Mike Rowe Response Reveals What Michigan Managers Say Is Among Biggest Hiring Challenges — You Might Be Surprised

A letter written to Mike Rowe accusing his position on work ethic in America being 'right-wing agenda' churned a written response from Rowe on Facebook that has now gone viral.  Rowe's response is a finely crafted work of art, if you ask me, but what's really important here is what Rowe says hiring managers at some of Michigan's biggest companies told him was one of the biggest hiring challenges.

Let's pause for a minute and just take this in.  What you are about to read, or if you're like me, hear, because I often hear the words I'm reading, and if they're really meaningful, they resonate audibly in my head, is what the people who are standing between you, your family member or your friend and a job are saying.  These are Michigan employers telling you why you aren't getting hired.  Are you listening?  Is everyone listening?

"The biggest under reported challenge in finding good help, (aside from the inability to “piss clean,”) is an overwhelming lack of “soft skills.” That’s a polite way of saying that many applicants don’t tuck their shirts in, or pull their pants up, or look you in the eye, or say things like “please” and “thank you.”"

BAM!

He goes on to say that this is not just a Michigan problem but a national crisis, saying "We’re churning out a generation of poorly educated people with no skill, no ambition, no guidance, and no realistic expectations of what it means to go to work."

While, as a hiring manager, I 100% thoroughly agree with what Rowe says that other hiring managers from Michigan told him, that wasn't even my favorite part of Rowe's response.

In his letter, Craig, the man that wrote the initial letter to Rowe, said "The unemployed want to work!"  We've all heard this a million times, and I don't doubt that there are some unemployed people that actually enjoy some good ol' hard work, but Rowe's response is perfection and more true than Craig's generalization of jobless folks' work ethic.

"In my travels, I’ve met a lot of hard-working individuals, and I’ve been singing their praises for the last 12 years. But I’ve seen nothing that would lead me to agree with your generalization. From what I’ve seen of the species, and what I know of myself, most people - given the choice - would prefer NOT to work."

I love my job, but believe me, if I could get paid, get by and never work again, I'd sign up.  I wouldn't mind spending my days gardening, swimming, playing games, watching TV -- there's actually quite a long list of things I'd rather get paid to do than talk.

Sidebar: I'm a DJ - that's about the closest one can be to unemployed, isn't it?

READ THE ORIGINAL LETTER AND MIKE ROWE'S FULL RESPONSE