Guess What ? 

The DHR Guide to Competency Based Interviewing recommends that candidates earn negative marks if they “rely too heavily on common sense … when interpreting complex information”.^[1]

I was perplexed. 

Because, as we work ourselves through the UN reform and renewal process, we discover that no system of ethical thought is immune to being stretched to the point of ridicule. My romps through the undergraduate curriculum of development programming are looking out for those stretch-marks. Common sense has been very helpful in this attempt. 

I believe that what the interview guide meant to warn us about was common guesswork. And I agree that the times are gone where one could manage well with a best guess.

After all, isn’t it common sense to look at the facts, analyse the information, use some sort of reasoning and prepare oneself for the discussion?

^[1] The recommendation is made on page 37, of 54 pages

(27 February 2004)

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