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If they can get a qualified person for next to nothing, or voluntary, they’ll use tactics to make you feel guilty for applying, while pushing the idea that someone else is always ready to take your place. It’s a fine balance and the phrase “feed them peanuts, you get monkeys” springs to mind.

Employers will ask if you’re experienced enough to fulfil the tasks, and the answer is often assumed to be verbally yes! In reality, it is no! Especially, if you’ve been out of work for any length of time or are over forty years in age. Securing a job becomes difficult, as you’re seen as idle or out of touch. For some, this may be true, for others, it’s a common misjudgement and it can be twisted to the employer’s advantage. You may be viewed as an academic but lacking practical experience, even if you’ve lived more than any school or college leaver. The employer see's school leavers as malleable to new doctrines more so, than those that have been around the block a few times.

It’s important to stay current in your profession, especially when preparing for interviews. Many believe that qualifications alone open doors, but that’s not always the case. Some knowledge may resurface during recall, but this depends on how well your long-term memory retains information and how effectively your short-term memory bridges that gap. For most people, this process fails. To use an analogy, (I have used this before, here I emphasise the point): A car’s MOT certificate is valid only on the day of the test, even though it covers you for a year. The brakes could fail the next day and the car would be deemed unfit for the road. Similarly, qualifications are expected to serve us for a lifetime, but they don’t guarantee ongoing competence. Just think how many dangerous people are in key positions: doctors, surgeons, politicians, judges , and not all of them are qualified, or have not kept their qualifications up-to-date.
Employers vary widely in ability and approach.

Some people have no formal qualifications but have learned on the job, or by the seat of their pants. Others have been sidelined due to incompetence, missed opportunities, or life events. Some have worked their way up, assisting their bosses, becoming indispensable, yet blocked from further advancement. These individuals have followed a form of apprenticeship, rising from the bottom, but many today lack the patience for this route. It requires dedication, timing and the ability to recognise and act on opportunities when they arise. Unfortunately, many bosses fail to acknowledge their employees’ hard work.

Self-motivation is essential. Without it, people become complacent. Time isn’t always on our side and missed opportunities don’t always come back. Jumping into a role without full knowledge can be risky, but sometimes necessary. Today, we see individuals in politics or media with inflated egos and questionable habits, often with little educational grounding. Many admit to being dropouts or having conditions like ADHD or OCD — acronyms that weren’t part of our vocabulary growing up. These individuals may find themselves in difficult situations, yet some are elevated by personality alone.

There’s a growing trend of self-entitlement, especially among those in entertainment or public life. They believe their words carry more weight; simply because they’re famous. But what did they do before? Glass collecting, car washing, waiting tables, all respectable jobs, but not qualifications for leadership or expertise. If the schooling isn’t there, can we trust their judgment?

Some people are carried by personality, which can be positive or negative. Overinflated egos can lead to delusion. They rewrite rules to suit themselves, wear invisible masks and chase dreams that become dangerous. History has shown us this before — Hitler in 1939, Putin in 2022, leaders driven by dreams, often with a Walter Mitty-like imagination.