Qualified?

I work at a state university and periodically work on a hiring committee as a member or chairperson. Positions are posted and applicants must meet certain criteria. Following is portion of a job posting.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's degree in Computer Science or related field AND three years of systems/programming experience, OR;
  
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field AND two years of systems/programming experience; OR,
  
• Four years of systems and/or programming experience; OR,
  
• Any equivalent combination of experience, training and/or education.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the theory, principles and practices of ...
  
• Skill in using ...
  
• Demonstrated commitment to ...
  
• Record of investigating, testing, and ...
  
• Familiarity with a variety of web ...
  
• Familiarity with digital ...
  
• Commitment to and record of outstanding ...
  
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and ...
  
• Excellent time management and ...
  
• Creative approaches to ...
  
• Demonstrated abilities in ...
  
• Demonstrated flexibility ...
  
• Highly productive ...
  
• Excellent written ...

Once the application period is closed, committee members take the applications and evaluate them independently according to a set of criteria. Completed evaluations are collected, the scores are averaged and the top applicants are scheduled for phone interviews. All applicants are asked the same questions and committee members independently evaluate their responses. Results are averaged and the top applicants are brought on campus for interviews by the committee. I think it's a fairly good system.

I wonder what would happen if a similar process were utilized in selecting presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The constitution specifies the minimum qualifications but one would have to think about knowledge, skills and abilities.

What knowledge, skills and abilities are needed to be president at this time? No, I'm not asking about their positions on issues. That may be important but first we need to identify women and men who have the ability to do the job.

It has happened that we have elected incompetent people who adhere to our highly valued positions on emotionally charged issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and immigration. The candidates may agree with our opinions on these issues but they aren't qualified for the job.

What knowledge, skills and abilities are needed to be president at this time? This is a tough question and I have an incomplete response rolling around in my brain. But, it's a question I have to ask myself. Otherwise, I'm not immune to the inane sights and sounds that are packaged as campaign broadcasts designed to manipulate me.

I wonder how may registered voters ever consider this question.