The word graphology originates from ancient greek. It is a combination of “graphein” which means “write” and “logos” , “a group of science”. Graphology is the science of writing and specifically helps in interpretating the personality of an individual through the study of writing.
We humans are incredibly complex beings. Each of us experiences a myriad of emotions that have been imbibed right from the childhood stage. Our experiences and emotions create in us a unique personality and is manifested through many outlets like ambitions, goals, career etc. Handwriting is one of the few manifestations which is individually unique and the study of this helps immensely in understanding and interpreting the character and personality.
A raging debate on whether graphology is an empirical science or not has always been. Nevertheless, grapholoy is a rich combination of art and science wherein the science part is used in the various measurements of a handwriting and the art is where the graphologist correlates with the traits found and combines them as a whole. Each of us have strengths, fears and weaknesses. All these put together form our personality. The aim of graphology is to arrive at the final behaviour patterns with the help of these traits.
About
Vidhyashankar Kannan
Over 15 years of experience in People, Processes, Operations and Support. Capabilities include setup of scalable processes, People Management, Corporate Training, Corporate Finance, HR, Legal, Taxation and Back Office Expertise. Has worked for international clients with some critical projects managed single handedly during transitions.
A Certified Handwriting Analyst, Shankar has partnered with trainers and companies to conduct sensitive people studies to find an objective fitment and growth in their role. He has expertise in interviewing skills and group studies to help isolate personality issues that require addressing. Having conducted Training Needs Analysis and Assessment Centre programs, Shankar has assisted many a person in staying engaged at work.
Part of the management team in the setup of Inforica India Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad, India. Inforica India is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and a .Net application specialist with competencies in CRM and Business Intelligence working on domains such as Energy, Banking, Retail and Logistics. The parent company is situated in Toronto, Canada.
Having a very diverse set of skills, Shankar has managed teams of varying sizes while continuing to run the operations at Inforica. Hands-on at work, he keeps a close watch on new trends in the business place while empowering staff to become independent.
Shankar has assisted in Quality Systems, especially SEI CMM and SEI CMMI. He coordinated and maintained time sensitive material and processes for the Process Quality team in the implementation of these processes in ADP India, which comprised of over a 1000 employees at the time.
A firm believer in Earth Conservation and Going Green, Shankar contributes by cycling to work everyday to inspire others to save resources. He is also a believer in Corporate Wellness as he believes that healthy individuals are productive people.
Extent of Graphology
Graphology is a powerful tool in understanding a person’s behavior and personality crux. It can identify thinking styles, personality strengths, fears, defenses, ego, challenges, areas of development etc. However, identifying the gender, age or race is not possible. A graphologist has to be totally objective about his/her work and not having any information about the candidate beforehand is indeed a blessing in disguise.
Graphology is not astrology. It can reveal useful insights about the past and the current state of mind. It cannot predict the future. The reason is that as people go through different experiences in their lives, their personalities also change leading to subtle changes in their handwriting. This does not imply that handwriting will change every day or every month. The core traits remain intact and form the basis of the personality.
Why Graphology?
We have been in the business of HR training and processes for a collecting 35 years. Having worked in core processes and training, we have identified that along with other powerful behavioral analysis techniques, graphology has proven to be a great supplementary tool. It also has the power to offer consistent, accurate results when used by itself. Due to its anonymous nature of study, it can be used without putting anyone to discomfort. Graphology is used as a main line application in the US and in Europe by many employers. A sample of its applications are
Recruitment Screening
Profiling
Role matching
Team compatibility study
Mission Critical Aptitudes
Background screening
Integrity screening
Self analysis
Law enforcement
Forensics