not their handwriting.

Analyzing applicants’ handwriting samples for personality assessment saves a lot of time.

Here are a few personality traits that graphology can highlight about an applicant:

• Does he possess leadership skills?
• Is he trustworthy?
• How will he behave with the opposite sex?
• Will he be able to work under pressure?
• Will he handle conflicts easily?
• Is he creative?
• Is he optimistic or pessimistic?
• Will he love to work in a team?
• Can he meet deadlines?
• Will he be loyal to his boss?

For example: 

A candidate with small legible letter formation is an introvert with excellent concentration power. So, he is best suited for back-end and research-based jobs and least suitable for sales and marketing roles.

Qualities Employers Looks for in a Candidate’s Handwriting

Any employers’ first step is to check the candidate’s resume. But it is not enough. So, how can an employer select a better candidate among several others with the same qualification? Here comes the role of graphology.  It helps employers screen employees who are the best fit for the job, are adjustable, and can work in a team.

Along with a complete analysis of the written sample, here are a few qualities that employers focus on while hiring candidates:

Communication Skills

Good communication skills help an employee mix with the existing company environment and understand work easily. 

Middle-zone letters, such as a and o, depict good communication skills.

Honesty & Loyalty

An honest and loyal employee is a valuable asset for the company. He will contribute to the company’s growth and not cheat to fulfill his desires. 

Lowercase oval letters, such as a, o, and d, without any inner loops, depicts honesty. If loops are present, it indicates the manipulative behavior of an applicant.

Enthusiasm

An employee with high enthusiasm level will never lose interest in his work. He will work on the existing project wholeheartedly and even suggest methods to improve its working. 

Lowercase t bar length depicts enthusiasm. The longer the length of the bar, the more will be the zeal. It accompanied by an ascending baseline, shows that the candidate possesses never-ending enthusiasm.

Energy & Determination

An employee with a high energy level and determination can work for long hours without tiring and will never quit any project midway. He will put in all efforts to complete the project. 

The pressure with which the writer writes depicts energy level. If you think higher the pressure more will be the energy, it is not true. A writer with medium pressure is the one you should look for.

Good Time Management Skills

Good organizational skills are a must to work efficiently and complete the allotted assignments on time.

The line spacing indicates whether the candidate can organize work properly or wastes time on unnecessary activities. More lines per page with a non-overlapping lower zone of the upper line with the upper zone of the following line indicate good time management skills.

Concentration Level

Excellent concentration is a must for any employee to focus on present tasks and finish them correctly and on time.

The perfectly placed i dot and small legible handwriting depicts ability to focus on work for a more extended period.

Do not Focus on Personal Life while Working

If an employee remains worried about his personal life, he won’t concentrate on his work correctly and may also disturb fellow employees. 

For this, the slant of the handwriting is studied. A high degree of rightward slant shows the applicant's inability to control his emotions that might disturb the working atmosphere.

Team Worker

It means how well the applicant will adjust with fellow workers and senior management. It is essential to maintain harmony within the company. 

It is shown by word spacing and the downward-pointing bar on the lowercase letter t.

Final Words

Here in this article, we covered just one sector, employee assessment, and hiring, in which graphology plays a vital role. A trained graphologist can spot the problems in candidates’ handwriting samples and highlight hidden strengths that can be developed for the company’s benefit.

There are several other areas in which handwriting analysis can be used. So, if you want to learn how to analyze your handwriting or become a professional graphologist, visit Best Online & Offline Course to Learn Graphology. Here you will find information about India’s one of the best institutes to pursue a graphology course. The trainer has years of work experience providing handwriting and signature analysis services to individuals and corporates.