Paul Gabriel
Appearances
Freakonomics Radio
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?
Hey there. I'm a longtime federal employee, and applying for jobs is notoriously sludgy. I was applying for a position that required at least two semesters of physics, college-level physics, to qualify. I had it. One of them was called Physics 101, and the other was called Statics. It was an engineering course studying static loads on structures.
Freakonomics Radio
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?
I was deemed ineligible for this position because I did not have two years of physics. I emailed back and forth the HR person for a long time, and they were pretty unmoved. I sent them the description of the course. I sent them a letter from the professor saying that this is indeed a physics course. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
Freakonomics Radio
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?
Finally, I got an email from the head of HR saying, we cannot count a statistics course as a physics course. This decision is final. You are ineligible. At that point, I just picked up the phone, gave her a call, said, listen, it's not statistics, statics. And what do you know, 20 minutes later, I was offered an interview and deemed eligible.
Freakonomics Radio
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?
You can usually make it work if you're willing to stand up and fight for yourself, but there's a lot of sludge to wade through.