44

Edison--early adopter of job applicant interview technique--replies to job candidate

Thomas A. Edison

Brief Typed Letter Signed, to C.P. Fiske,

acknowledging his reply to an advertisement and reporting that an interview would be arranged, "if deemed desirable." ½ page, 4to, "From the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison" stationery; folds. With the original envelope.

Orange, 8 November 1911.

  • Notes: "Your reply to my advertisement has been received and its contents noted. I am preparing a statement of the proposition under consideration, and in a few days shall take pleasure in sending same to you, at which time we can arrange for a personal interview if deemed desirable."


    With--Typed letter from Edison to Fiske bearing secretarial signature, reporting that "nothing is specially new that has been completed in the Laboratory up to this time." ½ page, 4to, "From the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison" stationery; folds. Orange, 22 February 1912.

    Finding workers for a job has, for most of human history, been a matter of hiring whoever seems to be qualified on the basis of prior acquaintance or a momentary inspection. Thomas A. Edison, whose talents included business management, was often under extreme time constraints while also requiring employees with very specialized qualifications. In hopes of quickly finding the appropriate candidates, Edison would advertise widely for a position and conduct personal interviews that included tests that were meant to expose a candidate's desirable or undesirable qualities. According to an oft-repeated anecdote, Edison was said to have served soup during an interview, observing whether the candidate would season the soup before eating--in which case, she would be disqualified for habitually operating on assumptions.
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