Let us hire the best

By Orlando Huaman* 27 December 2017, 12:00AM

A harmonious and happy society is one in which all its members are involved in a constructive activity that benefits the majority. 

Any deviation from this ideal accommodation brings imbalance and chaos depending of its deviation and gravity of it. History tells us that dictatorships, no matter how you paint them, are counterproductive in the short or long run. 

When the ideal principles are modified to favor a ruling group, discontent arouse among the governed. Its resilience is in direct relationship of the positive mentality of the governed, that it’s their understanding that makes them happy and satisfying while belonging to that society. 

Since our permanence on this Earth is temporal, it might as well be fulfilling as an individual and as a member of the society at large.

People say, dreams come true, why society’s dream can not be true as well? 

Negative factor have always existed within any society; it is how we deal with it that make a country great and progressive, and others chaotic 

Wouldn’t we say that the behaviour of some are the responsibility of the majority? Talking here of a ruling party. If a ruling party is corrupt it overlook the bad behavior of some of its members for their particular reasons.

It is also said that “we deserve the government we choose”. How true is this. Why? Logically, if we choose our leaders in a biased way, sooner or later the bad apple will surface and contaminate the good ones. And why we become biased toward some and not toward other?

You know why? Because we are not truthful to our selves. That is when all the negative emotions in a person (s) come in to play. Among them, selfishness and lack of love play a very important role. Since we are not going to take it with us, when we leave this temporary abode, why accumulate and not make the poor participant of that abundance?

You see, we come to this world endowed with talents and abilities, plus the skills and experiences acquired along the way. No, not all of us are equal in that department. Some are genius and some are not, the majority. Some use what they have within themselves to it full capacity, some don’t or don’t want it or what is even worse don’t know what they have within themselves. Sad.

If a smart society realize the human resources that they have and its potential benefits if properly channeled , that is a smart society. And what better place to put this into practice at an early age? Meaning the start of the educational phase -  from childhood to adulthood.

It is also known that not all of us are aware of what we are good at, unless somebody is monitoring the early behavior of the people and sorting out as of its usefulness for the future of the society. Since production starts when one man works for another; his/her yield is in direct proportion of what the person is made of. There is no other measured objective factor. 

We acquire knowledge and experiences throughout our lives,; that is the rule. But unfortunately not all of us “retain” what is good and discard the bad. That is what make a difference in the quality of a person. Example some societies keep some traditions that are bad but they don’t discard them. Tradition, per se, is not always good, some are contra -productive. Breaking them is called progress!

By the time the young man or woman decides to form part of society and most of all contribute to it is about the time just before he enter high school but better yet by the time he leaves it. At around 16 or older a person, supposedly know some about himself/herself. Meaning his/her talent, skills and abilities factors that will contribute to carry him/her throughout life. Being this a trade or profession or any activity that he/she think will support them with his basic necessities in life and beyond.

The crucial and determining factor of his success in life is when his/her skills and abilities plus previous life experiences impulse that person to decide what is he /she good at and after a thoroughly analysis of his potentials decides with great per cent of certainty that that is the trade or occupation that belongs to him/her. Not before.

I am not saying that a person wants to be this or that, or anybody else think  that that person should be this or that one. As much well intentioned those persons are- to regret it later, if it does not fit that person in the course of a life practicing what he has chosen. 

Previously I have said that there are more than 33,000 occupations in any well developed country. And, optimistically, I also said: one of those occupations belongs to him/her. A data base of mine describes 950 occupations in detail. 

So, so far what I am saying is: to know what you are good at,( don’t fool yourself. Nowadays there are scientific ways to find out about that) then choose by yourself or with outside help how to use those good things you have to choose a profession or trade. Satisfaction in your job is the end result. All you have to do is keep improving and strengthening your self motivated skills and thus promotions and reward will come along your way.

So what is the purpose of what I am saying all that above.? It has to do plenty with a future of a country.

Now, when you graduate and you are ready to find a job; either you work for the government or for private industry. Let me be blunt about this: since the government is not known to show profit in what they do, in contrast with the private industry. Where a decent bottom line keep them going.

A wise government will hire only the best. Aren’t we? Not in my opinion. By not doing so its GDP will show or its individual per-capital income. That is why we have rich and poor countries, also rich and poor individuals. A wise captain of industry will choose only those candidates who show promising careers and will make the company progress.

In going over the jobs advertised in the media, the employer ends his/her peroration with a: “salary will be according to qualification/education and experience.” What a misnomer!  Let me dissect this wrongly directed requirement. First of all, what do the employer means by qualification? He means that the applicant is qualified for the job, meaning he has a degree (accountant, for instance) and can prove it with the result that all the candidates have degrees to prove it. So he/she is 50 per cent in, the other 50 is about his/her experience. In this regard our dear applicant this is what he/she’s got to show for it. His/her experience: 5,10 or more years.

