Amanda Devion – Why I Hired Who I Did

Working under the MiniU umbrella for 10 years has given me the opportunity to be part of many different employment experiences. One of which was the hiring process of lifeguards for the UofM Joyce Fromson Pool. The text talks about ‘soft skills’ being an individual’s communication, interpersonal, problem solving and teamwork skills (pg. 245), which are the opposite to ‘hard skill’ certifications of being a lifeguard such as CPR and First Aid certifications. The text also talks about the tangible and intangible assets of identity capital. Tangible assets are what you show other people on the outside – how you dress, how you speak, your certifications are a few examples. Intangible assets are your psychological factors, such as critical thinking and what you think about yourself (pg. 255). I had to look at all of these factors when hiring lifeguards, but these areas were not viewed in an equal light.

The hard skills that were listed on the application were what got someone an interview or not. In order to be a lifeguard, you need to have certain certifications. Within the interview, the applicants had to answer questions pertaining to themselves as individuals, teamwork and social skills. They were also required to display the technique of some of their hard skill certifications such as CPR, water rescue and swimming skills. For the most part, it was how an applicant showcased their soft skills and intangible assets that got them the job - even if they would have killed the CPR mannequin due to horrible technique. I was able to reteach skill technique easily, teaching communication and teamwork skills was much more difficult.

One of my biggest pet peeves when hiring a new group of lifeguards was when I had applicants who followed a path of ‘default individualization’. These ‘kids’ were passive about the path of their lives and let their parents make the decisions for them (pg. 255). Typically the decision maker was the mother. The mother made all position inquiry calls and the application was filled out in her handwriting with exception to the signature. One mother went as far as to ask to be in the room while the interview was being conducted. Please, please, please don’t do that to your children!

Discussion Question: When heading into an interview, what type of skills/assets do you feel yourself more drawn to talk about in order to promote yourself?