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LEcureNY COLLEGE LIBlillY
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
FRANCES PERKINS, SECRETARY
WOMEN'S BUREAU
MARY ANDERSON, DnmaroR.
+
CHOOSING WOMEN
for
WAR-INDUSTRY JOBS
SPECIAL BULLETIN No.
12
MARCH
OF THE WoMEN's BUREAU
1943
United States
Government Printing Office
Washington : 1943
For
■ ale
by the Superintendent of Documonta, U. S. Government Printina Office
Washington, D. C. - Prico a conta
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
WOMEN'S BUREAU,
Washington, March 22, 1943.
MADAM: Effective methods and standards for fitting women
into war-industry jobs are a vital part of the war program.
Haphazard selection policies result in inefficient employees, ·
excessive absenteeism, and high labor turn-over. As a primary
aid to employers newly faced with the problem of choosing a
woman-labor force, the Women's Bureau here summarizes
basic principles that have proved helpful in securing satisfactory service with women workers.
The research and preparation of this report are the work of
Mildred P. Crowder of this Bureau's Research Division.
Respectfully submitted.
MARY ANDERSON, Director.
Hon. FRANCES PERKINS,
Secretary- of Labor.
521856°-43
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CHOOSING WOMEN FOR WAR-INDUSTRY JOBS
Sizing Up the Joh for Women
Selecting. the Woman for the Job
The application blank-The interviewThe interviewer-Employment tests
Aids in Selecting Women
Recommendations ..
*
The American war program must call more and more women
for service on the industrial labor front. The number of women
at work increased by nearly 20 percen~ in the first year of active
participation in the war. Further large additions are predicted
for 1943. Though many of the women needed in war production
have had no factory experience, they are well suited for certain
kinds of important work and are eager to give their best service.
Such service is possible, however, only if they are placed in the jobs
for u·hich they are best fitted and are advanced as they become
ready for more difficult work. Haphazard hiring policies, like
unsatisfactory conditions on the job, result in inefficient employees, excessive absenteeism, and higher labor turn-over.
Reports from the field show that some plants have had these
difficulties. Putting the right person in the right place at the
start is a long step toward maximum output. Sincere interest
in the employment of women and belief in their capabilities go
far in developing a good program for the use of woman power.
SIZING UP THE JOB FOR WOMEN
The first step in a · sound placement program for women is
selec-c:ing, on the basis of job analysis, the jobs suitable for them.
The number of jobs that fall into this category far exceeds the
number for which women customarily have been hired. Investigators from the Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor,
have found during the past year that many employers are
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putting women on a variety of jobs formerly never thought of
as suitable for them. 1 For example, in one of the major
aircraft companies on the west coast women comprised less than
2 percent of the labor force in November 1941, hut over 50
percent a year later.
Joh analysis reveals not only the skills required hut the physical demands of tasks in terms Qf strength, posture, and exposure
to hazards. In the process of such analysis, engineering changes
may ·b e indicated that wi!l lessen the physical demands of the
job and increase operating efficiency. The following ex.amples
tndicate how conversion not only increased the operating
-efficiency of the jobs hut made them practicable for women.
Engineers of a middle-western company effected a saving of time
and eliminated fatigue for the worker by converting a hand-operated
arbor press into an air-operated machine which stakes screws in a
20 mm. shell booster. The staking machine is operated by a young
woman who was on a machine for makin·g loose-leaf binders before
her employment on war work.
Another company eliminated_the necessity for lifting and handling
an air-operated wrench by suspending it from a counter-balanced
support. A woman has replaced a man on this job. She is able
to operate simultaneously two such counter-balanced air-driven
wrenches instead of the one operated by her male predecessor.
Types of Worlc Women Do Best.
Women are particularly good at fine processes requiring painstal_{.ing application. They have patience and finger dexterity
and soon learn to make careful adjustments at high speed with
great accuracy. They are also successful at jobs requiring the
operation of large machines when the proper conveyors, automatic chucks or stops, or other mechanical aids are provided.
Plant Factors Adapted to Women Worlcers.
Sizing up jobs for women also involves the consideration of
factors _in plant organization, such as degrees and types of
responsibilities, attitudes of supervisors and fellow workers
toward women, suitable plans for upgrading women workers,
and adequate measures for protection of their health and safety.
1 See for example Women's Bureau bulletins 192-1, Aircraft Assembly; 192-2.
Artillery Ammunition; 192-3, Cannon and Small Arms.