Usually a poorly written C.V., if asked for a cover letter it also is attached. Does a sharp interviewer or better yet, a wise owner get impressed with what is written in those two pieces of papers? I doubt it. Yet, he’s got to employ somebody among the applicants. His decision will create a mediocre company or a progressive one. Remember, and remember well, the old adage: Hire the best, wherever they come from!.

Hiring the best is a very serious business; only those employers who are in the know of the disastrous consequences of hiring the mediocre pay serious attention to this crucial step in any business, here or anywhere.

What I have noticed is this. Most employers get turned on when they read where the candidate went to school. If it happens the employer went to the same school the candidate has one foot in the door, same with matai titles.

Referees’ opinion about a certain candidate; is the same as the opinion of a pastor: irrelevant. Why? Because they are biased! Remember education is the acquisition of information for a price. What you get out of it for your money is what really counts. 

Now about experience. Employed people have had good and bad experiences in any kind of a paid job. Some just show up on a daily basis and do what the employer tells him/her what to do. And that is 80 per cent of the employed people. And they go ahead and do just that, nothing else. If they see corruption or stealing their rationale is:” I don’t get paid to report that, it would get me in a big trouble”. “So let somebody else take care of that. Not me”. And get paid for it. 

As a rule, in any good sized company there are three kinds of employees. Those in the 20 per cent bracket are those who take the company ahead in any industry and are the movers and shakers, and of course they are well treated by the company. Next we have the majority or the 70 per cent, in them you see those who want to belong to the top and those just content and satisfied with their lot. Lastly we have the bottom 10 per cent. Those employees do not push or pull anything, as long as the employers does not bother them they just try to do the minimum, no extra effort at all. This is what is called, in a well managed company, the “dead wood”. The best advice is to get rid of them. I am sure they will find something to do elsewhere. Some big companies practice what in the industry is called “people differentiation.”

 There is a lot of “dead wood” among us. Parliamentarians who pass laws without debate-exam. Libel Law- are “dead wood” yes man-not thinking men; the country does not need them! 

The employer should be like a doctor; if he sees that the patient (employee) is not going to improve, even giving the chances, he/she should send them (fire) home. In fact our doctors here send a lot of people home most likely dead than alive. Imagine! Not enough beds?

Now, here is the point I would like to emphasize for every employer worth his/her salt. As I said above and pound on it, you should hire only the best –just like the housewife chooses the best roasted breadfruit, taro, avocado, papaya, to feed his family; why wouldn’t the wise employer do the same—choose the best candidate? And pay well. Wouldn’t you compare good family health with a well running company?

Now who is the so- called good applicant? A good applicant is a person who has had good experience. Those good experiences thoroughly analyzed are what we call in job counseling: “your reliable strengths” while working in previous jobs. And what is a good experience? Good experience is called achievements. Something that he did to help the employer improve his/her bottom line or in any way or form has helped the company push forward and beat the competition; like through excellent customer service, and good quality products, something that we don’t provide here.

All that a good candidate has to sell is his/her previous achievements. It’s that simple. And any wise employer would buy it in a hurry. And pay handsomely for it. So if an employer wants to attract good personnel material in dealing with salary compensation, he/she should say:” Salary will be based on potential and previous achievements.” Salary compensation based on “qualification and experience” its meaning is obtuse and lack of concreteness, therefore, meaningless. Yet we see it in the paper everyday. If we don’t learn, we don’t progress.

All what I have discussed above is reflected vividly in this country and all as a consequence of not hiring the best. Or better said: not electing the best. For 38 years this country is going nowhere. Poverty is rampant, corruption is a way of life, the vulnerable majority-unfortunately “the silent majority” lack what a decent human being by right belongs to them: their basic necessities. 

Just imagine a minister of the government prefer to deal with a smuggler rather than report the crime to the police/A.G. And what is worse, the P.M. agrees with this saying “we have to recuperate the money” so money recuperation is above the law eh! 

How about the millions lost to corruption, never to be seen? 

On top of that the police and the A.G. do not act you know why? Because nobody “let them know” (oh yeah!) that corruption is going on? 

It is like saying; a fireman is looking at a building burning and does not move. He rationalizes: “nobody has called us yet”. Decision and action are the allies of progress; procrastination is the enemy of progress. 

 

*Orlando Huaman is a job counselor and freelance writer. Malololelei.

By Orlando Huaman* 27 December 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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