부산대학교 도서관

The article examines social judgments of employability and related factors that employers made on the basis of job applicants' use of handwriting or typewriting. Four job applicants each provided a handwritten copy of a standard job application cover letter for the position of secretary to a sales director. A fifth copy was typed instead of written. The five samples were judged on visual analog scales on five job- relevant qualities: employability, organization, reliability, honesty, and initiative. Judges were 20 employers-company directors, senior managers, and personnel officers--from a variety of organizations in the London suburban area. A characteristic personality profile was consistently attributed to each sample. The profile for typewriting was one of the more superior, although not consistently so. There is a strong and consistent effect of handwriting on judgments of job-relevant qualities by employers from a variety of organizations. The appearance of typewriting was more favorably judged than handwriting on only some qualities, and on one quality (honesty), typewriting gave a poorer impression. The effects of handwriting and typewriting on judgments in occupational selection may be quite important and deserve wider scrutiny.