Businesses should refer to star signs when recruiting: Turkish academic

ISPARTA

Businesses should hire employees based on their star signs, a Turkish academic has suggested in his thesis project submitted to the Süleyman Demirel University in the western province of Isparta.

“Throughout the hiring process, human resources departments should categorize applicants based on their star signs,” the thesis prepared by Adeviye Erdoğan read.

The thesis stirred controversy as astrology, according to some, is not considered a scientific discipline.

Still, Adeviye Erdoğan’s thesis titled “A new approach toward human resources management: Considering star signs” does not claim to discuss astrology’s category but merely offer a new approach to hiring and managing employees.

“The objective of this thesis is to gauge human resources managers’ attitudes towards their employees’ star signs,” read the work prepared under the supervision of assistant professor Ömer Kürşad Tüfekci.

Tevfik Uyar, sociologist and science-fiction author, has objected to the thesis, saying it could damage Turkey’s academic reputation.

“Applications abroad will be evaluated with a skeptical eye if it goes on like this,” Uyar tweeted on Jan. 7.