Should we disregard educational qualifications in the recruitment process?

I had a job application the other day for an administrative role from an applicant with two GCSEs: one in Sports and one in Art.

I feel justified in concluding that he was probably not suited to a role involving mathematics, attention to detail and extensive data entry on those grounds alone (although, it has to be said, I didn't - I read over the rest of his CV before reaching that conclusion).

"Our job is to identify potential, to seek out talent and to build capability"

Yes, but one of the ways that we identify potential is to look at past performance. If someone fails to achieve good grades at GCSE that shouldn't condemn them to a lifetime of minimum wage employment, but by the same measure it also shouldn't open a doorway to prime job opportunities better saved for those whose potential is more evident.

We build capability not by becoming tied up in specific individuals but by looking at a workforce as a whole. And yes, of course, a good workforce development plan will acknowledge the field marshal's baton in every soldier's backpack, but it will still expect them to do the mud-slogging to earn it.

Oh dear oh me! Robey. "Our job is to identify potential". And you go on to say you did this by deciding that someone with two GCSEs in Sport & Art. Isn't that putting 2+2= 5?.

By your's (and in fairness many others too), you wouldn't have given me the job either. I left school with no qualifications in much and certainly not maths. Yet I gained a distinction in Statistics whilst doing my DPM and my very 1st role in HR was to work out the entire staffing costs of around 500 staff using a spread sheet. The next year the challenge was to work out a training strategy, present it to the CE0 and then became responsible for the £100,000 training budget. I did it not because I like maths. Its boring. But I did it because I liked the challenge.

40 years ago I worked with disadvantaged young adults. (Y.T.S scheme) Almost none of them had qualifications worth writing about, many hated school and consequently authority.

Some of them I still see around town. Some have senior jobs in large organisations such as utilities management, several are self employed, run businesses etc., and at least one is a middle ranking army officer.

The lack of qualifications is no measurement of a persons ability, aptitude, or capability.

(sorry for the lecture - you just pressed the wrong button Robey ;-)

Oh dear oh me! Robey. "Our job is to identify potential". And you go on to say you did this by deciding that someone with two GCSEs in Sport & Art. Isn't that putting 2+2= 5?.

By your's (and in fairness many others too), you wouldn't have given me the job either. I left school with no qualifications in much and certainly not maths. Yet I gained a distinction in Statistics whilst doing my DPM and my very 1st role in HR was to work out the entire staffing costs of around 500 staff using a spread sheet. The next year the challenge was to work out a training strategy, present it to the CE0 and then became responsible for the £100,000 training budget. I did it not because I like maths. Its boring. But I did it because I liked the challenge.

40 years ago I worked with disadvantaged young adults. (Y.T.S scheme) Almost none of them had qualifications worth writing about, many hated school and consequently authority.

Some of them I still see around town. Some have senior jobs in large organisations such as utilities management, several are self employed, run businesses etc., and at least one is a middle ranking army officer.

The lack of qualifications is no measurement of a persons ability, aptitude, or capability.

(sorry for the lecture - you just pressed the wrong button Robey ;-)