We may have often come across people discussing what genetic testing reveals about their health and ancestry. Studies and research have attempted to answer that by examining whether people who have a certain gene also hold down managerial skills. It isn't as essential as it seems, but job selection could be on the basis of a few required genetic characteristics! While it is already very common in the military and sports, it may be very interesting to know how genetic testing plays a significant role in identifying the leadership and intelligence in today’s business scenario.  

Although Science has demonstrated a linkage between genes and IQ in twins, a lot of new research has identified genes linked to leadership qualities in an individual. Genetics has grown as a science to the point that it could plausibly allow employers to determine who might make the best choice for any given position, from the executive level on down. 

Every individual has a distinctive DNA that guides his or her natural behavior (personality), strengths and weaknesses, skills and capabilities. As science advances every day, the understandings of genes that correlate to certain desirable traits like intelligence levels is information that may be sought by an organization and especially to the HR department . In fact, people seeking leadership roles may volunteer to submit their DNA test results to demonstrate that they have the right aptitude and leadership capabilities for the job. Before going through several rounds of recruitment and on the job training, if businesses believe that certain candidates are born predisposed of leadership skill or higher intellectual abilities, they may be interested in identifying those people early in their careers and help them become the next great CXO. Using this understanding about how some characteristics are genetically determined may help  the HR develop new interview methodologies and testing to help identify candidates suitable for the job profile. While this could be a new and exciting format of recruitment, many experts raise questions on the reliability of DNA to predict someone’s potential, on consent and privacy issues around gathering data, and the ethical issues if an employer decides to use these insights to make decisions about someone’s career progression, future role or salary. 

Currently, candidates are evaluated through a rigorous process of recruitment. A fresher may have to give an IQ test followed by several rounds of personal interviews. Those candidates applying for senior positions in the organisation maybe evaluated through several rounds ofinterviews and the number of years of experience they hold. This process fairly evaluates every candidate that has applied for the job and this could be a major missing element if only DNA test results are used to screen applicants for a job. It eliminates a fair review of the candidates and they may simple be rejected because they lack the genes required for the specific role. 

DNA testing could be a new requisite for recruitment in the coming years especially after most job sectors being taken over by AI however, the question still remains if DNA testing will be legalized, whether it can be used ethically and if a candidate should be recruited on the basis of his/her genes only.