[IPAC-List] Minimum vs Preferred Qualifications

[Partain, Steven C.]

Great discussion.  I’ve grown increasingly disillusioned over the years with the utility of education and years of experience markers as qualifiers.  Too many false positives and false negatives in my experience.  Educational degrees in particular seems merely to be shortcuts—and really poor ones—for a set of unidentified competencies, and driven by administrative expediency (you’ve got to narrow the candidate field somehow), or the desire to have one’s field appear more professional.  I’ve challenged hiring managers to identify what competencies they think a bachelor’s degree implies.  Then we start discussing things like critical thinking skills, organization/planning, managing diverse perspectives, writing skills, etc.  Next, I’ll suggest that those competencies be the minimum qualifications we focus on, and consider evaluation tools that target those.  More complicated, but certainly more valid, I should think.

I also suspect online degree programs and traditional 4-year on-campus degree programs produce different sets of competencies.

___________________________________________________
Steven Partain | HR Manager
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
Direct: 503-259-1292
www.tvfr.com<http://www.tvfr.com/>



From: ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org [mailto:ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org] On Behalf Of Bryan Baldwin
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 2:59 PM
To: Ronald Clare; Graham, Erin
Cc: ipac-list at ipacweb.org
Subject: Re: [IPAC-List] Minimum vs Preferred Qualifications

This is probably not an incredibly insightful comment, but does it strike anyone else that MQs—an extremely common screening tool in the public sector—are supported by, I would wager, questionable evidence as to the relationship between an increased amount of education/training and job performance?  Particularly at the fine-grain level we use it? (e.g., must be exactly two years of experience)

Combine this with the other frequently used initial tool—the resume/application—and it’s a recipe for an incredible loss of utility on the front end.  It’s enough to make me want just a giant pool of candidates that have been through actual tests (unproctored or not) and throw the MQs and resumes out the window.

Bryan Baldwin
Personnel Officer
California Department of Justice
Division of Administrative Support
(916) 322-5446

From: ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org<mailto:ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org> [mailto:ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org] On Behalf Of Ronald Clare
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 2:44 PM
To: Graham, Erin
Cc: ipac-list at ipacweb.org<mailto:ipac-list at ipacweb.org>
Subject: Re: [IPAC-List] Minimum vs Preferred Qualifications

MQ,s are minimum qualification and are best utilized in screening out candidates who ( theoretically) can't do the job. If we are "testing" all candidates who meet MQs and relying on the test to sort candidates, the no consideration is usually given for quals above the minimum (e.g. 100% written test). However, this strategy is usually used only for entry level positions. For most positions we give additional credit for E&E above the minimum either in quantity ( more Ed or exper) or quality (more specialized Ed or targeted experience). On a " pure" T&E rating, someone who just meets the minimum qual would receive a 70 (minimum passing score) folks who have additional credentials would receive additional credit. E.G. A liberal arts BA might give a 70 but a BA in Hr might get an 80 and an Ma in HR might get a 90; 3 yrs exper in customer service might be 70 but 3 yrs HR help desk might be an 80. Each consideration should. Be job driven and all considerations should be framed in advance so we don't create grading systems that are candidate driven. Sometimes more Ed or exper does not add value to success in the job and should not be considered.
Sent from my iPad

On Jan 2, 2014, at 2:04 PM, "Graham, Erin" <Erin.Graham at das.ohio.gov<mailto:Erin.Graham at das.ohio.gov>> wrote:
I would like to find out how most public sector agencies address preferred qualifications when they have established minimum qualifications.  Specifically, if you have an established level of education and experience in your minimum qualifications, would you be able to have a preferred qualification above and beyond the MQs (e.g., MQ = Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Preferred qual = MBA)?  Or, do you reserve preferred qualifications for a particular skill set (e.g., experience with a specific software)?

We currently are seeing a mixture of both in our postings, but are leaning toward preferred qualifications for a particular skill set.

Thank you in advance for sharing.


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