MUNICH - Many people realize well after their school days are behind them that learning can actually be fun. Doing practical math or remembering French words, for example, may suddenly seem easy. Perhaps these folks had bad teachers in those subjects, but it's more likely that newfound learning appreciation has more to do with the fact that there's no longer any pressure.

So it seems that school grades have limited value when it comes to getting an accurate picture of a person’s apabilities. That's why Ulrich Weber, the board member in charge of human resources at Deutsche Bahn (DB) has launched an unusual pilot project: a job application process in which school grades take a back seat.

Young people who are applying for an apprenticeship or work/study position for fall 2014 at the German passenger, freight rail and bus company can now take a test online “regardless of the grades on his or her report card,” says a DB spokeswoman. “We encourage everyone interested in applying, without exception, to take the online test.” As with standard application procedures, all test-takers still must provide a CV and their grades.

The test focuses on capabilities that are important for whichever job the candidate is applying. Future track layers, for example, would need to demonstrate a gift for mechanical and technical material, while qualities sought in future railway operations coordinators are conscientiousness and a marked sense of duty.

In the selection process, DB will be focusing on “the personal strengths of the applicant,” Weber says. “Not the best grades but social and cognitive competencies are what determine a successful career.” The online test gives all applicants an equal chance.

The test may also “bring previously undiscovered talents to light that would otherwise have remained hidden,” the HR boss says. Some 300,000 people work for the company worldwide. On average, 8,000 workers leave the company every year, mostly because they’re retiring. Based on this fluctuation alone, DB hires 8,000 new workers every year.

To ensure a qualified workforce, the company has developed various strategies, among them the new application procedure for the 4,000 young people that it trains every year. The goal is not to find “the best and the brightest” but rather those whose talents are a good match for their particular job, Weber says. “A sense of responsibility or talent for understanding technical issues can be more important than good or bad grades in math.”

Other German employers in both the private and public sectors are also considering different hiring approaches. In late 2010, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency launched a pilot project for anonymous job applications. Five employers — Telekom and cosmetics giant L'Oreal among them — participated by accepting applications for certain jobs that were not accompanied by applicant photos, and contained no information about age, gender, background or civil status. Applicants only provided the information about their schooling, job training and work history, and they were invited to offer reasons why they were interested in the position.

Employers were asked to decide based on these criteria alone whether to invite candidates for interviews. Compared to conventional hiring practices, this approach was found to give immigrants and women a better shot at job interviews.

Eight German states are now in the process of launching their own projects, says Christine Lüders, head of the Anti-Discrimination Agency, adding that “in the state of Baden-Württemberg, participants are mostly small- and medium-sized companies.” These are companies, Lüders says, that want and need the best people and are therefore open to seeking out the best methods to get them.