Off Topic Rant!!

I thought I would intersperse the betting blog with a bit of a rant!
Yesterday I was helping a client interview for a new position and the vast majority of the applicants were graduates from 2009 and some from 2008.

My big issue here is the education system! We had some sample questions which we set on arrival prior to the interview to be hand written while they waited. The answers to these were not important just the skill set of being able to write and spell. Remember these were all graduates. We also had a couple of basic maths questions which were of the old fashioned mental arithmetic variety which we asked in the actual interview that were relevant for the job.

Ok the first thing we noticed was that out of 15 candidates only 6 were able to spell recession despite it being written correctly in the question! 1 of the incorrect answers came from a chap with A* at GCSE English Lit and Lang and an A at A-Level English Literature! The terrible spelling continued with another A-Level English high achiever, Grade B this time. He started with what can only be assumed is cheap housing as his accommodation came in the discounted form of "acomodation". He then went on to describe an apparent insect infestation at the property when he wrote "indepandant". I know where to get some ant powder but we may have to call in the experts on the indeps!!! One of his fellow candidates decided to get in on the act and started to use the potential property dwellers to fix their own properties when he lauded the use of "maintenants" contractors, I'm not sure what he had in mind for any subtenants!

The thing that really took the biscuit was a question we asked every candidate in the actual interview and the reactions were mind boggling!

"What would the monthly rent need to be to achieve an 8% annual yield on a £150,000 property?"

Only 2 got it right first time, one of which got the job and more of him in a moment.

I thought the first answer we received was just a bad start when I was confidently told the rent would have to be "Just under £2,000". Apparently this chap has 10 months in his years! But even from here he then worked out that 8% of £15,000 was "£1,900 and something, probably 66.6 recurring" and was adamant despite us asking him if he was SURE that was the answer. At least this one only had an A rather than an A* at GCSE Mathematics!!!

The second one told me that he didn't even know what a yield was! Applying for a job in the property industry and according to his curriculum vitae, "...with an in depth understanding of how to maximise the return for potential investors!!!!!" Mind you it mattered not, as when it was explained he just couldn't work it out as we watched for a few minutes as the eyes rolled and the lips were bitten but the silence was deafening!

Perhaps my favourite answer was "£400", not that great on it's own you might think, but when he was told the correct answer he retorted with "Yes but that's after you've added the 12% management fee" With this answer he became the favourite for the job, we liked his margins!! :-)

There was one successful candidate though.....

He had the worst grades at both GCSE and A-Level, though still fairly good, he had only been to an "old Poly" rather than the red brick establishments a few had attended yet he was able to spell and do mental arithmetic unlike his more "academic" peers.

Upon questioning he was open and honest about his grades, he had enjoyed his youth rather than study 24/7.

That's when it hit me.... The education system at the moment is all geared up to rewarding the students who study the hardest rather than the cleverest! As results break records every year there is little to distinguish between candidates and the only way you don't get an A grade now is if you are genuinely stupid or someone who doesn't do all their homework. Qualifications lean towards coursework and continued study rather than an exam and showing knowledge at the end. Exam questions have got easier over the years so even the clever ones who do study are just lumped in with the not so clever. It's as though uniformity is the prerequisite of the education system in today's society.

As I saw the candidates troop in front of me yesterday and provide disappointment after disappointment I reflected on the CV's that had only made it as far as the bin. The chosen few before me were, on the whole, not fit for purpose as graduate recruits. Perhaps the way the education system is structured is pushing all the true leaders of tomorrow, the free thinkers and inventors into the recycle bin. It's certainly made me sit up and reassess my selection programmes.