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Whenever you're looking for a new job you expect some stress. Job applications have to demonstrate a certain degree of correctness and professionalism, initial talks are highly taxing and assessment centers that feature role plays and other tests are enough to break your nerve.All that's missing is a computer that assesses your psyche! What I didn't know: That's already become a reality.
When you apply to some personnel service providers today, you first send your application and then have a phone interview - so far so normal. But the first interview is followed by a second and in this case, the caller is non-human. An artificial, male sounding voice will ask innocuous questions and applicants will answer, consenting to the creation of a psychological profile in the process. Exactly what they're saying is irrelevant as the software assesses their way of speaking.
While graphologists are thought to be able to determine character, strengths and weaknesses based on a person's writing, it's now the software's turn to do the same with speech. Speech analysis technology is the new thing and causes sparkles in the eyes of human resources managers. Word combinations, sentence structure or speed, everything is recorded and compared against a reference data set, reference meaning that a huge number of people have already been tested and analyzed, including their language.
Sigmund Freud would be jealous: Psychological profiles in 15 minutes
Is an applicant goal-driven or rather undetermined, maybe even mentally unhealthy? The computer will tell, with the highest accuracy, at least according to the software itself. Motivation, potential depression, lack of balance, everything is detected and recorded in a complex psychological profile. The manufacturer, Precire Technologies, likes to project an aura of scientificity with high tech equipment and an impressive staff of scientists, all determined to draw the secrets from applicants. But how reliable are their findings?
Despite the fervent conviction displayed at the manufacturer's website, impartial, scientifically sound comparative studies have yet to be presented. Still, many businesses have shown a strong interest, the list of customers already contains many renowned companies. The thought of avoiding unpleasant surprises from future employees through speech analysis is very enticing and it doesn't take much thinking to come up with a myriad of additional use cases for this method. Wouldn't you like to analyze your future life partner, insurance holder or borrower? Would a refined program even be able to catch people lying since it is already able to detect complex character traits?
What even we don't know about ourselves: Computers can detect it (maybe)
I'd find it hard to shine in one of these interviews. I would also like to know how the thing reacts when you sing the Marseillase, recite poems or spice things up musically with a quick rap. Naturally, nobody will do that as they all want the job. Being an applicant already involves a great deal of psychological pressure and computers make for rather unusual conversation partners. On top of that, the prospect of giving away a psychological profile more or less voluntarily isn't exactly comforting. I'd also worry about the many of my smart colleagues that do an excellent job yet struggle with rhetoric. I myself prefer writing over giving speeches. I'd rather not picture the actually capable employees that would fail in this particular scenario.
While the degree of technology and work behind this project is impressive, I find it slightly unsettling. History has seen many methods fail, from flawed polygraphs, reading into visual appearances and facial expressions to graphology, various approaches have turned out impractical. Here's another approach that might influence the business careers of many. Let's hope it will either work or get sorted out quickly.
What I would like to know: Would you allow a computer to create a psychological profile of you to improve your chances of getting a job?
Yes. As a practising trial attorney for almost 45 years with extensive and varied practical experience in and knowledge of not only the law but in the assessment of the personality characteristics of a highly diverse pool of users of legal services of differing cultural and religious backgrounds, of differing ages, of differing levels of education and of differing life experiences; likewise an assessment of the ultimate decision makers in legal proceedings which includes jurors of differing cultural and religious backgrounds, of differing ages, and life experiences, ditto of judges sitting alone at trial and sitting together as courts of appeal, I would readily prefer assessment of my skill, personality, understanding and approach to and resolution of complexity in its various forms, all provided that the algorithm did not factor in my age. Voila!
Forget jobs, use the technology to determine health
The attempt to dominate mankind by idiots at the top of the corporate and government 'trees' with robotic interviews and answering machines has to be stopped to keep humans in jobs.
This will continue until the masses renege instead of allowing 'the system' to take over.
Sitting back and complaining won't stop it, the sheer weight of the masses can stop it, albeit if apathy is pushed aside.
