Intellectual Discrimination

[_bruky]

cool

[ontrider]

Have you seen the movie "Exam"? This is how I screen all my potential employees and have not had a problem yet.

I also heard IKEA makes you put together a piece of their furniture before your job interview? If that is true, this could be a sample of intellectual profiling.

[JeffreyCH]

[_bruky]

cool

[JeffreyCH]

I don't even place ads for employees and they still call me.

[BurkeViper]

Took an introductory HR class this past semester.

I believe that this is considered discriminatory unless you can prove that intelligence is somehow prudent to the job at hand (whether it be through academic studies, articles, etc.); I refer you to the Griggs v. Duke Power Co. But, intelligence is a high predictor of job performance (around .61 if I remember correctly) and would be something to look for in an applicant.

[goofyboy]

I have had to take a wonderlic style test for a job. I thought it was pointless, as it was a sales job. However, i don't think it was discrimination, as long as everyone has to take it.

Also, when i was in recruiting, we had applicants take a programming test for a programming job. I it is a good idea for certain positions.

[ScottyB_RochNY]

Discrimination? Are we really that sensitive?

Being unqualified or unfit does not mean you're being unfairly disregarded for a job.

[jt09]

ScottyB_RochNY, bruky's the one trying to "discriminate" so he doesn't have to interview 300 people to find 5 smart ones. he's concerned about getting sued.

i've been tested several times for various types of jobs. wait/bar positions at nice restaurants will make you take a test to see where your knowledge of fine dining, wines, craft beers is (mine was a long ass test too - like 6 or 7 pages!). sales positions will do a personality test. they want to know if you have the right mentality for the position (i didn't ). warehouse job has a lot of asvab type questions directed towards counting boxes, how many can fit on a pallet, etc.

[ScottyB_RochNY]

jt09, yes i get that. I was speaking generally.

I'm on his side, if people start crying "discrimination" beacuse you're trying to maintain a level of aptitutude for a position, then I'm gonna puke.

[Faust]

Well what does intelligence have to do with a trade position?

Most of the best trades-people I've worked with were high-school drop outs.

And there's nothing wrong with not having a sales-person personality

[pet575]

BurkeViper, is correct but one can get around it somewhat easily. The whole discrimination argument is based on the data in existence which supports the theory that standardized tests are racially and culturally biased and therefore minorities are less likely to score highly on such tests and qualify for job the employer is looking to fill.

For example, if you need to hire a guy to dig a hole at construction and that is all he will ever do then making him take an intelligence test could be discrimination because it does not apply to the position. BUT, if your written company policy is that you promote from within and ONLY hire outsiders for positions if the internal applicants are not qualified, then you can say that hiring the ditch digger is actually a long-term hire because eventually you want to develop him into a foreman, supervisor, etc......i.e., a position which requires a minimum intelligence in order to perform the job.

[Gtrain37]

Is this the next step in afirmative action? "You were hired because we needed an idiot to make our quota. Just sit over here out of the way and let the smart people work... your title will be manager"

[ScottyB_RochNY]

Gtrain37, unfortunately this wouldn't surprise me

[ontrider]

[_bruky]

cool

[ontrider]

I agree. Real world experience trumps skool. What happens when you get out of school, everyone wants someone with experience anyway, so you get the low-ladder job a lot of the time. I was lucky enough to score a great job during my first year of school... I did eventually finish school and once I did I ended up quitting my job, I guess I have it all bass ackwards.

[Faust]

I agree with all that... when I say they are high school drop-outs, I am talking about the 40-50 year old awesome carpenter/electrician/plumber/etc. that can barely read or write, and couldn't use a computer if their life depended on it...

[ontrider]

Well they're good at what they do because they've been doing it for 30 years. I'd rather have a guy who's been fixing pipes for 5 years than a guy who's been reading about "how to fix pipes" for 5 years.

[_bruky]

cool

[Faust]

[faceplant920]

I have personally seen this type of testing done and then the results all but disregarded on an education setting. I was an assistant at a nursing school in college and graded some of the entrance exams. 15 applicants were chosen but they were not the 15 highest scores as was indicated to the students. It was the 8 highest scores of one race and the 7 of another. This meant that one applicant was actually ranked 27th. Not only was this unfair to those who scored in the top 15 but were rejected, but also unfair to those of the race given places solely because of their skin color who scored in the top 15. It cheapened their accomplishment because they were lumped in with the "they only got it because of their skin color" people.

[ontrider]

^^^ that's stuff. Why don't we have a larger quota of white rappers?

[faceplant920]

Sorry cell phone... I try to edit them but it never really works out

[pyrocasto]

If I had that many applicants, I would weed out the idiots as best I could too. Some people use their brains, some people dont. Has nothing to do with schooling either.

<--- college drop out.