Dir. A:
Okay, we’ve got to decide who to promote to Leading Education Officer.
Dir. B:
Someone from the arts faculty, I suppose.
Dir. A:
Well, it can be from any faculty, since the position requires more general skills: handling personnel, settling disputes, and motivating them to focus on the task. It was the last position which involved computer knowledge, not this one.
Dir. B:
Surely computer knowledge would help. So too would knowledge in the arts.
Dir. A:
Sure, it would help, but the key criterion is being able to direct the staff appropriately.
Dir. B:
So, it doesn’t matter then from which faculty we select our candidates?
Dir. A:
Not really, but I’ve already looked at those from computing, and rejected them all.
Dir. A:
They’ll all too new, lacking in sufficient experience, whereas these ones from the business faculty are longtimers, so we’ll take someone from there.
Dir. B:
I suppose you’re right. The arts faculty doesn’ t present much in the way of suitable candidates either.
Dir. A:
But we’ll still have to train the person—teach the ropes, as they say. And he or she will have to expect to do overtime, as needed.
Dir. B:
Of course. It can get so busy that, if we were open on the weekend, they’d have to work then as well.
Dir. A:
Just as well we’re a Monday to Friday university, right?
Dir. B:
Right! But are you sure these people will actually want the job? The salary isn’t such an improvement on their current ones.
Dir. A:
I know, but there are benefits. You get overtime rates, a nice place to put your car, as well as additional petrol money if you drive for company purposes, which they’ll probably be required to do.
Dir. B:
But those benefits are quite limited, especially given all the work and responsibility involved. People often don’t like that. They prefer the creative freedom of less-senior teaching positions.
Dir. A:
Yeah I know, but these candidates should realise that if they do this job well, there’ll be more promotions down the line. You know how everyone likes having their own office, right?
Dir. A:
Well, that would come after a few years, if they’re prepared to work hard and grow with the university.
Dir. B:
Yes, that should attract these people.
Dir. A:
Well, that’s enough talk about the job. What about the actual candidates? How many do we have?
Dir. B:
Ah, I’ve narrowed it down to four—ah, just using their first names, that’s Steven, Abdul, Lek, and Oscar. As you said, there’s quite a bit of experience between them, about 34 years in all.
Dir. A:
What’s the exact breakdown of figures?
Dir. B:
Abdul and Steven both have seven years, Lek has one more, and Oscar is the most experienced, at 12.
Dir. A:
But who’s the most qualified?
Dir. B:
Steven and Abdul have an MBA — sorry! Abdul’s got something called a M.B.P.— some foreign thing which translates as Master of Business Practice.
Dir. A:
I’m not sure what that is, but does he do the job well?
Dir. B:
Very well, apparently — better than Lek and Oscar, who hold a degree and some certificates, respectively. But we have to think about any drawbacks — y’know, possible issues with any of them. I asked their respective deans for feedback, and I found out that Steven, the younger one, drinks a bit.
Dir. A:
So, he has a problem with alcohol?
Dir. B:
No, he never drinks to excess, but at the bar he’s often expressed his intention of moving on, of teaching abroad.
Dir. A:
Ah, he’s not stable.
Dir. B:
Not stable at all, apparently. We’ll never know for how long he’ll hold the job.
Dir. A:
We need stable personnel, and people without family problems, or sick relatives, like the last guy we promoted. What about Abdul then? Will he do?
Dir. B:
He might do, except his English language ability is limited. It’s functional, but a bit broken, and meaning is sometimes lost. That’s not the problem with the next candidate, Lek, who has good language ability, but this job involves handling people, and his dean says Lek’s attitude is bad.
Dir. B:
His manners are okay, and he’s interested in his job, but he believes there should always be adequate leisure in life. He definitely won’t work overtime and complains a lot already about his job, but this last candidate, Oscar, is probably not the right one, either.
Dir. A:
Why not? Not another problem with language?
Dir. B:
His first language isn’t English, but he speaks it well enough. He’s stable, with a good attitude, but his age is the problem.
Dir. A:
Age is not a problem. That would be ageism, and I don’t believe in that.
Dir. B:
But with his age comes that health problems as well, and serious one is that.
Dir. A:
Oh, that might be an issue then.