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SELECTING THE WOMAN FOR THE JOB
Hand in hand with the importance of selecting jobs suitable
for women goes the importance of selecting the right woman for
the particular job. Matching the woman to the job is the real
problem with which industry must concern itself. Effective
plans for this go far toward securing maximum production.
Selection procedures necessarily vary from plant to plant,
due to variation in types of jobs for which women are selected
and physical differences in plant set-ups. In general, desirable
steps in any well-rounded selection program include: (1) Making sure the application blanks are adequate; (2) planning for a
series of interviews; and (3) wherever possible providing tests
specifically tailored to the job. Every plant should .have competent persons to conduct these hiring procedures. Good
selection standards manned by competent personnel result in
better adjusted and more efficient workers.
A large eastern plant engaged in vital war work has .had
notable success in its recruiting program. This program was
initiated by selecting a man with the ideal combination of
intimate knowledge both of industrial operations and of selection
and testing techniques to head the personnel department. He
has a keen interest in the employment of women, and the personnel policies set up under his direction are sound and have
been successful in developing efficient and satisfied workers.
THE APPLICATION BLANK
A carefully drawn application blank goes far in simplifying
the selection procedure. It should furnish the interviewer, in a
minimum of time, with valuable information concerning the
applicant. Only information determined by job analysis to he
relevant to the individual's suitability for the job should he
asked for. The answers should he checked for accuracy.
Items most frequently included on the application blank are
concerned with personal information such as name, address,
telephone number; physical characteristics and. disabilities;
educational background; work history; and references. It may
he desirable to add to or to subtract from this list of items,
depending on the job or jobs for which the form will he used.
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Such matters as religious affiliation should not be included;
they tend to create ill will.
A good many plants have found it desirable, before the
preliminary interview, to use a short application form when the
applicant enters the personnel office. There is then no need for
the applicant to fill out a more detailed form if the preliminary
interview eliminates her as a possible employee.
THE INTERVIEW
The interview probably is the most important of the procedures employed in personnel selection. · According to Bingham
and Moore, 2 recognized personnel authorities, it serves three
basic functions: Securing information, giving information, and
establishing friendly relations. These functions usually are
performed in not one but a series of interviews, of which the
most important general types are the preliminary, the selection,
and the departmental. It cannot he too frequently emphasized
that the best results can be secured only when the interviewing
at every stage is done by personnel that can give the woman
interviewed confidence that they believe in women's capabilities.
The Preliminary Interview.
The primary purpose of the preliminary interview is to weed
out in the first stages of the selection process those individuals
who do not possess the minimum requirements for the available
jobs. This usually can be accomplished in the course of only
a few minutes if the applicant has filled out a short application
form. At this time the individual who is retained as a prospective employee is given the forms that must be filled out.
Appointments are made for further interviews with the proper
interviewing units and for taking tests if any are to be given at
this point in the procedure. It is well if this first interviewing
can be done by a personable and tactful woman who has had
actual experience on the job.
The Selection Interview. ,
The most important interview in the series is the selection
interview. It is at this time that the basic evaluation of the
applicant is made, and that the individual is matched tentatively
with the job.
2 How
to Interview, Harper, 1941.
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The exact form of the interview varies from company to
company, due to differences in plant set-up and types of jobs
to be filled. In every instance, however, the interviewer should
be familiar with all available pertinent information concerning
the applicant, including scores if any tests have been given.
If tests have not been given, the selection interviewer may find it
desirable to have them administered before making a final decision. Information concerning working conditions and plant
facilities should be given the applicant at this time, which requires that the interviewer be familiar with such information.
The Departmental Interview.
The importance attached to departmental interviews varies
greatly from plant t9 plant; in many they are eliminated altogether and in others they are merely a perfunctory endorsement
of the personnel department's selection for the job. On the other
hand, in a large number of cases the department head makes a
final selection from a group of applicants chosen by the personnel department as qualified for the job.
It is not practicable to lay down specific rules as to the merits
of the departmental interview, but usually it is important that
the department head who has the responsibility for this employee's work be given at least the opportunity to accept or
reject the choice made by the personnel department. In a large
electrical company that pays particular attention to selection,
the personnel' office insists that final choice of an employee be
made by the foreman of the department wh.e re she will work.
THE INTERVIEWER
The success of the interview as a part of any selection program
depends on the general competence of the interviewers. Recognition of this fact makes it imperative that the utmost consideration be given to the proper selection of the persons doing this
work. Experience has shown that individuals most likely to
succeed as interviewers possess among other characteristics
a desirable combination of the following personality traits and
vocational background:
Pleasing personality and cordial manner.
