“…X is interesting. She will probably get along with Y. X is social and fun and generous, but she also has the ability to run things.
I might consider this a problem if not for the age difference. Y is older and I think that X will note this. But she is a “star” of some type. Someone who’s eventually going to pull out of the pack.
I don’t think this is negative at all. I would hire her for sure. She’s probably got quite a bit a charisma. The ability to make people feel good goes a long way, so I would want her on my team…”
That’s from a consultation. I cop to having some doubts about doing this work. Jobs are hard to come by and the idea someone not be hired, because of me, weighs heavy on my mind. However, if an employer had a good motivation, it can help tremendously.
For example, if this were a restaurant, I would put this gal up front to greet the people. For the record, X has Gemini, Leo, strong Jupiter and Mars…with some Cardinal qualities.
Is it okay to use astrology as part of the hiring process?
In an ideal world, it might be okay to use astrology as one factor. I would worry about people misusing it – such as the people who are biased against one particular sign due to some wrong done to them by someone else who has a heavy influence of that sign. Not to say such a thing doesn’t happen in other ways. One employer might not like redheads for an illogical reason, another may not like people who graduated from a certain school. Hiring processes are just one of those things that many companies try to make as objective as possible, but still end up being subjective.
Now in my office, astrology seems to be using the higher-ups! It amuses me to no end that my team is made up solely of Cardinal suns, or people who have stelliums in a Cardinal sign.
I definitely think twice about it, though I’ve never had a bad experience doing this, or any sign that tells me that I should not do it.
I think it benefits the client, that’s for sure.
I own a cafe, and I do use astrology in the hiring process. I am a Gemini with moon in Sag. and Cancer rising. I have learned the hard way early on that having personalities that are good for this environment AND having personalities that are complimentary to mine (since I practically live here), is a must! Other Gemini types fair well around me. Aries keeps me stable and also works hard. But I don’t just go by sun sign and call it a day. I consider my own chart, the cafe’s chart and the dynamics of what that person’s energy brings to the mix. The cafe definitely has a life of its own and tends to attract what it needs. Since I have such an intimate relationship with my work environment, I do feel like the gate keeper for what comes in and I trust the timing of when people show and when a position opens up as well.
Sure, it is. I saw a French documentary a few years ago about a small village school. The teacher was in a review conference with the a couple, the parents, and he was discussing the astrological characteristics of their child as pertaining to the classroom. really natural, and cool.
How funny to see this post this morning. Funny because, YES, in human resources for 20 yrs, I did use astrology to hire. Also, to advise the president of the company what to expect on his travels.
It was all so normal.
What a great question! I would say yes, but only if you can get the whole picture: date/time/place of birth and know how to analyze a chart. Hiring someone “because he’s a Capricorn” won’t necessarily yield the results you want, especially if his other planets don’t support that Capricorn Sun. Then there’s the delicate matter of obtaining the birth data, and there are laws against age discrimination, so that could be tricky.
So, having said that, I guess you could get away with just date/place of birth to find out what planets the person has in what signs (although the Moon and, in cusp conditions the Sun) could also be a gray area). So IMO, short answer yes with an if, long answer no with a but. Heck, they’re both long answers.
Yes, I think it could be very useful to have astrologers as part of the hiring process.
Perhaps it is done more often than we know.
But, as curious wanderer says, there are all sorts of employers. I remember reading of a European soccer coach who simply wouldn’t hear of having any Scorpios in his team.
It seems the employers should be astrologically evaluated first.
I have been studying astrology for about 5 years and still can’t get family to not roll their eyes each time I bring up the astrological weather at the dinner table.So, if people are willing to use it and try to understand astrology more, I am all for it. Sag/Sun/6th and Aqu/Saturn/Moon/9th
Can’t imagine that it’s all that cut and dry and simple. So much for skills and ingenuity.
And I guess the idea of parents controlling their kids with astrology kind of sets my teeth on edge. They will rebel. If they are normal that is. I’m doubtful on this. It reads so mechanized. Dunno. Just my take. And how people handle transits can change everything.
What about using it to size up potential employers? Might avert a potential disaster if you can see lack of ethics or something in the chart, and run away!!
As for using it on me, well…..I think employers might see my Pluto/NN/Midheaven/Sun in the 10th, squaring 7th house Mars and Jupiter. Ruh-roh. If that doesn’t scare them off….my Uranus/Moon opp will.
I have done this to some extend. With my current employer the problem it’s an old company, which has bought other companies, and gone corporate in process. But if I use the original date of foundation, there actually is a strong synastry there. Loads of trines, and the company Jupiter sitting on my MC.
But you know what, I’ve actively avoided looking at the synastry with my current boss. I don’t even remember his exact birthday. He is a late degree Aquarius, that much I know. But as I’ve discovered now, he has Jupiter conjunct Mars in Virgo, both retrograde, which explains a lot about his need to dominate people and why he constantly fails. Now, the conjunction is also sitting on my Ascendant. There’s nothing “sexy” about this. I irritate him profoundly. But I feel the only way he is ever going to get rid of me is to help me get a promotion.
People use Astrology for everything. Many find or dismiss mates with Astrology, plan events by Astrology and make use of Astrology for many other things in their lives, why not employment? Thinking not many employers would go to that extent anyway, unless maybe if the job were very important, plus the employer would have to know about the benefits of Astrology and actually know what they were doing, or trust and pay someone else to do it, because it does amount to some kind of biased manipulation, but isn’t everything. What could a potential employee do about it if they knew they were not hired because of an astrological incompatibility with someone or a trait, instead of their qualifications and experience. Of course the employer would never give the real reason. I personally wouldn’t want to work for someone who was that controlling that they had to screen potential employees by using astrology. A really important job would have its own checks and balances to hire potential employees anyway.
