First of all, the job applicants of today are quite different than they were a generation ago. The advancement of technology is increasing the need for skills that were not required previously. Thus the incompatibility between job and worker has become more pronounced and most organizations now realize that their workforce is extremely valuable "intellectual capital". The penalty for hiring the wrong person, or putting a good person into the wrong job inevitably results in poor productivity and turnover. Both of these come at a very high cost. For instance, the cost of turning over a commissioned sales person, who makes $50K, is somewhere in the vicinity of $10-15k not counting lost sales! A highly paid executive? Twice their annual salary! Even turnover of an hourly employee making minimum wage will cost a minimum of $2,500. Therefore, it has become very important to determine if a particular applicant is well suited for a position and your company's culture. Secondly, it has become perilous to dismiss employees in today's litigious society. The best answer to that problem is to hire the right person for the job in the first place. Finally, assessing all serious applicants will ultimately contribute to higher productivity, lower turnover and improved profitability.