Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Lemon Picker

The woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed to be far too qualified for the job.


The foreman frowned and said, "I have to ask you this: "Have you had any actual experience in picking lemons?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I have!

"I've been divorced three times, owned 2 Chryslers, and I voted for Obama.

6 comments:

  1. In tough times I have always been leery of the "overqualified" determination. It would seem to me that it beats hell out of under-qualified or not qualified.

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  2. I think the concern is that an over-qualified person will get bored quickly and leave. That is as opposed to s***wing up quickly and being fired. It may also be that "overqualified" people will think too much and become a chalange to those in charge.

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  3. RadioMattM....I understand the overqualified concern in times of full employment (4% or so) but when unemployment is 10%-15% and more, I think it is BS. The "investment" in unskilled labor is minimal, so what is to lose?

    This story is an example of the fallacy of needing illegals to do the work regular folks won't do. Yes, regular folks will do those jobs, if given a chance. If one is a supervisor who feels challenged by a bright subordinate...one ought not be a supervisor in my opinion. You lead from the front, not by kicking from behind.

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  4. Aridog said: "This story is an example of the fallacy of needing illegals to do the work regular folks won't do. Yes, regular folks will do those jobs, if given a chance. If one is a supervisor who feels challenged by a bright subordinate...one ought not be a supervisor in my opinion. You lead from the front, not by kicking from behind."

    Basically I agree, but there are times with some people you just want to say, "Will you just do the friggin' job and quit over-analyzing it?" But the point of people willing to do the job is well taken.

    Some of my favorite jobs have been "demeaning" ones. I ws happy to have the job, and the people I worked for were happy to have me doing the job -- as opposed to jobs doing things I liked, where people who wanted to do the job were a dime a dozen.

    I think this also brings up the issue of jobs that put in high standard just to cut down the number of applicants when times were bad -- but made for an almost empty pool of applicants when times were good. It almost got to the point when someone almost needed a Masters degree to get a job as a police officer. When safer, better paying jobs were plentiful, departments couldn't give the jobs away.

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  5. RadioMattM said: "Basically I agree, but there are times with some people you just want to say, "Will you just do the friggin' job and quit over-analyzing it?" "

    I hear you. Long ago when in skilled trades we'd deal with the over-analyzers by telling them, first you learn the way we do it, so you can do it in your sleep and have your Journeyman's card...THEN we'll listen to your ideas. Meantime, learn to do it our way. Sooner you do, the sooner we'll listen. Capche'?

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  6. "I've been divorced three times, owned 2 Chryslers, and I voted for Obama."

    LOL! True.

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