Astrology Must Never Be Used In Recruitment — 3 Reasons Why

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the long article in Fast Company. Yes, apparently, some companies are consulting astrologers when hiring!

So, if you are a Cancer or Virgo, you just may not be a good fit for the job.

What rubbish!

Some astrological sites are cashing in on this. Note the word cash!

I have read and been tempted by some astrology sites (for research purposes, of course!). Yes, it is tempting but this must never become standard procedure. Let us hope that it dies a natural death or that its star explodes and dies.

Astrology is very popular in many countries especially India, China and Sri Lanka.

How come it is so popular and if so, why do so many people rely on it for dating, and guidance in life’s tricky rock climb? It may have something to do with a decline in religious beliefs. We are all becoming more stressed and that may also be a reason. People are always looking for a guiding star or a guardian angel.

On Twitter, there are about 270 tweets about astrology every hour.

But there is no scientific evidence at all that your star sign could be a reliable indicator of a person’s fit for a job, never mind a predictor of what the future holds.

According to the University of Berkeley, these are the reasons astrology just is not reliable or scientific in any way:-

“Astrology is not a very scientific way to answer questions. Although astrologers seek to explain the natural world, they don’t usually attempt to critically evaluate whether those explanations are valid — and this is a key part of science. The community of scientists evaluates its ideas against evidence from the natural world and rejects or modifies those ideas when evidence doesn’t support them. Astrologers do not take the same critical perspective on their own astrological ideas.”

Here are 3 reasons why astrology must never be used in job interviews.

1. Astrologers claim to predict upcoming events in the applicant’s life

So, if a female candidate is going to have a child, is this going to be viewed positively or negatively? Is a candidate likely to have mental health issues?

Imagine an astrologer telling a hiring manager:-

“In Vedic Astrology, there are certain pointers mentioned which specifically point to Mental Disorders. These are dependent on the houses of the birth chart, along with the sign they represent and the planet posited in it.”

This comes from the Future Point astrology site. Imagine the hiring manager frantically trying to remember the twelve houses!

Just imagine I passed all the astrological tests in the interview and the manager recalls that I am in the 10th house — that’s the one where you are on the cusp! Actually, my birthday falls on January 21st so I am on the cusp between Capricorn and Aquarius. There is either a very special job out there that matches this perfectly or I will end up homeless. The latter looks much more likely!

A much more sensible approach would be to ask the candidate about how they see their career developing.

2. An astrologer claims they can assess the candidate’s personality

The Chutian Metropolis Daily caused a controversy when it advertised a job stating that applicants of certain star signs should not apply as they would not be a good fit for the job. Saves a lot of time but imagine being rejected if you happen to be a Scorpio and you are therefore moody.

Talk about discrimination in the workplace based on your astrological sign!

A similar incident occurred in Austria in 2009 where an insurance company advertised as follows:

‘We are looking for people over 20 for part-time jobs in sales and management with the following star signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Aquarius, Aries and Leo.”

A much easier (and fairer) assessment would be to ask the candidate about how they dealt with failure, a conflict in the workplace or how they are working on their weaknesses. In other words, there are more reliable ways of assessing a person’s EQ.

3. An astrologer can assess how a person functions in the workplace. Really?

All the hiring manager has to do is to ask how the candidate’s beliefs and attitudes fit in with the company’s mission and work ethic.

They will also want to see how their experience and skills could make them excel at the job. They will want to know about their honesty, adaptability and their passion for the job.

Candidates’ answers will be a reliable guide (not infallible) but it is firmly grounded on their real-life experience and skills.

The astrologer will be looking at planet alignment, which house they are in and also relying on the wisdom of ancient Indian sages.

Zodiac-shaming

Zodiac- shaming is now becoming fashionable. Just another reason why our birth sign must never be used in the job hiring process.

The story here on Mashable where a girl was denied accommodation because she said she was a Pisces says it all.

That sort of discrimination will creep into all aspects of our lives.

We must never let this happen.