Editor’s Note: The following remarks were made on The NEWS’ group, The NEWS Network, on LinkedIn. These comments are all concerning the discussion on applicants disqualifying themselves by not following simple instructions. Join the conversation at http://linkd.in/sizg4c.

No Sense of What’s Appropriate

My husband was at McDonald’s the other day and a woman at the next table was being interviewed by the manager. Her cell phone rings, she picks up, talks for a minute, and says, “I am in a job interview right now. Can I call you back later?” If I were the manager, I would have walked away when it rang.

Jolene Methvin
Estimator/Cust Svc
Bay Area Air Conditioning
Ocala, Fla.

What They Didn’t Learn in School

Etiquette, ethics, and basic social skills are not being taught at home or school today. Their basic ability to read and write has been compromised due to a thing called creative spelling.

While they need good math and science skills, many applicants like me did not take those subjects too seriously in school. As such, they too will have to go back and upgrade to be successful.

We want new hires with a willingness to learn, good attitude, hygiene, confidence in themselves, good social skills, and the ability to read and write. From there we go to work.

D. Brian Baker
President
Custom Vac Limited
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Reading Candidates By Their Actions

We had a guy come in the office the other day to fill out an application. He asked to borrow a pen. In his mind, no big deal. In my mind, he just told me he hasn’t really thought this thing through. Here’s a kid who’s going to make 15 trips out to his truck to get stuff every time he’s working on a job.

Brian Harvey
Owner
H&C Inc. Heating and Cooling
Baltimore area

Publication date: 11/21/2011