WANTED: JOB SEEKERS WITH THE WRITE STUFF : COMPANIES TURN TO GRAPHOLOGY.

Byline: Ken Western The Arizona Republic

After a national search, a major toy maker was planning to offer its top post to an executive with impeccable credentials.

But the company wanted to make sure it had dotted every I and crossed every T. So it sent a sample of the finalist's handwriting to Mark Hopper, a Phoenix graphologist.

His findings? The candidate was just what everyone thought: bright, motivated and talented. But the analysis also revealed a high risk of substance abuse.

When the company reluctantly went back and raised the issue, the executive acknowledged that he was a recovering alcoholic. He got the job, but the company - with his consent - removed the bar in the executive suite.

Many people scoff at handwriting analysis as a parlor game, but companies are turning to graphology as a tool to screen applicants, build teamwork among employees and evaluate the interpersonal skills of workers.

``This industry is just at the edge of taking off,'' said Hopper, who founded Handwriting Research Corp. in Phoenix in 1983. ``That's because employers are really ready for something new that the psychology community isn't offering.''

An estimated 300 people - and perhaps 10 companies - across the country do handwriting analysis for businesses. Some have only a handful of clients while a few others, like Handwriting Research, handle hundreds of clients. They offer graphology as a supplement or an alternative to the battery of psychological tests, background checks and interviews that are used in evaluating job prospects.

Supporters contend that handwriting analysis can uncover hidden talents and problems that may not surface otherwise. In the United States, thousands of companies use handwriting analysts as personnel consultants. Graphology is even more popular in Europe, where it is routinely used as a hiring tool by 85 percent of companies, backers say.

Critics say there is no real proof that it works and worry that its use can eliminate qualified applicants for no other reason than a funny looking loop. They cite, among other things, an Ohio State University study 13 years ago that found no correlation between handwriting analysis and sales success.

Further, they say, pencil-and-paper tests and other traditional screening techniques can provide the insights into personalities that companies want.

``We're not fortune tellers. We're not psychics,'' said Hopper, 41, who has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Oklahoma Christian College and a master's in counseling from Arizona State University. ``This is a tool to get insight into applicants.''

Handwriting Research Corp. has collected about 100,000 samples of handwriting and compiled profiles of people in all kinds of professions, from chimney cleaners to chief executives. It uses a computer to help evaluate 396 questions about an individual's handwriting, measuring such variables as the shape of letters, slant, pressure, margins and spacing.

``Historically, people with the best resume or best looks, or most education, experience or connections have all the advantages in applying for a job,'' he said. ``If (those approaches) did well, I wouldn't have any business.''