At the start of the tutorial, the tutor emphasises the importance of [br] 【27】 [

TUTOR:  Good morning. So, we’ve looked at various aspects of staff selection this term
         and 1 think by now you should all be beginning to see how much more there is
         to it than just putting applicants through a short interview or asking the ’right’
         questions. So I think you should be ready for today’s tutorial on ’matching the
         person to the job’.
         We’re going to talk today about the importance of choosing that all round      【Q21】
         ’right’ person.
MURIEL:  Right. So we have to put ourselves into the role of the manager or supervisor?
TUTOR:  Yes. And then we’re going to imagine how different applicants would fit into the
          team or group they have to work with.., er... we’ll look at some examples later.
MURIEL:  It’s just theoretical at the moment...
TUTOR:  Yes. The point is, you can select someone - even a friend - who has all the right
          qualifications.., degrees.., certificates, whatever. You can also check that they
          have a lot of experience.., that they’ve done the sort of tasks that you want
          them to do in your office already, in a similar environment. But if they start        【Q22】
          work and you realise that they just don’t get along with everybody else, that...
          say, they’ve got sharply contrasting views on how something will work.., well,
          with the best will in the world, you may be backing a loser.
DAVE:     Wouldn’t it be just a question of company training, though?
TUTOR:  Not always. Particularly in a team situation, and I think it’s important to think
          in terms of that type of working environment. People have to have faith in each    【Q23】
          other’s ability to carry out the task their boss has set them. They have to trust
          that everyone will do their part of the job, and you can’t necessarily train people
          for this.
DAVE:     But it’s like trying to find out what someone’s personality is like in a job
          interview... I mean you just can’t do that. Even if you try, you won’t find out
          what they’re really like until they actually start work.
TUTOR:  Well, in most interviews you usually ask candidates questions about their            【Q24】
         hobbies and what they like doing in their spare time.., that sort of thing.., so
         employers are already involved in the practice of... well, doing part of the task.
DAVE:    But it doesn’t tell you anything. It doesn’t tell you if they’re easy-going or hate
            smokers or whatever.
TUTOR:  Well, arguably it does give you a bit of information about an applicant’s
          character.
TUTOR:  Well, arguably it does give you a bit of information about an applicant’s
         character, but also.., more and more employers around the world are making
         use of what are called ’personality questionnaires’ to help them select new staff
         and...
MURIEL: What’s it called?
TUTOR:  A Personality Questionnaire. They have to be filled out by the candidates some    【Q25】
         time during the selection procedure, often just before an interview. The idea is
         actually quite old. Apparently they were used by the ancient Chinese for picking  【Q26】
         out clerks and civil servants, and then later they were used by the military to        【Q27】
         put people in appropriate areas of work. They’ve gained a lot of ground since
         then and there are about 80,000 different tests available now and almost two        【Q28】
         thirds of the large employers use them.
MURIEL:  Which makes you think that there must be something in them.
TUTOR:  That’s right. They ask the sort of questions that you might expect, like do you
          like working under pressure or are you good at keeping deadlines.
DAVE:     And what if people can see through them and just write what they think the
          employer wants to see?
MURIEL: Well that’s always a possibility.
OAVE:     I mean, it’s human nature to lie, isn’t it?
TUTOR:  Well, that’s the point. Apparently it isn’t. These tests are compiled by experts      【Q29】
         and they believe that the answers can provide a few simple indicators as to
         roughly the type of person that you are.., that people will generally be truthful
         in that situation.
MURIEL:  And then you can go some way towards finding out whether someone’s say,
         forward-looking.., a go-ahead type of person.., or resistant to change.
TUTOR:  Yes. And there are all kinds of (fade out)