The writing on the wall

GRAPHOLOGY: If you can’t remember the last time you wrote a letter — really wrote one, with a pen — you’re not alone. Computers have taken over what used to be valued: beautiful handwriting. But job seekers should take clear, legible handwriting seriously, because more and more recruiters are using handwriting analysis to screen job candidates.

Graphology is particularly popular with French companies, where 75 per cent of recruiters use it, and the trend is spreading to the rest of Europe. “When used correctly, graphology can give a good indication of a person’s personality structure, their abilities, ability to grow and develop, and perhaps most importantly, their integrity,” British graphologist Margaret White told The Guardian.

Among the British firms using graphology for recruitment is the banking group Butterfield . “It is not used as the defining factor in the decision-making process,” says managing director Paul Turtle. “However, it has been shown to add an extra dimension to the jigsaw, which has frequently been validated once an employee is in situ.”

"Graphology adds an extra dimension," says banker Paul Turtle.

Not surprisingly, the British Institute of Graphologists supports the use of handwriting analysis for recruiting. “Psychometric tests are fine, but they can be manipulated, as people can change their answers depending on what they think the company wants to hear,” a spokesman said. “But used in conjunction with graphology, you can double-check that one validates the other.”

Some employers require job applicants to reply to job advertisements with handwritten letters. For people with poor handwriting, this can be worrying. But graphologists say that sloppy handwriting is not necessarily a sign of a careless employee. Instead, it may mean that the applicant is highly intelligent and enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, although you should try to make your handwriting legible,there is little point in trying to make it more attractive than normal for a job application, according to Margaret White. “Handwriting is impossible to fake, as opposed to CVs, which tend to be increasingly ‘embroidered’, shall we say. A person might be able to fool me for a few lines, but their true style will show pretty quickly — particularly if they are writing about something they’re interested in.”