Liquid Gooner

At a high school in Atlanta, Georgia, a mother is called in after her 16 year old daughter is accused of copying another student's answers during a final examination. The school is considering suspending her. TEACHER: “Your daughter has a serious problem accepting responsibility.” MOTHER: “She's never been accused of cheating before. What evidence do you have?” TEACHER: “Her answers were almost identical to another student's, including several incorrect answers.” MOTHER: “And you concluded she cheated?” TEACHER: “What other explanation is there?” MOTHER: “Perhaps you should ask her.” TEACHER: “I did. She accused me of giving her another student's grade.” The mother turned towards her daughter. MOTHER: “Is that what happened?” DAUGHTER: “Mum, I got 42%. I answered every question. I know I did better than that.” TEACHER: “Her answer sheet says otherwise.” The mother looked directly at the teacher. MOTHER: “Then I want to see the original answer sheet, not just the computer printout.”

When 18 year old Emily travelled to Japan with her family for a three week holiday, falling in love was the last thing on her mind. On their fourth day in Kyoto, she accidentally boarded the wrong train and ended up at a station where nobody understood her English. Frustrated and almost in tears, she sat on a bench when a Japanese boy approached her. His name was Haruto, a 20 year old university student who spoke a little English. He offered to help her find her hotel. But there was one problem. Emily had lost her phone, wallet and hotel address. Haruto decided to help her search for them. What started as a simple act of kindness became something neither of them expected.

Some employers aren't necessarily looking for the best person. They're looking for the lowest-risk hire within their budget. Research by the UK's National Foundation for Educational Research found that employers often prioritize previous experience over qualifications when recruiting. This creates a problem for people trying to enter an industry. Another uncomfortable finding from UK government research: some employers deliberately avoid hiring overqualified candidates, fearing they'll become dissatisfied and leave. So the experienced applicant can be rejected for being too qualified, while the inexperienced applicant is rejected for lacking experience. The result is a recruitment paradox: employers want proven ability, but don't always want to pay what that ability costs.

You find a vacancy advertised as an entry-level position. You open the requirements and discover they want three years of experience, advanced technical skills, professional qualifications, excellent communication, leadership ability and someone who can work independently with minimal supervision. You think, fair enough, perhaps the salary reflects all that. Then you scroll down. The salary is barely above what someone with no experience could earn. You apply anyway. Weeks later, you receive a rejection saying they found candidates whose experience more closely matched their requirements. Meanwhile, the vacancy remains advertised. You start wondering: are companies genuinely struggling to find suitable people, or are they searching for someone with senior-level capabilities at a junior-level price?