Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There are two essentials for an employee. Given the job market, it appears that the great majority of employers don’t understand these essentials.

I have been on both sides of the hiring and being hired world. I find two and only two essentials:

1. Job skills
2. Work ethic

Okay, that’s it. Next?

The trouble is, it is quite troublesome to determine these two in a job applicant.

There are “tests” that employers want to give to job applicants. It is unfortunate that some employers’ “tests” are actual work they need accomplished. The test is a way to have an applicant work for free. Most applicants don’t know this. Those who do understand how this works are happy to bribe employers to have a chance at a job.

The work ethic part is more difficult to determine. Yes, this person knows who to do the job, but do they arrive on time? Do they work a full day? Does it take them an hour to sit and start working? Do they spend most of the day running a football pool? There are many questions that attempt to measure work ethic.

Sigh. This ought to be easier. Sorry. It isn’t. Still, come back to these two things.