Scary stuff!
Some time back in the early 1970s I decided I was unemployable, so it was up to me and only me.
I've never regretted it!
Once I was part of a team that were trained to carry out a survey about "consumer products" among a specific group of people.
What they didn't know, was that among the questions, we were tracing some political tendencies among these groups.
How about that...
Quite scary!
Hi Sven,
OK, I can understand the premise (and don't particularly enjoy the idea of a computer assessing my mental capabilities and stability) but, how would you inform the system that you have a head-cold, sinusitis or other reason for your voice not sounding as it normally would?
I well remember, some twenty odd years ago, having to fill out the exhaustive psycological assessment form (some 50 pages) - it was originated from a couple of American or Canadian universities - and the person in charge, who wanted to hire me, coming back and asking if I could fill it in again without reading it as an American West coaster would (I'd spent most of my working life in the employ of a major US corporation based in San Francisco, Ca and spent a vast amount of time in the USA - where most employers had ditched this test as being a pretty unreliable test of employment suitability!). I suggested that I fill it in as a moron in Fleet, Hampshire would ... I didn't get the job (surprise, surprise).
I've been retired for some years now but, were I in this situation, I'd be tempted to answer using different accents for the various questions. I suspect however, that the result would mimic the one I achieved in Fleet, Hampshire in 1993 when pen and paper were still de rigour!
It will be useful for those companies where "You must be mad to work here."
I would not want to work for any company which profiled like this. I have walked out of plenty of interviews when I have had to role-play or complete a psychometric test, even if I wanted the job. It instantly lost its appeal at that point.
After all, by using these methods they are expressing how they perceive the nature of persons - as rats in a maze lacking any form of creativity - and how much they care about people if they are not willing to make it personal, but delegate it to a machine.
In short, to me it just looks bad on the culture of the company, not the candidates.
I retired (yippee!!) 13 years ago, so I have never been subjected to robotic psychoanalysis or profiling. However, if it were to happen to me, I really don't think I would able to take the process seriously.
Rather than trying to impress the program with my mental stability, I think I would quickly find myself trying to create terminal confusion in its algorithms by chanting "42" in response every question. (That reference will require no explanation to fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).
Thank goodness I shall never have to apply for a job again!
We had a good laugh. :)
My concern, as always, is the "Big Brother" association of this type of personal information. Private companies offering this type of profiling service have to apply for permissions and licensing. It could easily be made that their findings have to be "overseen or reviewed". Nothing would make a government official more happy than to also have a psychological profile of you sitting in his HDD. I agree with the other comment, what's next, DNA scans for a job at Walmart?
This fear is certainly not unwarranted especially since this test can be carried out without a person’s knowing in theory.
This process should be allowed if, and only if, the applicant can see the assessment before it is filed or seen by anyone else and has the freedom to delete and withdraw from the application. There is no justification for any organisation of any description being allowed to assemble a database of such profiles. This approach must be stopped now or we may have to submit DNA with an application for a job, bank account etc.
These interviews are (still) voluntary. But each applicant may easily assume that rejecting them would not be benefitial to their endeavors.
Sounds a bit like those gruelling ATOS tests carried out on behalf of DWP here in the UK, to test disabled people to assess fitness for work, although they are much harsher, and in theory many disabled people would love to able to garner employment with a decent employer, decent wages, a bonus, paid breaks with canteen , paid holidays and a decent pension scheme, but sadly they can't, for their mobility or lack of, they are some what humiliated and hindered, instead of giving them some dignity and a sense of hope. I thiught I had to say this as I've been through the system myself, bad employer and a work related injury etc.
Comments that include personal experiences are especially valuable. Thank you very much!
So in an interview/application process the employer is not allowed to ask about your mental health, but then this technology will be allowed to ascertain mental health risks in that part of the application process?
More than slightly unsettling . . .
The “conversation” doesn’t include any questions on psyche or health, that’s the trick.