In my opinion there are three major methods used when hiring personal [sic]: nepotism, cronyism and objectivism. Nepotism is when you hire an underqualified relative to perform a job, cronyism is when you hire an underqualified friend and objectivism is when you hire the best candidate for the position.

If one uses cronyism or nepotism in hiring in your own private business, this is your decision and job performance is your responsibility. Having owned my own business for more than 20 years and having hired many employees in businesses I helped manage, objectivism is by far the best way to success. You start with a thorough job description then thoroughly check education level or certifications, work and personal references.

In the most important public institutions in our community, healthcare and education, objectivism is again by far the best method for hiring. There are both federal and state laws regarding hiring practices and they are frequently abused in small communities such as ours.

What happens when you use cronyism or nepotism in public institutions such as healthcare and education? First, the employee is knowingly hired for a position they are not actually qualified for, and that employee is protected from criticism when they cannot adequately perform the job. Second, it is demoralizing to other employees who are qualified for their positions.

Long-term use of cronyism and nepotism, in a small community such as ours, leads to below average institutions. We need to be vigilant in demanding that the hiring processes used in our public institutions ensure that we hire the best candidate possible for the position that needs to be filled.

Michael Hoffman

Whitethorn