There is no rationale for why I continue to read the “help wanted” advertisements in print and on-line.
I don’t think I’m looking for a place of employment but as I read the appeals for applications I can’t help but picture myself in some of the positions being offered.
Of course, I don’t think I have the skills or would enjoy being a grader operator, an IT specialist (although I did help Housemate with his cellphone the other day,) an axe-throwing instructor (have you seen me throw a ball?), a vocal instructor (at one time I wanted to be a girl singer in a band but the low notes hit rock bottom), or a lifeguard (not with water involved.)
The ad for the construction worker specified the successful applicant would have to provide her/his own tools. I have a rusted wrench, some screwdrivers and a couple of hammers, one of them small enough that my friend, the late Norm Smith, laughed himself into letting me tag along as he worked on projects at the Exhibition Grounds.
He suggested I could probably be more help with tasks in the office, but he said he would call if my help were needed. He never did call!
Just this past week I opened the newspaper and immediately saw the advertisement seeking a Justice of the Peace for Moose Jaw. “Now there’s a job I could do, and would like,” I exclaimed to myself.
The work would be part-time for the community of Moose Jaw, working two weeks per month under the eagle eye of a Supervising Justice of the Peace. The successful applicant would carry out a variety of duties within the criminal justice system including conducting release and remand hearings, and considering applications for search warrants, arrest warrants and subpoenas.
By the time I had read the first three paragraphs of the advertisement, I had my resume updated in my head and convinced myself this would be a job I could handle. I already have some expertise with the police department, having covered the police beat occasionally, and I served on the Crime Stoppers board for a few years.
There would be no bias in my understanding of the job as I was once passed over for jury duty when an alleged criminal called me by name and asked how I was.
Then I got to the fourth paragraph in which I met two of the conditions required to be considered: be a Canadian citizen and a Saskatchewan resident. Check and check.
But the kicker to the seat of my pants came in the next requirement: “under 70 years of age.”
What? That’s discrimination on the basis of age. Employers aren’t supposed to be allowed to ask one’s age or religious affiliation or any of those other sensitive questions, unless the laws have changed. I fumed out loud at this gross violation of my rights, being unable to apply for a job I knew I could likely handle, but wouldn’t get because I was born a couple of years too soon.
I got even more upset when I delved into the rest of the ad: “Additional qualifications required include excellent communication skills, strong analytical and conceptual skills, the ability to exercise sound, independent judgment and the ability to interpret and apply legislation.”
In my opinion, I would have been just the person this Supervising Justice of the Peace was seeking. I would have been a diligent worker, a quick learner and would have earned every penny provided as salary.
I’ve been told I look and sound younger than my years, but certainly I would have had to provide some proof of age — a driver’s licence or a passport. And something else would have given away my true age.
Those grey hairs my hair stylist says look elegant and sophisticated would have done me in. No one who knows how to work long hours and provide loyal service is allowed to have grey hair. Just chat with Lisa LaFlamme about her grey hair.
My cane, my walker and even my support hose might have suggested my age at more than 70, but there’s no arguing with grey locks.
It is such a pity that spry minds don’t count for more than spry bodies. It is a loss to this potential employer.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net.