General knowledge of plant procedure.
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Detailed familiarity with the job analysis of the jobs to be filled.
Objectivity: Ability to avoid allowing personal bias or prejudice to
. enter into decisions.
Ability to evaluate tests and interpret test scores.
Ability to adapt to changing conditions.
Ability to inspire confidence in the job seeker.
Some "Do's" and "Don'ts" for the Interviewer
- determine what it is necessary to find out in the interview and
pattern the interview accordingly.
- have information from application blank and test scores well in
hand before interviewing applicant.
- gain confidence of applicant as early in interview as possible.
- be sure thl!t the physical surr~undings are private and conducive
to putting applicant at ease.
- give applicant an opportunity to talk freely.
Don't-be unduly influenced by the physical characteristics of the applicant, unless they are particularly important for the job.
- take for granted that habits in one activity are transferable to
another; a neat-looking person may n ot be a neat worker.
- ask questions that are answered on the application blank or
attempt to check their accuracy through the interview.
- give the appearance of rushing through the interview.
- ask leading questions.
-overemphasize the age factor; it is ability on the job that counts.
Do
. EMPLOYMENT TESTS
Tests must not be thought of as substitutes but only as aids to the
procedures in a personnel-selection program. Tests have much
to offer in a recruiting, training, and upgrading program for
individual workers. They must he properly tailored to the job,
and administered and interpreted by competent personnel.
If care is taken on these points, tests should he particularly
valuable at the present time as aids in the recruitment of women
workers for war production.
Though various types of tests have been used successfully by
many industrial plants, they should always be employed with
caution, and only under certain specified conditions.
First, all tests should he set up or select ed in terms of a specific
job. A thorough job analysis and classification should precede
any testing program.
Second, a testing program should always he set up and placed
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under the direction of someone trained and experienced in in- .
dustrial testing techniques.
Third, the results should ahyays be interpreted and used by
experts only.
If a testing program is set up under these conditions, and if
the program receives cooperation from the supervisors and employees, it should be a most effective aid in recruiting, training,
and upgrading industrial workers.
Two of the most widely used and generally successful types of
tests are the trade and ~ptitude tests.
Aptitude Tests.
Aptitude tests are employed in an attempt to measure a person's ability to do a specific job. They usually take the form
of pencil-and-paper or performance tests. Many have · been
tailored to test special abilities such as motor control, including
steadiness and speed and accuracy of motion; finger dexterity;
dual hand coordination; and visual perception. _Qthers have
been designed to test general mechanical comprehension. Those
which attempt to measure ·general mechanical ability are
somewhat discredited. This is because of the variety of skills
needed for the various · industrial jobs.
The O'Connor finger-dexterity test is an example of a performance test which has been used extensively in testing for many
factory jobs specifically requiring dexterity of the fingers. The
equipment consists of a metal plate, into which 100 holes have
been drilled, and a collection of small metal pins, 310 in number.
Each hole is large enough to hold three pins. The applicant is
required to place the pins three at a time in the holes until all
are filled. The score is o_n e-half the total of the time taken to
complete the first half of the plate plus 1.1 times the time taken
to complete the second half.
Trade Tests.
The trade tests have proved · useful in measuring a person's
familiarity with a specific job, and in indicating her knowledge
of certain terms, tools, apparatus, and general job procedures.
As such they are valuable in elimiuating those individuals who
exaggerate or overrate their abilities. In training courses they
may be used as checks on the effectiveness of the course and the
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progress of the individual. The United States Employment
Service has found trade tests useful in its placement program.
However, it is important to remember that they measm;e only a
person's knowledge about a job and not her ability to do the job.
The :following questions, designed to test an individual's
knowledge of lathe operations, are typical of the questions
included in the average trade test:
What are the three methods for turning and boring· tapers
in the lathe?
Which is the most accurate of all types of chucks?
What does the lathe carriage include?
Intelligence and Temperament Tests.
Besides aptitude and trade tests, intelligence and temperament
tests· sometimes are used as aids in placement procedures. Intelligence tests alone seldom prove useful in industry, but when
used with aptitude and trade tests they can add valuable information. It is found that if an individual rates high in intelligence but low in mechanical ability, she is likely to become
a dissatisfied worker if placed in a routine job. She may be more
successful in a job requiring more abstract intelligence. The
United States Employment Service uses parts of intelligence
tests in its aptitude and trade tests with satisfactory results.
