Employers Study Applicants' Personalities

I was really intrigued by the article "Employers Study Applicants' Personalities." In the present day, applicants are not only judged by their skill but by their ability to get along with the rest of the employees. In fact in some companies being personable is viewed as more important than being qualified for the job. After reading the article, I realized that personality does have a big influence on the working environment and overall chi of the workplace. So I do applaud some of the actions that are being taken to assess the person's character and make sure they are a good fit for the company. I certainly would not want to work with anyone who is mean-spirited, boastful, or always in a bad mood no matter how qualified or smart they were. I do think some companies may be taking this notion too far though and that they need to keep in mind that a person's qualifications should play a big part in the hiring process as well. Some of the businesses described in the article seemed like they were more interested in finding a new friend than a new employee.

Dual Coding Theory

I really enjoyed learning about the Dual Coding Theory in class. It was something that I've never heard of before but when it was described it made a lot of sense. The theory basically states that tying images together with words allows you to remember the idea/experience better. I think the Geico commercials do a good job of using this theory and a creating memorable ad. They use the gecko animal as sort of a Geico mascot because their names sound very similar. So it's easy for the viewer to associate the image gecko with the name Geico. Also their commercials are funny and often times bizarre. In one commercial the gecko appears on a talk show. In another one they talk about the Beverly Hillbillies and say that the reason they became instant millionaires was because they switched to Geico car insurance.