Giving them a flashlight is useless too

The search for the newest Skin is starting to rev up.  Although it’s more than two weeks to the deadline for applications we’ve already received a dozen and Millie says some of them are really good.  I’ll have to take her word for it at this point since I don't know how to make my own evaluation based only on the documents we get.  Got the word yesterday from Nadine that when this person is hired he/she will be added to my roster of faculty so I’m going to be taking a lot closer interest in the selection process this time. 

I totally lucked out with FNG who is every bit as amiable, low-maintenance and capable as initially assessed, and while I’m hoping this will be true with the next hire it wouldn’t be smart to count on it.  Especially the "capable" part.  In three years on this job I’ve seen way too many people who I’m reasonably certain are fit only for academia because they’re constitutionally incapable of taking care of anything resembling practical details in their jobs and/or lives.

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P.S. Well aware that this is the fifth entry in a row where most or all of the content is on the private site.  That's just how I'm rolling these days.  Write me if you want the password.