Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Job Skills

Observation: All job postings call for 'strong' research and writing skills, or 'excellent' research and writing skills. Do any jobs require merely 'adequate' research and writing skills? Or 'average' research and writing skills? Or even 'poor' research and writing skills? Does anyone ever get dissuaded from a job due to their percieved lack of the requistive level of skills?

Law Student: "Wow, this job sounds great. It's in my town, it pays a lot, it's in the area I want to practice...oh, never mind. It says 'candidate must possess excellent research and writing skills.' I would say my skills are good, maybe even superb, but certainly not excellent. No sense in applying. I guess I'll keep looking."

More interestingly, does this odd standard get applied beyond law school?

Employer: "I'm sorry we're going to have to let you go. Your legal writing skills are adequate."

Lawyer: "Doesn't that mean that they're good enough?"

Employer: "Forty is the new thirty, "Bad" means "cool", Adequate is no longer adequate. Get with the times."