A few plants have used temperament tests rather extensively
in their placement programs. However, relatively slight progress has been made in this realm of testing; hence it should be
used with the greatest caution and only when other selection
procedures fail to produce the desired results.
AIDS IN SELECTING WOMEN
Large industrial plants with sufficient financial resources to
hire well-trained employment personnel should encounter little
difficulty in setting up personnel-selection procedures to fit their
particular needs. However, many industries are not themselves
equipped to follow all the desirable steps in a good personnelselection program. For these a number of services are available.
The Women's Bureau will on request go into a plant and
analyze its jobs with a view of determining their suitability for
women. The Bureau has done this on a considerable scale m
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the aircraft, the machine-tool, and other industries newly
employing many women. The Bureau occupation experts
suggest which jobs are suitable for women or can be made so
with certain engineering changes. The largest service and the
one most widely spread geographically is the United States
Employment Service. There are also private organizations~
such as the Psychological Corporation, which act as ·consultants
in setting up testing programs and which service employers with
regard to s_etting up personnel-selection programs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For successful selection of women for war-industry jobs, the
Women's Bureau recommends:
1. Prior to selecting women for the jobs, a careful analysis of
the plant should be made to determine:
a. Which jobs are suitable for women.
b. Which jobs can be made suitable for women.
c. What changes are necessary in conditions surrounding
the job, as for example in height of seats or benches, in
weight of machine parts or of products to be handled,
in installation of mechanical lifts, and so forth.
2. The persons who are to select women should have the
following qualifications:
a. Detailed knowledge of the jobs to be filled and of conditions in the plant.
b. General knowledge of the types of work for which women
ordinarily are fitted.
c. Interest in women and belief in their capabilities.
d. Competence in interpreting such tests as may be used in
selecting women.
e. Freedom from personal prejudices, and ability to inspire
confidence in the job seeker.
3. The procedures for selecting women should be carefully
planned in advance, and may well include:
a. Provision of simple and adequate application blanks.
b. A series of interviews, with purposes as here described.
c. Tests rigidly tailored to fit the specific job:
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READING LIST
Achilles, Paul S. Trends in Employment Procedures. PQ.rsonnel, vol. 19,
pp. 609- 617, January 1943.
Anderson, Mary. Women in Wcr Industries. Personnel, vol. 18, pp.
195-207, January 194,2.
American Management Association. Personnel Series No. 43, Values of
Psychology in Industrial Management, 1940. Inaugurating a Test
Program, by Edward N. Hay, pp. 25- 33.
- - - - - Personnel Series No. 50, Psychological Aids in the Selection of
Workers, 1941. N ew Selection Methods for Defense Jobs , by C. L.
Shartle, pp. 30-40.
- -- - - Office Management Series No. 97, Wartime Office Personnel
Problems, 1942. Improving Interview Techniques, by Robert N. M cMurry, pp. 3-5.
- - - - - Production Series No. 138, Solving the Manpower Problem,
1942. Selecting and Placing Women Workers, by Millicent Pond, pp.
14-22.
Baker, Helen. Women in War Industries. Industrial Relations Section,
Princeton University, 1942, 82 pp.
Bingham, Walter Van Dyke, and Bruce Victor Moore. How to Interview.
Third revised edition. Harper, 1941, 263 pp.
Burtt, Harold Ernest. Principles of Employment Psychology. Revised
edition. Harper, 1942, 568 pp.
Dodd, 'Alvin E., and James 0. Rice (editors). How to Train Workers
for War Industries. Harper, 1942, 260 pp.
Drake, Charles A. Personnel Selection by Standard Job Tests. McGrawHill, 1942, 147 pp.
Hurt, Jack. Evaluating Applicants by Dexterity . Testing. Employment
Service News, vol. 6, pp. 7- 8, June 1939.
·
McMurry, Robert N. Malcing the Interview Count. Factory Management and Maintenance, vol. 96, pp. 62-63, May 1938.
National Industrial Conference Board, Inc. Studies in Personnel Policy :
No. 32. Experience with Employment Tests. March 11, 1941,
72 PP·
No. 41. Women in Factory Work. 1942, 52 pp.
Schultz, Richard S. Wartime Supervision of Workers. Harper, 1943;
206 pp.
Thompson, Lorin Andrew, Jr., and Associates. Interview Aids and Trade
Questions for Employment Offices. Harper, 1936, 173 pp.
Yoder, Dale. Personnel Management and Industrial Relations. Prentice.
Hall, 1942, 848 pp.
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