4 ms·

Interesting, but doesn't the act of applying for a job itself guarantee to at least some extent that an applicant is conscientious?

danudey 15y ago
Not even remotely. I worked at an EB Games (hardly a prestigious retail outlet, but pretty decent). I had stoned-looking, unshaven, greasy-haired teenagers in ripped clothes and baggy jeans stagger into my store as if they were stoned out of their minds, throw down a folded-in-quarters resume on the counter, and say 'I'd like a job'. When I said 'Thanks, we'll let you know' they wandered off to play on the demo Xbox for ten minutes and then left. Another guy came in, an overweight, sweaty, hillbilly-looking man in ratty jeans and a flannel shirt so worn out that there were obvious holes in the armpits, and I got the sense that hygiene was as important to him as fashion. Then there's the women who come in with their son's resume (and occasionally even their sons) and try to get them a job. I'd like to say 'For every talented, worthwhile individual we saw ten of these', but in three years of working there, I don't recall having spoken to a single person that made me think 'Hey, we should hire this guy', but I saw one person after another like this, people so unqualified for the job that I couldn't help but wonder if they really wanted to be employed at all, or if their parents or girlfriends were just tired of them lazing around the house and smoking pot and were forcing them to pretend to make an attempt. My manager at EB used to manage a McDonald's, and he became one of those people who refuses to leave the drive-thru until he's gone through everything he ordered to make sure it's what he asked for. The reason? He's had to do hiring. The kids that are too blasted out of their minds to accomplish anything? The ones that stand there like idiots until you give them specific, detailed, step-by-step instructions which they immediately forget? The ones that don't actually understand what's happening, never really know how to do their jobs, and never take action on their own? Those, he said, were the best applicants he got. He hired these people because everyone else who applied was incapable of doing simple tasks even when instructed. These people were the cream of the crop. So when McDonald's says they hired 6.2% of the people who applied to them, I also have a hard time believing them. I can't help but think, 'Really? That many? They must be desperate.'

danudey 15y ago

Not even remotely. I worked at an EB Games (hardly a prestigious retail outlet, but pretty decent). I had stoned-looking, unshaven, greasy-haired teenagers in ripped clothes and baggy jeans stagger into my store as if they were stoned out of their minds, throw down a folded-in-quarters resume on the counter, and say 'I'd like a job'. When I said 'Thanks, we'll let you know' they wandered off to play on the demo Xbox for ten minutes and then left. Another guy came in, an overweight, sweaty, hillbilly-looking man in ratty jeans and a flannel shirt so worn out that there were obvious holes in the armpits, and I got the sense that hygiene was as important to him as fashion. Then there's the women who come in with their son's resume (and occasionally even their sons) and try to get them a job. I'd like to say 'For every talented, worthwhile individual we saw ten of these', but in three years of working there, I don't recall having spoken to a single person that made me think 'Hey, we should hire this guy', but I saw one person after another like this, people so unqualified for the job that I couldn't help but wonder if they really wanted to be employed at all, or if their parents or girlfriends were just tired of them lazing around the house and smoking pot and were forcing them to pretend to make an attempt. My manager at EB used to manage a McDonald's, and he became one of those people who refuses to leave the drive-thru until he's gone through everything he ordered to make sure it's what he asked for. The reason? He's had to do hiring. The kids that are too blasted out of their minds to accomplish anything? The ones that stand there like idiots until you give them specific, detailed, step-by-step instructions which they immediately forget? The ones that don't actually understand what's happening, never really know how to do their jobs, and never take action on their own? Those, he said, were the best applicants he got. He hired these people because everyone else who applied was incapable of doing simple tasks even when instructed. These people were the cream of the crop. So when McDonald's says they hired 6.2% of the people who applied to them, I also have a hard time believing them. I can't help but think, 'Really? That many? They must be desperate.'