or women and minorities. Goals and timetables encourage thehiring of members of women and minority groups. Before affirmative action, companies did not post their jobs on bulletin boards.Somebody just happened to know someone who needed a job and the job was filled. Thatperson was not always the best-qualified person for the job. How can a company possiblytell if it is hiring the best people if they only consider a small portion of the population?One cannot assume that all the white males out there are naturally qualified and all theminorities and women are given breaks because they could not possibly be qualified.Affirmative action involves recruitment efforts to ensure that every applicant pool includesa diverse mix of people. Affirmative action programs in employment consist of posting andpublicizing job notices in locations that are seem by a wide range of people. Theseprograms do not reach out to unqualified individuals but instead are designed to increasethe number of qualified applicants for employment. If among a list of finalists for a jobthere is a woman or a minority candidate, that candidate shall be chosen unless anothercandidate is prove to be better qualified. Critics attack affirmative action by assuming thatit results in the hiring of less qualified minorities over more qualified whites. Affirmativeaction is not about less qualified workers, but about looking for employees in variousplaces. Affirmative action used correctly only brings in qualified people. Nonetheless,there are instances when certain positions are given to minorities, but there are probably atleast twice as many instances when minorities do not get jobs because they are minorities.Affirmative action brings in great workers who might have been otherwise overlooked.Minorities have the qualifications and are willing to work hard. All they need is theopportunity to show it. Affirmative action programs in contracting are often targeted for women-ownedfirms...
