Hiring of Trainees:: Backside covering exercise or profitable key to selection?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

So this guy says to me "which college is your son going to go to after he finishes school?". I said "he isn't going to college, he wants to be a mechanic and go to work". So this guy then says to me "so he isn't going to go to college then?". I said "what for?". He says, "well if he wants to get on as a mechanic he ought to have qualifications". I said "what for, he already has the highest qualifications in the land". He says, "what are they then?". I said, "he knows what he wants to do and he is has the motivation - to do it". I said "does your son know what he wants to do?". He said "no, but he is going to go to college". I said, "does your son want to go to college?". He said, "well not really, but he is going there to find out what he wants to do?".

I said, "tell him to sit still and think about what he wants to do, then decide whether he wants to go to college or go to work". "How can he move forward unless he knows what he wants to do?".

His only explanantion was that he didn't want his son to get left behind by the herd, many of whom were rushing blindly into college courses they were only entertaining because they didn't know what they wanted to do.

Suffice to say, i decided not to take his advice and my son is going to start work as a trainee mechanic at a local garage next year.

It's not that my son isn't going to continue on with his education. He is just going to select nightschool courses that compliment the work he has chosen to do and the courses that he enjoys. How many young people are undertaking years and years of study, only to find out later what they want to do and it isn't what they trained for? Or they take courses that actually lead to nowhere?

In the same way, how many recruiters actually take the time to look for this most endearing quality in prospective employees.

The quality to know what you want to do!

How many hiring managers are looking for such qualities or are blindly selecting candidates on the basis of having bagged a few impressive qualifications, just so they can cover their backsides with senior management - should the placement not work out?

So the advice is to ask such questions at interview that identify this most endearing quality in candidates.

Seek candidates.... who know what they want to do!