1Okay, we've got to decide who to promote to Leading Education Officer.
2Someone from the arts faculty, I suppose.
3Well, it can be from any faculty, since the position requires more general skills:
4handling personnel, settling disputes, and motivating them to focus on the task.
5It was the last position which involved computer knowledge, not this one.
6Surely computer knowledge would help.
7So too would knowledge in the arts.
8Sure, it would help, but the key criterion is being able to direct the staff appropriately.
9So, it doesn't matter then from which faculty we select our candidates?
10Not really, but I've already looked at those from computing, and rejected them all.
11Why?
12They're all too new, lacking in sufficient experience,
13whereas these ones from the business faculty are longtimers,
14so we'll take someone from there.
15I suppose you're right.
16The arts faculty doesn't present much in the way of suitable candidates either.
17But we'll still have to train the person - teach the ropes, as they say.
18And he or she will have to expect to do overtime, as needed.
19Of course. It can get so busy that, if we were open on the weekend,
20they'd have to work then as well.
21Just as well we're a Monday to Friday university, right?
22Right!
23But are you sure these people will actually want the job?
24The salary isn't such an improvement on their current ones.
25I know, but there are benefits.
26You get overtime rates, a nice place to put your car,
27as well as additional petrol money if you drive for company purposes,
28which they'll probably be required to do.
29But those benefits are quite limited,
30especially given all the work and responsibility involved.
31People often don't like that.
32They prefer the creative freedom of less-senior teaching positions.
33Yeah I know,
34but these candidates should realise that if they do this job well, there'll be more promotions down the line.
35you know how everyone likes having their own office, right?
36Sure.
37Well, that would come after a few years,
38if they're prepared to work hard and grow with the university.
39Yes, that should attract these people.
40Well, that's enough talk about the job.
41What about the actual candidates?
42How many do we have?
43Ah, I've narrowed it down to four...
44ah, just using their first names, that's Steven, Abdul, Lek, and Oscar.
45As you said, there's quite a bit of experience between them, about 34 years in all.
46What's the exact breakdown of figures?
47Abdul and Steven both have seven years,
48Lek has one more, and Oscar is the most experienced, at 12.
49But who's the most qualified?
50Steven and Abdul have an MBA
51sorry! Abdul's got something called a M.B.P.
52some foreign thing which translates as Master of Business Practice.
53I'm not sure what that is, but does he do the job well?
54Very well, apparently
55better than Lek and Oscar, who hold a degree and some certificates, respectively.
56But we have to think about any drawbacks,
57y'know, possible issues with any of them.
58I asked their respective deans for feedback, and I found out that Steven, the younger one, drinks a bit.
59So, he has a problem with alcohol?
60No, he never drinks to excess,
61but at the bar he's often expressed his intention of moving on, of teaching abroad.
62Ah, he's not stable.
63Not stable at all, apparently.
64We'll never know for how long he'll hold the job.
65We need stable personnel,
66and people without family problems, or sick relatives, like the last guy we promoted.
67What about Abdul then? Will he do?
68He might do, except his English language ability is limited.
69It's functional, but a bit broken, and meaning is sometimes lost.
70That's not the problem with the next candidate, Lek, who has good language ability,
71but this job involves handling people,
72and his dean says Lek's attitude is bad.
73In what way?
74His manners are okay, and he's interested in his job,
75but he believes there should always be adequate leisure in life.
76He definitely won't work overtime and complains a lot already about his job,
77but this last candidate, Oscar, is probably not the right one, either.
78Why not?
79Not another problem with language?
80His first language isn't English, but he speaks it well enough.
81He's stable, with a good attitude, but his age is the problem.
82Age is not a problem. That would be ageism, and I don't believe in that.
83But with his age comes health problems as well,
84and serious one is that.
85Oh, that might be an issue then.