Hold Brothers Capital, a financial services firm based in New Jersey, is hiring a chief of staff/administrative manager. Like many jobs, this role requires a college degree. But Hold Brothers is also requiring something else: SAT or ACT scores. Many — but not all — colleges require one or the other for entrance. And maybe you could make a case that you could use that score as a proxy for a candidate’s knowledge and ability, but a degree and experience outweigh any test.
The job description begins:
We are currently seeking an experienced Chief of Staff / Administrative Manager to manage and lead a team of personal assistants to the Chief Executive Officer of a successful financial services firm.
The job description includes tasks such as:
- Manage the CEO’s team of personal assistants; train and onboard new team members
- Disseminate correspondence (mail and email) and information to appropriate team and business members
- Arrange domestic and international flights, car services, dinner reservations, personalized packing lists, events and social itineraries
But it’s the requirements that make this job questionable (the emphasis is mine):
To keep reading, click here: The SATs Don’t Belong in the Workplace: 3 Legal Reasons Not to Ask Applicants for Old Test Scores
I can’t even remember my SAT scores. If you asked me, I’d probably BS it. Of course, then I’d get fired or not hired for “lying.”
It’s the same with college GPA. GPA is an American thing, non-US Universities grade very differently; No one who went to Oxford has a GPA for example. And if it was 20 years ago…why does it matter?
The SATs have changed their scoring a few times, so by asking for scores you can also get a pretty accurate age of your candidate. When I was taking the SAT (in the 1990’s) getting “800s” on both sections (math + reading) for a total of 1600 was considered perfect scores. Then the scores changed to 2400 for a perfect score. My 1250 in the 90’s is not the same as a 1250 on the 2400 scale!
The SATs have changed their scoring a few times, so by asking for scores you can also get a pretty accurate age of your candidate. When I was taking the SAT (in the 1990’s) getting “800s” on both sections (math + reading) for a total of 1600 was considered perfect scores. Then the scores changed to 2400 for a perfect score. My 1250 in the 90’s is not the same as a 1250 on the 2400 scale!