• The Atlantic article is a fascinating piece on the introduction of "big data" analysis to the HR world, I was interested to read about the use of game apps "Dungeon Scrawl" and "Wasabi Waiter" as assessment tools ...

    .... "How long you hesitate before taking every action, the sequence of actions you take, how you solve problems—all of these factors and many mor are logged as you play, and then are used to analyze your creativity, your persistence, your capacity to learn quickly from mistakes, your ability to prioritize, and even your social intelligence and personality."

    While I have no empirical data to back up any conclusions, my experience of some years spent driving between work-sites with colleagues (and observing other drivers) led me to conclude that there is a potential link between driving styles, and how the driver approaches other aspects of their life and work. I'd be pretty confident that I could get a better idea of how a person will respond in a work situation after accompanying them across town in peak traffic. All of the above, plus how well they respond to unexpected situations, how closely they follow rules, courtesy, anger management, decision-making skills, attitude to deadlines (short term = redlights, long term = e.t.a.) ...and my biggest predictor, do they indicate their lane-changes and check before proceeding.

    I'd like to see an extension of the MIT/Sandy Pentland project to capture information about how people handle their daily commute.

    ... "Pentland has pioneered the use of specialized electronic “badges” that transmit data about employees’ interactions as they go about their days. The badges capture all sorts of information about formal and informal conversations: their length; the tone of voice and gestures of the people involved; how much those people talk, listen, and interrupt; the degree to which they demonstrate empathy and extroversion; and more."

    If it is not already a work in progress somewhere, it would seem to be a matter of time before we can combine the information from a set of "Google glasses", GPS/satnav, smartphone and car's on-board computer to come up with a personality profile.

    I had considered a more informal, low-tech solution - "I have to be at a meeting across town in an hour, but I still want to discuss your application ... would you be able to drive me and we can talk as we go?" - but could almost hear the lawyers rattling at the door. :ermm: