Seriously – I want to know. People with exceptional (or excessive) self-esteem? Narcissists? People who like a challenge? Only children of doting parents? People with no qualms about lying? Would you answer an ad like that?

When employers advertise for a “rock star [fill in the blank],” what is it exactly that they think they are screening for? And do they realize they are discouraging anyone with the least bit of modesty, or who might tend to undervalue their own skills (which includes most women, and could add up to a lot of perfectly well-qualified people)? Not to mention anyone who has learned to avoid employers that exhibit unrealistic expectations from the get-go. Do they really need their admin or cashier to also be a “rock star”?

Maybe it’s because I live in an area that is Start-up (read: inexperienced management) Central, but I see this in job ads a LOT, and it’s bizarre, right?