Job Orders Too Specific
Not every woman looks like Marilyn Monroe nor is every man George Clooney but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of good-looking people around.
Likewise, you can't claim that there is a shortage of talent because you can't find an exact match for your overly specific checklist of requirements.
But that's what people are doing.
For instance, Wabtec would only consider candidates who had experience with Pro/Engineer Wildfire, not an earlier version of the same software called 2000i.
Mike Sylvester, a recruiter, argues that "Smart people can learn sister applications, but there is a reluctance among hiring managers to see that."
The Photon Courier claims that if a mechanical engineer does a mediocre job, the cause won't be a lack of experience with the latest version of a CAD system.
It's more likely a lack of talent (good design intuition) or poor interpersonal skills or a bad fit with the company culture.
"These things are not easily represented in checklist form but they matter a lot."
Why the focus on a ridiculous shopping list?
1. Internet job boards bring in a flood of resumes and you need a clear-cut way to sort them.
2. Fear of legal action leads hiring managers to focus on objective criteria over intuition.
3. Too much focus on education and training. Neglect of the fact that people can learn on on the job.