Not Qualified
Just a little note… it’s not based off a news story, just some information I picked up in the workplace, so I’m putting it here, not at blogHOUSTON.
Of course, it’s widely known that the city employees don’t make nearly as much as the private sector, especially in the professional areas. And what’s happening to the pension plan has been in the news lately. So what does that mean for the City of Houston, in a very competitive marketplace, with historically low unemployment?
Well, my division regularly keeps entry-level job postings open. Every couple of months we bring in a batch of new apps, go over them, and select the best for interviews. I trust you can see the problem with waiting up to two months to call someone for an interview. This time, it didn’t matter anyway.
None of the applicants qualified for the basic, entry-level position. All you needed was a GED, the ability read/write on an eleventh grade level, do simple sums, and the ability to talk without sounding like an ignorant drop-out. The ability to think and make decisions was entirely optional.
“No qualified applicants” doesn’t mean “no applicants.” It means we got the bottom of the barrel, people so unqualified we’d rather run short-handed than hire them.
Houston, you’re getting what you’re paying for….