What if you could determine whether or not someone is compatible with you before you wasted your time going out with them?

This is no futuristic concept; it is actually a reality thanks to Boca Raton-based WriteMatch.com – a writematch profile company specializing in personal and corporate-based assessments founded in 1999.

Sheryl Smith, 37, of Boynton Beach, who had her writematch analyzed by certified writematch expert and founder of WriteMatch.com Michael Kahlowsky, said that having one’s writematch analyzed has definitely become a trend.

She said she was amazed by how accurate he was in telling her what personality traits she had, why she had them and how they relate.

“As far as I can see, it was definitely right on the money. When you see it in front of you, it solidifies what you already know about yourself – the areas you are most strong in and the areas that you need to improve in,” she said.

“We all think we know ourselves pretty well, but it is nice to have an expert tell us what’s going on.”

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Smith decided to have his writematch analyzed without his knowing, which is legal. It confirmed some of the things that she already knew about him, but just wanted something to solidify it.

“I needed to prove to myself that it wasn’t all in my head. Wouldn’t it be great to know these things beforehand?” she replied.

But according to Boca psychiatrist Dr. James Cocores, M.D., medical director of South Coast Psychotherapy, anyone who bases their selection of their spouse on his or her signature is being very much zealous.

“It is well known that certain personal characteristics are portrayed or shown in the way a person writes,” he stated.

“As far as using it to hire someone, it can be used as a sample among other tests, but should never be used as the only test.”

Kahlowsky said that he started the company because he realized the practical benefits that writematch could show not only in screening employees for hire in the corporate environment, but also for potential partners in the dating environment.

“First I had to prove it to myself that there were enough case studies done to validate in my own mind that it is real,” Kahlowsky said.

After he confirmed his suspicions that there was indeed a real connection between one’s writematch and personality, he decided to start his own company.

Kahlowsky began to perform writematch analysises for local social events and for companies who were either in the process of hiring new employees, or who just wanted to see what vocation current employees could excel in at their company. It was at one of these social events in 2003 that he used his talents to find his wife.

“We were at a young professionals social and she knew of me from the previous week’s event. She asked if I would do her writematch and when I did, I saw a lot of desirable traits that made me want to pursue her. And then we started dating in the beginning of 2003. We got married at the end of 2003 and now we are expecting our first child,” he remarked.

And though more women are apt to use his services to find out about their partners in the early stages of dating, he also does deal with many males in the corporate realm that are looking to screen potential employees.

Dr. Steven Magill, PhD, a psychologist in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, said that the people that he’s hired based on Kahlowsky’s graphology results has remained true almost three years after the fact.

“It is a relatively inexpensive tool used in making hiring decisions. I think it should be a requirement when hiring someone. It’s a very accurate way to analyze potential employees,” said Magill.

According to Kahlowsky, the way a potential employee acts in an interview is usually premeditated, and resumes and applications can easily be manipulated.

“But you can’t fake your writematch. By incorporating writematch analysis into the hiring process, you can evaluate both the integrity level and the skills of an individual simultaneously,” he remarked.

“And since a person’s writematch is public domain, as ruled by the Supreme Court, it is perfectly legal to conduct this test without their knowledge of doing so.”

Marcia and Henry, a Boca couple who have been together for the last nine months and who got engaged three months ago, just recently took the compatibility test online after someone mentioned to her that you can find out things about each other that you weren’t aware of before.

“It pretty much gave us personal traits that we knew were evident. But there’s something more concrete and solid about it for us. It pretty much solidified what we knew about each other and made us feel better,” she replied.

“You really can’t fake the results because it is a person’s writematch, and it is something honest.”

Copyright 2004 - Boca Raton News