The Grumpy Old Blog

When it comes to a job interview, some people worry about not having a qualification. Well aside from quoting all the famous drop-outs who became incredibly successful business owners, for example, Lord Sugar, the trend seems to be reversing somewhat. If you succeed in obtaining an interview with the organ grinder as opposed to the monkey, you really should have no problem. Any sensible interviewer should focus on what you can do for the company rather than the rather meaningless bits of paper you might have on a wall. You can be as qualified as Einstein, but if you have no experience of the real world, employers should certainly think twice. They owe to their business. I once worked for a degree-mad multinational corporation where one of the marketing seniors had a superb degree. In physics. One of the other senior marketing managers was equally qualified. With his Geography degree. So, if you have a degree in Animal Husbandry and a degree in Mechanical Engineering, why not app...

To those who know me, they are well-aware that mentioning HR (Human Resources) to me is the equivalent of holding a red rag in front of a bull. I don't just dislike HR. I detest it. With a vengeance. Had I the money, I would have it proscribed and banned. It is the business equivalent of ISIS or Hamas. Terrorism, just without the violence. I appreciate not everyone can get everything right all the time, and while HR people allegedly should have some sort of commitment to their employees, not just kowtowing to cowardly directors, it's not exactly life-threatening (although certainly nearly always job-threatening) should they mess things up, which they always seem to do with absolutely no effort. Now, the unfortunate thing is, I am not wrong. And I find this disturbing. And it's all based on my own experience of HR. I had a particular experience that I would rather forget. I can't go into detail, because it was so illegal, hurtful and downright dishonest that just...