TUTOR: Well,arguably it does give you a bit of information about an applicant's character,but also...more and more amployers 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 Ouestionnaire.They have to be filled out by the candidates some 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 out clerks and civil servants,and then later they were used by the military to 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 thrids of the large employers use them.

MURIEL: Which makes you think that there must be something in them.

TUTOR: That's right.