Maybe this is just about Control, plain and simple. Pluto is transiting in Capricorn. Control over economic power. Control over employees as part of the business. Control is operating in a Saturnian sign. Saturn is operating in a Plutonian sign. Control in business happening on a large scale. Big difference between a business owner 10th and a worker 6th. Big fish, Little fish. There is always a bigger fish.
I found your comment in the spam, WinterMoon. Sorry! You’re retrieved!
i still wouldn’t base it on astrology, because it’s not giving others a chance — if they have a good recommendation and history of good work ethics, then usually bosses like that in their company. With restaurants/burger joints, they are eager to hire young people out of high school or in high school because they are usually eager to learn work ethics.
What a great question, and a perfect time for posing it. Much of my working life was in Human Resources. I worked with front line employees, and infiltrated management with my ideas about looking at employees are their finest assets who deserved the best conditions for working. I knew astrology, but could not apply it. Looking back on that HR Career, which I have been ever since Saturn became his transit through my 10th House, I have been challenged to see how that experience could be used to transform HR today.
You give me very tasty options for answers. Astrology in the workplace? I would say with the right astrologer and client relationship that partnership would be an excellent tool.
Absolutely not. Rejecting someone in any sphere of life (work, relationships, etc.) due to their astrological info is complete foolishness to me. That doesn’t mean their chart isn’t relevant, but I think you have to look at how their personality or skills actually manifest in the “real world” and judge based on that alone.
Astrology is useful as a tool for decision-making and it is interesting to note correlations in these situations, but I think you have to draw the line somewhere. Discriminating against people based on their chart is that line, for me.
However, it is your job to give people astrological consultation about pretty much anything they ask about, so I’d say that’s on them, not you.
Oh hell yes. I’d absolutely use astrology as part of any HR process. Off the record of course. For example if someone is somewhat aloof, it would help to know whether they are Aquarius (“Oh, he’s probably being himself, I’m not as worried about an agenda”) or Libra (“Hmm, normally they a bit more engaging…”). I’d use astrology to know when to take a second look and where to direct that look. I’d still be Equal Opportunity with respect to the signs. Whether someone gets or keeps a job is up to them to put their best foot forward.
Interesting dilemma. The onus surely is on the person doing the ’employing’ to be open and honest about how they make their decision. If this employer believes they are a person who has and demonstrates integrity and is hoping/expecting it in someone else, particularly a prospective employee, would it not be dishonest to do otherwise?
Businesses use all sorts of psychology based reports as part of their recruitment process, some useful, some not so. And they also have to include simply evaluating the persons skills, experience and personality attributes. And in the end, they have to use their own judgement and intuition, not a report.
So why not just be open about using astrological reports as part of that process? If it is OK to do it in the first place, it ought to be OK to tell the prospective employee.
I spoke to a civilian to astrology about this. She told me she’s read in the newspaper that this is happening. For me, this is a time when I step away from astrology and ask myself why am I studying this, what do I do with the knowlege and information, and what are my ethical concerns.
A company could not tell a person they were astrologically discriminated against because astrologers are not certified. Certification will mean trained astrologers will act within a prescribed paradigm of typecasting most likely. It just becomes another brick in the wall. Children could be sized up at birth and forced to follow a prescription to fit the economy. No more choice at its worst. I think my difficulty with this is that people will not be allowed to happen as they happen. I realized thinking about all this that I have faith in something larger than astrology. I can’t really define it, but I do. Everybody wants to play god. I really have no control over what the masses do or what they buy into, I just have to deal with it.
i really like this post. I was just thinking about the film me and my husband watched Friday night. It’s called, “Divergent” — a novel by Veronica Roth, and it is similar to a cross between “hunger games/harry potter in the later series” because it is a young adult fiction. Basically, in short, it’s all about “control.”
sometimes, we’re so afraid of losing control, that we, a population have to control. Keeping things in order is nice, but it’s like history likes to repeat itself. astrology can also be used as a tool of ‘control’ if misused.
In a way, this doesn’t surprise me. If I’m not mistaken, Japan uses blood type in their hiring practices. Type A might be better suited to a certain job than Type O.
I think that we all have a problem with something that is much bigger than just using astrology in the employment process. It’s about being categorized, summed up and put into a little box with ‘instructions for use’.
Yes, it is all about control – mind control. Someone other than ourselves determining our thoughts, opinions, and what ‘is good for us’.
As Notch says:
“Children could be sized up at birth and forced to follow a prescription to fit the economy. No more choice at its worst. I think my difficulty with this is that people will not be allowed to happen as they happen. I realized thinking about all this that I have faith in something larger than astrology. I can’t really define it, but I do. Everybody wants to play god. I really have no control over what the masses do or what they buy into, I just have to deal with it.”
This has all taken me off topic: I’m all for astrology being put to good use in the employment process and elsewhere. As always, it’s the misuse of otherwise good things that is the problem.
I work at a psychiatric hospital and have been working at our most active acute care unit since end of october. I look at who has been coming in totally undone —- a lot of Capricorns and Scorpios, and Aries lately. The Pisces patients are having their regular check out behavior gone wrong , but not much more drastic…. It is interesting that a lot of psychoatrists are scorpios, and a lot of psychologists Cancers and a lot of nurses are Aries types at my psych unit.
I am a Scorpio sun Pisces Ascendant Capricorn moon and I desperately want out of the job but I am hanging in for stability sake but I know, also that I am of help there…. I just wish I could help myself out of this craziness…..
I think it is fine.
Employers already do a quick read on your personality within a few seconds. Astrology provides more information to their impressions. If the employer is good at reading people, the astrology will agree with what they’ve already intuitively felt and also provide more detailed information. Fit is often a more important factor than skills when they plan to keep you for a long time.