"Unqualified candidates need not apply"

Part of my weekend routine is to check out the newspaper, of which there are only 2 sections that I bother to read.

The first is the editorial section - for educational purposes.
The second is the classified ads - for entertainment purposes.

Let me explain the latter.

For the past weeks, I've taken it as a personal project to see just how many times I'll find my favorite catchphrase for a want ad. Sure enough, I was not disappointed to find no shortage of it.

To know what that phrase is, check the collection below:
(click on image for an enlarged view)

The curiousity drove me further to Google the keyphrase "pleasing personality in job want ads" (quote marks not included). Below are initial findings from this quick survey:

1. The Top Two Countries of Origin for ads containing this phrase are India and the Philippines.
This, to me, seems to imply that employers from these two countries place unsual premium on such a personality. This, in turn, is perhaps because they've had several run-ins with employees who were big jerks.

That doesn't speak so well for countries that pride itself with the personalities of its people, doesn't it?

2. The majority of these advertised openings that include the phrase are jobs for assistants, staff members and other rank & file positions.
I have still yet to find a want ad for the position of Finance or Marketing Manager, much less for an Executive position. Even ads for Human Resource Managers don't carry this (which you would think would be a prime requirement).

That being said, I suppose the corporate message NOT being said here is this:

The higher up the ladder you get, the more you are entitled to be an a**hole.


Furthermore, you would think that everyone (employed or not) SHOULD have pleasing personalities. (Even the phrase itself begs definition - but I won't even go into that.)

If this was true, then there would be no need to place it as a requisite for employment listed among other unimportant requirements such as a college education and work experience.

Unfortunately, the fact that it's stipulated in a want ad only means that there are real jerks and a**holes out there. Then again, this is no new revelation.

I suppose I just lament the fact that even something as mundane as a job ad attests to this.